[cathybee1]

Thank you, as always, Marlene for the suggestions. You make this nutritional stuff so understandable. Bruce went a slightly different route, so here's what happened with him.

As I understand it, adequate B-12 and folate levels are important not only for hematological functions, but also neurological ones. The doctor who ordered these tests for Bruce is an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor which seems a stretch until you consider the role of autoimmunity in hematological disorders. Anyway, the ENT doctor ran a neuro-immune panel on Bruce which are a fairly standard set of tests (you can google them). The doctor also ran some ENT tests, including oto-acoustic reflexes, and tested Bruce's balance. This ENT doctor then ran the information through a software package developed by neurosensorycenters.com.

Bruce had already been taking a phosphylated Vitamin B complex, 5-MTHFR supplements, and Vitamin B-12 injections. While Bruce's serum B-12 and folate levels showed high levels of both, the neurological tests indicated a B-12/folate deficiency. This suggested an absorption problem. Bruce is now using a neuro methylation cream to deliver folate and B-12 transdermally.

As an aside, the testing also showed high antigen levels for Epstein Barr virus. The family doc put Bruce on an antiviral. We are cautiously optimistic that one of these approaches is helping, as at Bruce's normal transfusion date this week, his hgb was still at 9.4. Fingers crossed...