For newbies, you’ll want to read the first two parts of this B12 Journey first:
My B12 Journey. Yes, B12 was out to get me.
My B12 Journey: The first update.
Before continuing, I would like to thank Pat Kornic (the founder of Pernicious Anaemia/B12 Deficiency Support Group Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/PAB12DSupportGroup/ and also on Twitter @ontariolass) for her suggestion that I might consider doing a formal study on myself like Paul Golding’s scientifically published piece he did on himself:
Unfortunately, I just did not keep nearly the detailed and verified records necessary to consider my story for a Scientific Publication. For now, it will just have to be a personal observation that will hopefully inspire more in-depth studies on acute vs. chronic B12 Deficiency.
Now, to continue the Journey:
If you remember, I discontinued my B12 Supplements in May 2022. Here are my relevant labs prior to that and thru March 2023:
You might notice that in September 2020, my B12 was high, and my folate was low. I was having numerous symptoms but was convinced I had Hyperparathyroidism (it turns out I did), and these 2 diseases have many symptoms in common. You can learn more about this in my upcoming series My Parathyroid Journey.
I had my parathyroidectomy in November 2021, and stopped all B12 Supplementation in May 2022. My uMMA tests (in my opinion, the most accurate reflection of B12 at the cellular level) in September 2022 and December 2022 were both normal. My symptoms after the Parathyroidectomy were MUCH better!
Then the surprise: In March 2023, my B12 was again normal, but I was Folate Deficient, which raised my Homocysteine above normal as well!
Was I having symptoms? Well, it turns out I WAS!
This part is a little embarrassing because I believe I know a lot about B12 Deficiency and its sister, Folate Deficiency. Certainly, more than many. One thing I have always said about B12 Deficiency is that it’s often an insidious disease: It can come on so gradually that you don’t notice it. This is exactly what happened to me.
I realized that I HAD been getting more tired in the afternoon. I joked about taking a nap before bed. I attributed it to my age: “Well, I AM 72, after all”. And I was having some problems with sores on my tongue, but again attributed it to some dental issues I was having (thank you again, Hyperparathyroidism!).
Folate Deficiency has many similar symptoms to B12 Deficiency and is just as insidious.
I won’t go into the details here, but to avoid Manufactured free Glutamates (which give me Migraines), I had started avoiding processed foods. They are OFTEN fortified with Folic Acid, and apparently, I was not getting enough natural Folate in my diet since I cut back on my fortified processed foods.
What to do? I felt my B12 levels were fine, so I saw no need to go back on B12 Supplementation. And I preferred not to take Folate Supplements (again due to the MfG problem).
So, I increased the natural folate in my diet. I started incorporating more folate rich foods such as zucchini squash, iceberg lettuce and eggs into my diet.
I’ll let you know how that worked out in the next update. Coming soon, I promise!