B12

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elsie6hickman
elsie6hickman Posts: 3,864 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been doing MFP since July 27 and I have had a consistent 2lb weight loss a week. I feel great for the most part, but I am fatigued sometimes in the afternoon. I had a blood test to check my Vit D and B and I got a call from the Drs. office that my B is low and I will have to have a shot every week for 4 weeks and then once monthly. Has anyone else had that happen? I feel like I eat a very good diet - lots of veggies and healthy proteins.

Replies

  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
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    isnt b12 found in only meat? im not sure, i know vegans have to suppliment for it.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
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    Are you vegan by chance? If so, you should be supplementing
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited August 2018
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    https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

    B12- is not a vitamin that you can readily get from veggies. It's a vitamin more commonly found in meat than in vegetables.

    There are plant based sources but these are usually fortified.

    Your doctor will get you sorted and you'll feel way better after.

    *edited for clarity.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    ktekc wrote: »
    isnt b12 found in only meat? im not sure, i know vegans have to suppliment for it.

    It's in eggs and dairy products as well. Many foods are also fortified with it.
  • firlena227
    firlena227 Posts: 86 Member
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    If you have low B12 but are eating a "good" diet sometimes the problem is that your body can't absorb the B12 properly - so in those cases it wouldn't matter how much you ate if your body was unable to use it... hence they give it via injection rather that tablet supplements. Either way, glad you found out what the problem was & hpefully you'll be feeling better once you're all B12'd up!! :)
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    I get b12 shots.
  • elsie6hickman
    elsie6hickman Posts: 3,864 Member
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    I'm not Vegan and I do eat meat, eggs and dairy. I got my first shot this afternoon, so hopefully I will start to feel less fatigued soon. LOL, while I was in the Dr. office, they took my blood pressure and the first reading they got was 96/60 and the nurse started asking me if I was dizzy, headache, nauseous. So we did another reading and it was much more normal. I think there was something wrong with the machine the first time.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    Age and, for women being post menopausal can affect the bodies ability to absorb B12.

    It is not unusual for people, women especially, in the post 55 age range to need B12 shots.

    Unless your medical team have said continuing losing 2lbs a week is fine while fatigued, I would up my cals by 500 for a couple of months to get the full benefit of the energy boost the B12 will eventually give you.

    Cheers, h.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    I'm vegan and use B12 sublingual tablets
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    If you have very small arms, the blood pressure reading can be abnormally low. Happens to me all the time. My blood pressure is already low, but when the cuff is too big, it reads low enough to scare the nurses. Ask them to use a children’s size cuff if needed.

    I would also recommend eating more. While dealing with medical issues, eating at maintenance until those issues are addressed is not a bad idea. Then when you feel better, you can talk to your doctor about a reasonable pace of weight loss for you.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,005 Member
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    This has not happened to me but I work in a medical clinic and it is relatively common.
    More so amongst vegetarians but also happens to meat eaters.

    Usually the treatment is a short term crash course of B12 injections - the frequency depending how low the reading was.
    Followed by a repeat blood test after the course - and trial of oral supplements once level back to normal.

    They may also do another test called intrinsic factors if I remember rightly - checking for what used to be called pernicious anaemia.
    This is people who cannot absorb b12 properly. No amount of oral supplements will help them. The treatment is usually 3 monthly b12 injections for life.
  • LJay89
    LJay89 Posts: 91 Member
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    I had this issue. I got tested for MS due to tingling on the left side of my body and general fatigue/fog brain. Had a blood tests and MRI scan and all was clear except deficiencies in B12, folate and Iron. Anyway neurologist said that deficiencies in all these things was making me ill. I started supplements and I'm much much better. Trying to get all I need from my diet now but still take supplements to top up when I'm feeling fatigued or foggy or tingly.

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