Vitamin B12 Deficiency Weird Symptoms (& Why They Occur)

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Weird Symptoms (& Why They Occur)

Vitamin B12 is an essential, water-soluble vitamin acquired from our diets. In the event of reduced dietary consumption or compromised absorption, deficiency of vitamin b12 can occur. In this lesson, we discuss some more atypical or “weird” signs and symptoms of vitamin b12 deficiency and why they occur.

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JJ

**MEDICAL LEGAL DISCLAIMER**: JJ Medicine does not provide medical advice, and the information available on this channel does not offer a diagnosis or advice regarding treatment. Information presented in these lessons is for educational purposes ONLY, and information presented here is not to be used as an alternative to a healthcare professional’s diagnosis and treatment of any person/animal. Only a physician or other licensed healthcare professional are able to determine the requirement for medical assistance to be given to a patient. Please seek the advice of your physician or other licensed healthcare provider if you have any questions regarding a medical condition.

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[benjaminpick]

Thank you so much! My 92 grandmother has been in and out of hospital all year now and been diagnosed with advanced dementia and severe frailty. Finally was tested and new diagnosis was pernicious anemia and low b12 and iron deficiency anemia. 6 months later all dementia and frailty disappeared!!!
The NHS is so shocking, there not checking patients regularly properly

[pwjjpng]

I was diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia June of 2023..I have all the symptoms mentioned and much more...I described the nerve pain as pins and needles... most times the health care professionals flipped that to numbness and tingling...in an attempt to draw a better picture so they could relate I started describing the nerve pain more accurately as Bee stings and Hornet stings for the ones that hit really hard...this torment and more went on every minute of everyday until finally B12 injection therapy started turning my life around...before then I felt like I was dying and dementia was taking over what was left of my life. THANK YOU JJ Medicine for getting this information out there...99 % of healthcare professionals need a refresher course on Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency...why a simple B12 level test is not included in annual blood work up is criminal and misery with possible death for those being misdiagnosed...The literal meaning of pernicious is
1. : highly injurious or destructive : deadly.
Thanks again

[irvinelover]

You missed a key blood point regarding B12 deficiency. I have Pernicious Anemia and before they figured out that I had it they thought that I was bleeding internally. Why? Because my blood levels dropped so low that I had to have 2 emergency blood transfusions. The doctors couldn’t understand how I was still walking because my blood levels were so low. Come to find out my Pernicious Anemia was so bad that it was preventing my body from making any new blood. I was slowing dying from my blood levels constantly dropping.

[jeannemarshall]

I'd like to add to your list. My deficiency was so bad that I had double incontinence, and my tongue was so swollen that I vomited when I tried to eat. I was nearly bedbound. I was admitted to the hospital and given 2 units of blood because my blood cells were so large and misshaped they could not carry much oxygen. Ringing of the ears was another symptom, as was vertigo. Both arms and legs had the pins and needles you described. Subacute degeneration of the spinal cord resulting in a very painful tailbone. Insomnia is also a symptom. Sensitivity to light and sound also. Doctors need more training as many that I have spoken to cannot treat pernicious anemia adequately. They also will tell you "you are cured" if you take supplements and then are tested. Some are honest and tell you they have no clue what pernicious anemia is. No cure for pernicious anemia. If you test negative for antibodies, it still does not mean you do not have pernicious anemia. If you suffer from an absorption problem, no type of oral supplementation will be enough. Tests are outdated and show B12 floating around in your serum but do not show what your body actually uses. You can have a false high test result where people take oral tablets, sublinguals, who do not have a dietary deficiency, but do have an absorption problem. If on injections, testing is a waste of money. Your results should be high, as in over 2000. B12 is water soluble and nontoxic. No such thing as too high if getting injections. You need a high level to heal from all the damage. For people who were deficient for a long time, injections daily or every other day are the only way to keep the symptoms at bay. The treatment differs for every patient. There is no one size fits all treatment. Be your own advocate. Learn all you can. You do not want permanent damage like I do because of uneducated doctors and outdated treatment guidelines.

[MooiMeissje]

Helicobacter pylori aka H. Pylori bacteria can cause B12 and Folate deficiency as well.

[jessicam]

Thank you !! This is the first piece of information that is very explanatory and helpful. I made the mistake of eliminating diary from my diet, along with processed carbs, and reduced my meat intake…. 3 weeks later started feeling severe fatigue and excercise intolerance. No doctor could give me an answer, I discovered by myself I had b12 deficiency.
Now I returned to my diary and meat diet, and I’ve been taking b supplements, ive been feeling better every week. 😊
Never underestimate the dangers of a restrictive diet change!!!

[snipz]

Just got out of the hospital. I have Crohns disease and had an operation to remove part of my small intestine last year. The part that was removed helped with the absorption of vitamins. Went to the hospital this week because anytime I stood up I was getting dizzy and generally felt weak and a little depressed. Turns out my vitamin B12 count was crazy low. Didn't know how much of a big part B12 has on our body.

[CieloDesign]

Thank you for explaining all this! I was having weird paresthesia in the left part of my face that I feared would be a precursor to a stroke, turned out I had B12 deficiency and once I start taking it regularly it disappeared...I would never have connected the dots on my own....

[lisawilson]

I have had a couple strokes and memory issues with low energy. I’m Native American so the Dr we have only functions as a MASH Dr. I ordered injectable vitamin B12 online and have been doing weekly shots (after reading everything I could to ensure I would not overdose on it.) I am very happy with the difference it has made in both. At first: I was paying $50 per dose from this CA B12 store then found it for $28 for 10 doses elsewhere luckily.

[rexcowan]

Congratulations on defining the medical jargon in an understandable manner.

[juliadouglas]

I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia when I was 40. I’m 59 now. I have a lot of the same complaints I see here. Two things..1. It’s inherited through Mothers line. Two of my sisters have it as well. 2. One symptom that my mother, myself and 1 sister noted was water making us feel sick to our stomachs. Odd. We all would get enough thru coffee, tea, soups, jello, ect. I remember before I was diagnosed, I was in the mall and saw myself in the glass of a store display. I jumped and looked again. I saw a very pale and exhausted version of myself. I looked like a cancer patient. I went back to my doctor and she was surprised how I looked from one month to the next.

[linda]

I take a sublingual meltable B12. I had my B12 re tested 6 months after starting taking them. It greatly improved my results.

[leenguy]

Excellent video, my mother has a lot of those symptoms and it has convinced her to get her B12 levels checked.

[samkitty]

I was perfectly "normal" 7 months ago. Meaning, fully mobile and bursting with good health. Never took a sick day in 45 years of working. Then it started...
Tingling, and pin prick pain in my right foot. Numb toes on same foot. This foot would swell during the day, and the swelling would go down completely over night. Tried NSAIDs for pain. Didn't help at all.
Decided to see someone. Sports medicine doctor had an opening so I went to him. He took the X-ray, examined the foot and said he could see nothing wrong. Prescribed more meds none of which worked.
He suggested I see a "Spine specialist". He suspected some kind of nerve issue...
While waiting for the appt, I all of a sudden got a "foot drop" on this leg. What a PITA that is, on its own.
On 1st visit with spine specialist they took the X-ray of my spine, and wrote a prescription for a device to help with foot drop. While waiting for the next appt with the spine doctors, I noticed strange things happening on my left leg. I lost the knee jerk reflex, the knee became "a trick knee" that I could no longer trust, and worse yet, I could no longer lift my left leg, or push up using it. If on my back, I can not do a left leg lift. All of this also happened without any warning...overnight. I remember weeding in my yard and being unable to stand up. Had to roll over to the nearest object and use it to pull myself up.
On 2nd visit to the spine doctors they did a nerve conductivity study. Painful, but I could take it.
They also ordered an MRI of my back. Nerve study confirmed what I already knew, and the MRI showed no issues. Now I turned to my primary family doc for help. He was pretty much useless and clueless.
He ordered every imaginable blood test. Results came back days later, and all within acceptable ranges.
NOTHING stuck out. Now at a loss, he referred me to a neurologist. He in turn did more poking and prodding and ordered more blood work. One particular test was off according to him and he wanted me to see a hematologist. He also suggested I start taking B12 supplements even though blood work did not specify I was deficient. Weeks later, hematologist reviewed blood tests and again said nothing was off... She suggested some test be repeated if "it would make me feel any better". I said no...
There is no reason to prove the negative... Went back to the neurologist. He did another nerve conductivity study. Very very painful this time. Like being jabbed with a screwdriver, over and over.
At this point, I am weak, I spend my days in a wheel chair. I am sure my problem was probably low levels of B12. I suspect Pernicious anemia. I think I'm screwed. Damaged nerves can not be repaired.
I am angry and disappointed. All this waiting and guessing. Doctors afraid to diagnose me...afraid of law suits I guess. Passing me around like a hot potato. How can anyone call themselves a spine doctor, or neurologist, or hematologist, or even a family MD, and not check B12 levels first, knowing how critical this vitamin is...In retrospect maybe I should have been more involved. I have every vitamin B12 deficiency symptom, and I mean every one.

[MelissaThompson]

If you do have a B vitamin deficiency, look up the MTHFR genetic anomaly. This is rather common but doctors are not much aware of it.

[arleighbarley]

Helpful! Thanks! 59 year old, colitis in remission, ovo lacto vegetarian with some mild depression—I’ll check my supplements and add more dairy and eggs!

[stellaSOreal]

I had every single one of these symptoms for over 10 years before my PA diagnosis and it pisses me off...tbh.. that I was dismissed and only treated for IDA for so long.

[AB-vcox]

Thanks for explaining why my MCV has been high, my Dr didn’t. Figures since I been depressed and not eating right or enough since a 2nd go round with long covid, also noticed no Vit B odor when I urinate which is what a different Dr said was an indication of getting more than enough and don’t need to supplement. This bit of info probably help with my depression management as well. Curious that this showed up in my feed, but glad it did.

[richardbeverley]

I have been told I am suffering from reduced B12 and am going to start on a course of injections. I do recognise some symptoms. I am glad I came across this video because it explains things so much more. And by the way thanks to the person who suggested Marmite.

[bobbievoncork]

This site is the best thing that has happenedto me in a while