Question:
B-12 and/ or K Injections..........

All you post ops that this applies to, how did you know it was necessary for you to receive vitamin B12 or other injections? What IS vitamin K? Is that an injection shot also? Can you tell I don't know what I'm talking about? But how do you now when they're necessary? Thanks, I'm still learning.    — blank first name B. (posted on April 29, 2002)

April 29, 2002
OK. K. You're getting it in your 2 multi vites. It's job is to clot blood. You really do not want extra of this as it is one thing you can absorb via food (green leafies). ESP before any surgery, since we are prone to clots anyway. Clotters are forbidden green leafies, for example, even stevia tablets!!!! Serious business. OK, so K is covered well, 2 mutlis + green leafies and misc other foods. B12 is another animal all together We lose some of that (or the instrinsic factor it needs) after age 50 ANYWAY, but pretty much the whole ball of wax is gone after surgery. We can eat B12 foods, but it can't mingle with the intrinsic factor (which is now sealed in the old stomach), so foods & swallow-pills are useless. The B12 sublinguals may forestall the inevitable for years. Or not. How do you know you need shots? Some docs give them right out of the chute, knowing that it's coming. Ours monitors our lab work until it gets low and then we begin. Not "in the toilet", just LOW. Low end of normal ranges is a good time to start the shots because you can keep an eye on it monthly (B2 is cheap, shots are cheap, labwork is cheap) until you see what frequency is the one YOU need. I'm every 2 weeks, but I'd probably like weekly better. My dh is happy as a clam monthly. But we watched the labs for months to determine what fequency holds which level. Then there's no guessing. NOW, if you're not getting quarterly labs, extreme fatigue could be a marker, sore mouth or tongue, but then you're back to guessing. Ask your PCP to test your B12 level if you can't get the full set of labs done, OK? Like I said, the whole proces is mega-cheap, even if your ins didn't pay for it. It IS a critical suibstance, much like iron, hard to take in, harder than HECK to correct once it bottoms out, so the idea is to steer it gently while you can control it easily.
   — vitalady