Question:
What happens when your B-12 gets real low and.....

I went to a doctor one time who asked me if I was tired all the time. I said yes, and he asked me if I wanted him to give me a B-12 shot. I figured he knew best so I said yes you can do that. I have never felt so awful in my life. That shot had me such a nervous wreck. It felt like I had drank a pot of coffee. The next time I went to see him I told him don't even bother asking me if I want another shot. Don't ever give me one of those shots again. That was about 15 years ago and I have stayed away from them ever since. So you can imagine my fear that I may have to start getting them again. I know absolutely nothing about B-12 can someone school me on this?    — K T. (posted on December 29, 2001)

December 29, 2001
I'm pre op but I get B12 shoots once a month They make a big difference to me, I feel the difference if I don't get it. I feel like a new person full of energy not nervous or anything. But everyone is different.
   — Jennifer J.

December 29, 2001
The shots arent the only way we post-ops can get our B12. I use the B12 Sublingual Tabs I found at my local GNC store. They come in 1000mcg dosage, and we only need 300mcg's a day, so I take one every three days. They taste great, like cherries, and dissolve under your tongue. I paid $24 for a six month supply. I just had my first batch of post-op tests done last week and my counts are all good, well within the normal range. So, as you can see, you dont have to suffer with the shots if they make you feel bad. Good luck and God bless you! : )
   — Kerry P.

December 29, 2001
B12 isn't really a guessing thing. The labs are cheap & simple to run & your PCP will probably run them for you when you remind him that you have no duodenum or access to your intrinsic factor (therefore cannot extract B12 from food or swallow-pills). When someone shot you back ages ago, you were probably well within normal ranges & shouldn't have had the shot without blood work in hand. Some surgeons automatically give shots, because the need is inevitable. BUT personally, my levels didn't fall til the 6th year, so I didn't start the shots til the numbers fell below 400. And then, we watched them to see at what frequency I need to do shots to maintain a level around 600. Some docs want to wait til the levels hit 200 or so but by then, we're often already crawling in the dirt, so better to watch & jump on it as it falls, rather than trying to scrape it out of the dirt. The sublinguals work for some people very well, but I've not seen the nasal spray work for "us". If you have your labs there in YOUR OWN HANDS, there is no chance that you will be OD'd on the B12 shots once you start them. I do my own, cheap 'n fast. And I am the Queen of Wimps.
   — vitalady

December 29, 2001
I speak from experience here, B-12 is nothing to play around with. My Dr. didn't mention the fact that I needed monthly injections for life so I went on my merry little way for almost a year without testing. I noticed that I was tired all the time, I couldn't think straight, I'd lose my train of thought in the middle of a conversation or couldn't think of the word I wanted to use and I generally felt like crap. I had my labs done and my B-12 was 62! Yes, that's right, 62! It's a miracle I didn't suffer nerve damage or anything. Since then I give myself my monthly shot and usually I don't get hyped up or anything afterwards but I feel a little better. Stay on top of your labs and don't play around with B-12. Try the sublingual to see if it will keep your levels up if you really don't want the shot, but if they start to fall then go ahead and start the shots. It's one of the tradeoffs of this surgery. Sorry if this sounds preachy, don't mean it to but this became a dangerous issue to me and I want to help others avoid it if I can. Good luck!
   — Kellye C.