So simple, yet not

[Crohniac]

Hello all my friends! I thought I might share my story and see what y'all think. OK, so you are familiar with my right hemicolectomy in September of last year. And I have been on to vent a few times about how awful I have felt since then. My list of symptoms included joint pain, muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, sore throat (with white bumps all over the back of my tongue), concentration problems, depression and mood swings (mostly pissed off at the world), nausea, sensitivity to light, noise, and wal-mart (haha). I was also experiencing a metallic taste in my mouth from something. Soooo, on to the Rheumatologist I went. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few months ago because I seemed to have the trigger points and no one could determine what else could be wrong with me anyhow. I started anti-depressant and sleeping pill therapy. Felt better fatigue wise but still got no relief for the pain I had. This was horrible!!!!! I was ready to give it all up so I made an appointment to see my primary care manager. This was going to make me better or I was going to have to take drastic measures.....He asked the advice of another doctor in the room who had never seen me (only saw paperwork on me) and determined that I had a vitamin B12 deficiency. After 4 straight days on the B12 shot I am leaps and bounds better. Took only one pain pill yesterday and that is down from 8!!! Still tired and weak, but BETTER!!! I will have bloodwork done after a month and I am having an increase in my crohn's symptoms (which means more trips to the bathroom yuck!!) but all in all I am at least handling it all better than I was one week ago. So that is my story! Thanks for listening. :lol:

 

[D Bergy]

All of those symptoms are Lyme symtoms also. Don't rule it out. It is a hidden epidemic that many doctors are not even aware of. Magnesium is low in Crohn's patients and Lyme patients also. You may want to suppliment Mg.

I hope your improvement continues.

Dan Bergman

 

[DanSJVDavis]

Good that they caught it. B12 deficiency is a pretty nasty thing if it gets bad. Could end up putting ya in the hospital or worse at its worst. It's especially a problem for those who have lost their terminal ileum because that's the part of the intestine that absorbs B12.

 

[Cara Fusinato]

I find that if I add some B complex in, it makes me feel overall better.

 

[DanSJVDavis]

Wish I could do that. I have to get a shot to get my vitamin B.

 

[Crohniac]

Update: Don't feel as good. Pain is coming back a little more each day. I hate it!!!!! I should be happy that I got some relief from it, but I really only want it to be gone. Sometimes I just hate being me. I know I should stay positive and I know that I should be trying to de-stress. I just can't seem to relax enough. I am a high-strung hyper personality. That has always been my mode of life. My throat really hurts, I spit blood this morning, I seem to be having some type of allergy that just started coincidentally around the B12 shot time...runny watery eyes, nose drainage (ew), itchy painful mucousy throat (double ew). I know that I will have to explain all this to the doc and it makes me even more stressed. Wish I was famous and I had an assistant to talk for me. Like an advocate, ha! OK, nuff complainin'.

 

[Cog]

My B12 defieiency went a different route - it had been frequently low and then dropped below the normal range. I always looked good at Halloween with such a white face I got given a nasal spray that sort of helped. I asked my GI at the time about parasites and was told it was too remote a possibility. I saw another quack who gave me a homeopathic remedy and two weeks later I had red cheeks and all my blood tests since have been normal.

 

[Sojourn]

Sorry you're not doing so well Chroniac. When it comes to talking to your doc about it, you might consider drafting a statement for him to read or you reading it to him. Sometimes I've taken notes and questions written down to bring up, but once my GI starts talking and responding he gets me off-track. Either way, try not to let it get you stressed out. Anyway, good to see you're still around.

 

[kpratte]

Sometimes I just hate being me. I know I should stay positive and I know that I should be trying to de-stress. I just can't seem to relax enough. I am a high-strung hyper personality. That has always been my mode of life. My throat really hurts, I spit blood this morning, I seem to be having some type of allergy that just started coincidentally around the B12 shot time...runny watery eyes, nose drainage (ew), itchy painful mucousy throat (double ew). I know that I will have to explain all this to the doc and it makes me even more stressed. Wish I was famous and I had an assistant to talk for me. Like an advocate, ha! OK, nuff complainin'.

I try to flip it around and think positive that it could be worse (coworker has lupus) and if that doesn't work, just take it day by day.

Spitting up blood - I would be calling my on-call Doctor.

Wish I could do that. I have to get a shot to get my vitamin B.

Same here.

- Ken

 

[Kev]

Hmmm, my first thought would be (if I had the runny nose, watery eyes, blood spittin goin on) was that I caught something from someone when I went in for the B12 shot. Then I'd be off to see the doctor to confirm my initial diagnosis.
hey, considering the monkeying around that's done to our immune systems, and all the dr, clinic or hospital visits, us catching something else on top of our IBD is a fair certainty. Of those two thoughts (and two is about my limit, anymore and my brain starts to hurt), seeing the dr is probably the wisest. I know that platitudes really don't help when dealing with fear & depression. I have found that, speaking personally, the only thing that helps me in times like that is to turn it around.. turn the fear & depression into anger, anger at the disease... use that anger to bolster me to fight the damned thing afresh.
Oh, look at that... that was a 'third' thought. no wonder my head hurts now.