Assosrted Gastric Problems

[setanta115]

I posted this a few days ago, but I think I went to the wrong forum.

I've been diagnosed as having a vitamin B12 deficiency. My B12 level is 152.  My tests showed that I do not have anemia, so the reason for the B12 deficiency is being investigated (I am not a vegitarian). I received my first B12 injection just over two week ago. I'd felt fatigued for a few months prior to my diagnosis. At the moment I feel even more fatigued. I'm also experiencing some pain in my chest, back and arms. It can be mildly uncomfortably, tingling, or occasionally a stabbing pain. I was wondering:
a. if the pain is normally associated with B12 deficiency
b. how long after starting injections does one usually feel the benefits.

I've also been diagnosed with a mild hiatal hernia, and gastric erosion on the greater curve (biopsies from endoscopy are pending). I was checked for any cardiac problems (as I was initially admitted with chest pains) and cardiac tests revealed benign premature ventricular contractions but nothing more serious than that. I was wondering if the chest/back pain could due to the gastric erosion.

The pain can be distressing, and I'm given to being anxious about it. I'm a 30 year old male. I don't smoke, and don't drink. I'm not very active in the exercise stakes, but am very skinny - I weigh 126 pounds, and am 5'9. My cholesterol level was 4.4

Just today I had a barium x-ray which, upon initial examination, did not show up anything unusual.

Any help or advice or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I am not aware of pain normally associated with B-12 deficiency.  

As for the fatigue, it may take weeks before an improve is noted.  

Regarding the chest pain, further evaluation with a stress echocardiogram can look at the structure of the heart as well as evaluate for coronary disease.  If negative, it is possible that the symptoms can be GI in origin.

Further GI studies can be considered with a 24-hr pH study as well as a gastric emptying scan (looking for GERD and gastroparesis respectively).  The upper endoscopy would rule out many of the more common upper GI disorders leading to your pain.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_

[DanR07083]

Hi im 20 years old and  Yes Im just a little concerned with H Pylori i mean iv been taking my medication for it Note: i also suffered from anemia due to the ulcers that the H pylori created in my stomach i lost almost half the blood in my body and was hospitalized fortunately im ok right now and my blood count is riseing but after awile i started to get headaches i dunt kno weather its due to medication i was taking then they gave me caffine pills to reduce the headaches, it worked for awhile but now iv been getting winded alot lately easily getting short of  breathe and my heart would palpitate a little faster then usual....this was occuring at work...i wasnt really doing heavy work ....and now its been happening in my sleep, until this day it still bothers me in my sleep....So i called the doctor he told me that my body has to get use to the new blood they transfrused in my body (7 units to be exact and one plasma) do u think my body is still taking effects from the anemia that i had??? I also noticed iv been belching alot lately do u also think it can be due to the h pylori maybe its still lingering in my system ...the doctors ran a chest x-ray last year and they told me that i was fine and on top of that  they ran an EKG on me when i was in the hospital tests came back ok....do u think i should go for another chest x-ray i really value my life and this really does scare me....i use to never have these problems before..please if u can reply back....id much appreciate it...its been almost 2 months since i been out the hospital do u think my  body still needs recoperating?