pernicious anemia and neuropathy

Posted By Sandy on September 23, 1998 at 01:19:07:







I am  a 37yr old female with IDDM and hypothyroidism ( Hashimotos)and
recently developed peripheral neuropathy affecting all extremities and
the left side of the face. Symptoms included numbness, tingling in affected
parts. Also nausea, headaches, depth perception problems and arthralgia
affecting the finger joints. This occurred acutely 7 weeks ago and was
preceded by neck pain of about 10 days duration. The initial diagnosis
was acute onset diabetic neuropathy, but as further clinical signs
appeared - extreme fatigue, shooting pains down my arms - my physician
thought a B12 deficiency may be at the root of the symptoms ( a lot of
blood work had been performed to rule out many diseases at the onset),
he started me on B12 last week and I no longer feel exhausted,
the arthralgia is almost gone, no nausea etc.
The question I have is : The character of the nervous signs has changed
dramatically, instead of numbness, it is more like vibrations, and
intense tingling, the left side of my face has improved somewhat and there
are times during the day and night when I have no symptoms whatsoever.
If this is indeed a B12 deficiency - I realize that things may take time
to get better - Are the symptoms I am experiencing a result of nerve
repair? Could this still fit the clinical picture of diabetic neuropathy?
I appreciate your time.    Sandy in Canada