Just to add, I can recommend probiotic (beneficial bacteria) supplements. I take these supplements after antibiotics. I had 3 rounds of antibiotics and it was a month of probiotic supplements to get rid of my gut pain.
PPI's can cause magnesium deficiency in as little as three months. It takes quite a few years for vitamin B12 levels to drop below the "normal" reference range however. That your vitamin B12 is below the range is an indication that your vitamin B12 levels weren't optimal prior to taking antibiotics and a PPI.
There are a few steps that are needed for dietary B12 absorption:
* Good levels of stomach acid: B12 must first be separated from the protein that binds it and this requires stomach acid.
* Intrinsic factor (IF): B12 cannot pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream without IF.
* Good bacteria in the gut: an imbalance in the beneficial bacteria of the digestive system can separate B12 from IF.
There are different types of magnesium supplements but I take Nature's Own amino acid chelated magnesium. There is a lot of info on the different types of magnesium supplements on this link...
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/Magnesium-supplements----to-avoid---how-to-take-it-and--safety/show/1002415
Thank you so much for the reply. I wasn't very hopefully, but your response seems to be very plausible.
Concerning magnesium/B12 deficiency I do have the following symptoms:
-feeling of lump in throat
-insomnia
-light & loud noise sensitivity
-elevated blood pressure (even with beta blockers and not being overweight)
-numbness, tingling, zips, zaps, and vibration feelings
-muscle twitches, soreness, spasms, tension, tightness
-back aches, neck pain
-headaches, migraines (I just had a migraine last night. I've had a few that have made my left eye go blind)
-leg spasm, restless leg
-anxiety, panic attacks
-weakness of legs, arms, trunk
-dizziness
-tremors (I was told they were essential tremors even though they developed over just a few days)
-visual disturbances
-paranoia
-personality changes (my g/f vouches for this one)
-fatigue
-shortness of breath
My B12 level was right below normal levels. So, if the scale needs to be changed by so much, I might be severely low by now. My magnesium was never checked.
I have also been on antacids for almost the entire year. I was put on 4 rounds of antibiotics last December/January and no one bothered to tell me how it could affect my digestive system. It is now completely wrecked. So they've just been feeding me PPIs (diagnosed with GERD). My food comes out not completely digested (sorry if TMI) but I'm absolutely miserable if I don't take them. I wake up with bile in my throat and mouth. So, I really might be pretty malnourished.
I found some good sublingual B12 tabs and an HCL with Pepsin supplement. Is there a magnesium supplement you recommend? There seems to be several different magnesium forms.
I am rather forgetful tonight. Thyroid issues acting up ayayaya~! lol
I forgot to add, if you eating enough B12 in the diet, the reason for low B12 is malabsorption. A common reason is low stomach acid.
An excellent article about the importance of stomach acid is "HCL - The most important supplement ever?" An excerpt...
"Stomach acid is necessary for the following functions:
* Absorption of at least 8 nutrients are dependant on adequate stomach acid: calcium, B9 and B12, magnesium, zinc, iron, vitamin C and beta carotene
* Absorption of anti oxidant vitamins A and E, putting you at greater risk of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation
* Breakdown of protein for use in tissues and muscle synthesis
* Activation of enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters
* Prevention of bacterial pathogens from going into the lower GI tract, causing infection, and putting you at risk of disease and stomach cancer
Many people think gastric stress is normal. It is not. A strangely common misconception is that Westerners have too much stomach acid. This is rarely true!"
My mother takes betaine HCL with pepsin supplements (to increase her severely low stomach acid) and digestive enzyme supplements to help with digestion. Her severe GERD and severe LPR are history. :)
I forgot to add the symptoms for vitamin B12 deficiency is from the B12 awareness website.
Just to clarify, the leg pains, with the exception of the stabbing buttocks pain, do not get worse with/are not brought on by exercise/walking. In fact, I rarely feel any leg pain while walking. Considering that and the normal result for the fasting blood glucose level, I am convinced the pains are not cause by diabetes or intermittent claudication.
Magnesium deficiency causes pain because calcium contracts the muscles and magnesium relaxes the muscles. Vitamin B12 deficiency could be the reason why your spleen is mildly enlarged. Fatigue is a symptom of both vitamin B12 and magnesium deficiency. Frequent arm and leg numbness I had due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Lab ranges for vitamin B12 are far too low....
"Some researchers propose that the current standard norms of vitamin B12 levels are too low.[39] In Japan, the lowest acceptable level for vitamin B12 in blood has been raised from about 200 pg/mL (145 pM) to 550 pg/mL (400 pM).[40]"
While the symptoms of both deficiencies are insanely long, this is a couple of excerpts of some of those possible symptoms...
Excerpt from Best Magnesium - How to Fix Heart Palpitations or Irregular Heart Beat...
"It has been found that 4 out of 5 people in the US (or 80%) are deficient in magnesium. If you are experiencing 2 or 3 of the following symptoms, you probably are one of them.
- heart palpitations, heart arrythmias
- chest tightness
- urinary spasms
- constipation
- menstrual cramps, premenstrual irritability
- difficulty swallowing, a feeling of a lump in the throat
- insomnia
- light sensitivity, loud noise sensitivity
- high blood pressure
- numbness, tingling, zips, zaps and other vibratory sensations
- being uptight or prone to temper
- muscle twitches, soreness, cramps, spasms, tension, tightness
- back aches, neck pain
- headaches, migraines
- jaw joint problems
- needing to sigh a lot, unable to take a deep breath
- hiccups
- leg spasms, charlie horses, restless leg syndrome
- anxiety, panic attacks
- hyperactivity
- angina"
***
Neurologic signs and symptoms:
Numbness—tingling
Weakness of legs, arms, trunk
Impaired vibration—position sense
Abnormal reflexes
Unsteady or abnormal gait
Balance problems
Difficulty ambulating
Dizziness
Tremor
Restless legs
Visual disturbances
Forgetfulness, memory loss
Dementia
Impotence
Urinary or fecal incontinence
Psychiatric symptoms:
Depression
Irritability
Paranoia
Mania
Hallucinations
Psychosis
Violent behavior
Personality changes
Hematologic signs and symptoms:
Anemia
Macrocytosis (enlarged red-blood cells)
Generalized weakness
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Pallor"