Low B12 - Pregnant - GP not treating

[LoopyLoo82]

I had my B12 levels checked on Monday, the results show B12 level at 99. I had a message left on my phone to tell me that I needed to make an appointment with my GP to discuss this. On attending the appointment my GP explained that my iron level is low (last blood test in Dec also showed low iron and I was given a prescription of Ferrous Fumarate 210mg x2 daily) I would assume that this isn't working? My GP then gave me a prescription for Pregaday 100mg x1 daily and told me to stop the Ferrous Fumarate and start on the Pregaday instead. This concerns me as I don't understand how taking a supplement with less iron will work? Also it says on the leaflets and online that these are not to be used for "People with anaemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anaemia)".

Next my GP tells me that my B12 levels are low at 99 and that if I wasn't pregnant then she'd be giving the injections again straight away (I have had low B12 in the past a year before falling pregnant). She explained that because I am pregnant (29 weeks) she is not happy to administer the injections as she doesn't know if it will affect the baby (and there was me being told previously by the same GP that low B12 is bad for the baby).

I am concerned for the health of both my baby and myself. Previously my B12 level has come back at 120 in one week and then 92 in the following week (while I was unmedicated). I am told that these results will be passed onto my obstetrician who I am to see for the 1st time in 2 weeks (I have had to wait for 22 weeks for this appointment). Surely looking at before, my B12 levels could drop again in that time? How dangerous is this?

My blood test showed low B12, low HB, low haematocrit, low RBC's. My Lymphocyte, EOS and Basophil count were all at the very minimum range (not sure if that's relevant-its all Greek to me).

I have been feeling ill lately and while in an appointment with my midwife this week I had disturbed vision and hearing and came over very hot, she whipped me up onto the bed and it returned gradually. I am feeling VERY tired and weak and keep getting dizzy spells (these can happen before or after eating). Basically I am struggling now to do anything around the house and feel like I am functioning on bare minimum, not sure if these symptoms are related to the iron & B12 problems or something else.

Any advice would be gratefully received. I am so scared of the damage that this may cause my baby.

[ggreg]

I would like to add that if you take extra B12, you have to be real sure where your potassium levels are!  You may not take extra B12 if potassium is low.

[Red_Star]

Your vitamin B12 level is severely deficient.  Treatment needs to start immediately.  Aim for optimal B12 levels over 800pg/mL (600pmol/L).  A book that goes indepth on the subject:  "Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses" by Sally M. Pacholok, R.N., B.S.N., and Jeffrey J. Stuart, D.O.

Excerpt from Dr Mercola's article "26 out of 54 People Who Avoided These Foods Got a Brain-Destroying Vitamin Deficiency:

"Why Vitamin B12 Deficiency is Serious

In the beginning, B12 deficiency may prompt changes in your mood, such as lack of motivation or feelings of apathy. It can lead to mental fogginess, memory troubles, muscle weakness and -- one of the hallmark signs -- fatigue.  Vitamin B12 is fittingly known as the energy vitamin, and your body requires it for a number of vital functions, including energy production, as well as:

* Proper digestion, food absorption, iron use, carbohydrate and fat metabolism
* Healthy nervous system function
* Promotion of normal nerve growth and development
* Help with regulation of the formation of red blood cells
* Cell formation and longevity
* Proper circulation
* Adrenal hormone production
* Healthy immune system function
* Support of female reproductive health and pregnancy
* Feelings of well-being and mood regulation
* Mental clarity, concentration, memory function
* Physical, emotional and mental energy

Over time, if long-term, chronic B12 deficiency develops it can lead to serious, irreversible conditions including:

* Depression
* Dementia and Alzheimer's
* Anemia
* Neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions
* Female fertility and childbearing problems
* Heart disease and cancer

Among pregnant women, nursing women and infants, the effects of vitamin B12 deficiency can be particularly devastating. Pregnant women with B12 deficiency carry an increased risk of having a baby born with neural tube defects, a class of birth defects affecting the infant's brain and spinal cord. Spina bifida, which can cause paralysis, is a type of neural tube defect, as is anencephaly, which is fatal. A B12 deficiency has also been linked to infertility and repeated miscarriages."

Excerpt from B12 awareness:

"What are the Causes of B12 Deficiency?

"Decreased stomach acid
Atrophic gastritis
Autoimmune pernicious anemia
Helicobacter pylori
Gastrectomy, intestinal resection
Gastric bypass surgery
Malabsorption syndromes
Crohn’s disease
Celiac disease (gluten enteropathy)
Chronic pancreatitis
Bacterial overgrowth (small bowel)
Fish tapeworm
Alcoholism
Malnutrition—Eating disorders
Vegetarianism
Advanced liver disease
Transcobalamin II deficiency
Inborn errors of B12 metabolism
Certain drugs
Nitrous oxide"

[ggreg]

You really need to post over in the pregnancy forum!  You might think B12 levels and other levels of bloodwork should be a certain way thruout pregnancy, but this is not necessarily so.  This is borne out by your doc saying you needed to go ahead back to the more mild vitamin type supplement.  It also sounds to me like you have a minor cold-type infection right now, which is making you feel a little feverish, dizzy, and is affecting your bood cell counts.  In just two weeks, you'll see an obstetrician, so that is a good thing, she/he will straighten this whole thing out for you.

But this is not to say that your concerns are not warranted.  I myself would be going crazy about your bloodwork results.  But this is why I say post over in the pregnancy forums, those girls have been thru the mill and are happy to tell you what they think from their experience.  

Now, just a couple bits of advice, and that's if you are around a lot of other people all the time, especially children, you may be getting these minor bacterial infections here and there from others, and I don't like that, so avoid this if at all possible.  Also, as you probably already are doing, eat balanced meals, get enough water (but not too much), get enough proteins, and keep up with regular exercise.  And when your body says to rest, just go rest no matter if your mind is racing or you're not sleepy.  Just rest.