vit d and b12 deficiency

[ann765]

I just stumbled on to this site, I was diagnosed with b12 deficiency about 4 months ago and now I just found out my Vitamin D levels are around 12, so now I am taking all these Vitamin Ds. I have noticed, that I have these blisters, they are really tiny all around my thumbs and pointer fingers. Has anyone experienced this> I also have had severe itchy dry skin. I have seen a neurologist and he found the b12 deficiency, but I am still feeling exhausted, soar muscles, tired and have has chest pains that come and go.

[ann765]

I am 34, I have seen about 30 different doctors, and have had stomach problems, chest pain that comes and goes, the stomach problems went away, but this really all started about a year and half ago. It started with my stomach, severe stomach pains, they diagnosed me with IBS, which I do not completely buy into it as of yet.  I went to the ER a year ago when all the stomach problems and diarhhea happened, they found one area where my wall was thickening, blood in my urine and stool and wbc of about 25,000, but could not figure anything out. I have went several times after that followed up with gastrologist and that is how I got the diagnosis of IBS, I had an upper GI, colonoscopy.  To add to the mix, I had severe headaches and sinus problems, so in the middle of all this, they found a cyst in my nasal, so I had to have surgery to remove it. I stopped taking all these medications they gave me, over that year, I had over 75 prescriptions doctors had presrcibed me, from sterioids, to levaquin. I stopped taking everything and went to see a neurologist, because I kept getting numbeness, blurred vision, tingling in feet and hands. He diagnosed me with b12, I do get the shot once a month and they are back up to normal.However, I have had shoulder pain that radiated to my back, and upper left sided chest pain, it comes and goes. I had a ekg, at one er visit, and they said it was good, but It hurt to swallow in my chest. Since, that visit to ER, I went to a new family doc, and told them about my skin issues and severe bruising and being tired all the time, and they told me I had VIt D deficiency.  So, all I really take now, is a Womens daily, Vitamin D in the morning and at night. I do take lorazepham for anxiety and that is it. I eat plenty of meat, I am not a vegetarian, I eat healthy..  I am not depressed, but I am stressed, I just want to feel good, I did boot camp two years ago, and I was feeling great, then all of sudden all this, I was healthy and worked out, now I get tired walking up the stairs.  I am not sure, what is going on with my body, this is all so frustrating though.I am not sure at this point what kind of doctor to go to, I do have blood in urine now and I am scheduled for them to go in and look that, however could everything be related?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
If you have just been diagnosed with Vti D deficiency then it will be some time before you really feel well again. If you have blisters at tip of fingers and dry skin then you need to rule out certain conditions such as diabetes, psoriasis, hypothyroidism, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and malnutrition.
Consult your treating doctor regarding this. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[lasttales]

Hi, Ann--I had the same diagnosis last summer. (Vit D was something like 9 or 12 or something, and my doc said that it would take YEARS for my B12 to get as low as it was.) I'm still trying to get my B-12 levels right. In my case, after much much medical meandering, I learned that both deficiencies seemed to be caused by an absorption problem (I had something called "small intestinal bacterial overgrowth"--charming, I know) and apparently also a sensitivity to wheat/gluten (not celiac disease, though) AND an overgrowth of yeast. In my case, I had no related symptoms, so all of this came as a big surprise to me!

I have a few thoughts about your situation:

--Be sure to take vitamin D3, not just any old D2. D3 is the natural vitamin, and it's non-toxic; D2 is a synthetic version and does have a toxicity level (though it's high). Feel free to double-check me on this online--the research is definitive.

--When I took the doc-prescribed D2 pills (something crazy like 10000-50000 iu or something), I didn't get any red bumps, but I started seeing spots. I switched to vegetarian sublingual D3 drops, and then there was no problem.

--The bumps on your fingers could be an allergic reaction. Consider trying an "elimination diet" or "elimination challenge" for a few weeks or so to isolate items you might be allergic to. That process could be a surprising game-changer for you. (It might even reveal that you're reacting to a preservative in the Vit D you're taking.)

--In terms of testing your levels again, I'd recommend asking your doctor to do a functional assay instead of a serum-level test. The difference is that most blood tests just check how MUCH of a given vitamin is circulating around in your bloodstream. But a functional test checks to see whether or not that vitamin is operating the way it should--doing the tasks it's supposed to do. In my case, my B12 serum levels were okay (great, in fact) for about 9 months before we realized that the vitamin was still not functioning properly, such that I was still having weird cardiac/neuro symptoms. Genova Diagnostics offers a blood/urine test that you can pre-pay (in case insurance doesn't cover it).

In my case, a thyroid issue (subacute thyroiditis) seemed either to trigger everything or to be triggered by something else. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? I don't want to project anything, but that was part of my problem.

By the way, I'm not a vegetarian--I'm just allergic to fish, so I can't take regular vitamin D3 (usually derived from fish). I mention this only because folks associate B12 deficiency with vegetarianism. I'm a big red-meat eater, so no dice there, folks!

Good luck. Your problem should be pretty easy to correct. I'm pulling for you!

[pacdom]

I need more information about your age, stress level, eating habits and any meds you are taking.  It sounds like you probably do have a lot of stress.  The blisters on your fingers sound like dishydrotic eczema which is usually caused by stress or hot humid conditions.  B-12 deficiency can be caused by vegetarian diet, stress, medications, such as birth control and many others.  Fatigue can also be caused by lack of vit D which needs sunlight to work in your body, so take walks outside at least 15 minutes daily without sunscreen. Take 5,000iu for three months and then get tested again.  It can build up in your system in a toxic way, so you must test again in three months.  I hope you are getting the B-12 injections, they are much better. I would also recommend UDO's Choice, a very tasty omega 3,6,9 oil you can use on oatmeal, eggs, salads, rice/beans...whatever, just don't ever heat it up.  It will help your skin and hair.  Are you depressed/heartbroken/sad in addition to being stressed and tired.  
I hoped that helped for now.  Let me know if you would like to add anything.