If you have pern icious anemia your body lacks the 'intrinsic factor' which means that it doesn't break down your food intake or oral types of b12 for you body to use to carry oxygen throughout your body. If you b12 is 189 you need to take injections....my personal opinion. Your doctor should be the one to decide that for you, but that is a very low number and your body may be very sensitive to even slight levels. Range of a healthy b12 level is 250 - 900. I am sure you do feel all the things you speak of and unless someone has had this same problem it is hard to imagine how badly you do feel. I could not walk straight, stayed freezing, couldn't remember how to drive places, fell down often. I was finally diagnosed after a police officer saw me fall down on a side walk and tore my face up and then just couldn't figure out how to get up. He gave me no choice and I had no energy to refuse. My mind was full with possibilities. After many tests.....pernicious anemia was my diagosis. It waxes and wains even with the injections.....I take them 2x a month. The injection medication is not 'methylocobalamin' it is cyclocobalamin. (sp.) Get a doctor to help you.....I promise you will feel better.....not necessarily well.....but much better.

Actually a healthy level of b12 is 600-900 250 is still deficient. Mine finally went up to 319 and I was told by two dr's that is still deficient. I made major dietary changes to get my level up. Dr's can't make up there mind if I have it or not. Two says yes one hematologist says NO. I went to a Rheumatologist the other day and he says yes and he will prove it--so the test results should be interesting when they come back.

Sowie......my doctor has told me from the get-go that my levels in the 500's were fine and that it was my bipolar that was causing my continued tiredness. This was my GP. I had to work lots of overtime for about 2 weeks and lots of physical and mental demands. I took a shot every 10 days for the month and I felt so good.
when I had my levels checked my b12 was 1880. So, now I have trying to think that through. I read somewhere that high b12 levels can help dementia and I now wonder about mental illness, too. You must have many specialists you work with b/c of all of your health challenges. What doctor do you think has helped you most put all of this stuff together.

Sowie......my doctor has told me from the get-go that my levels in the 500's were fine and that it was my bipolar that was causing my continued tiredness. This was my GP. I had to work lots of overtime for about 2 weeks and lots of physical and mental demands. I took a shot every 10 days for the month and I felt so good.
when I had my levels checked my b12 was 1880. So, now I have trying to think that through. I read somewhere that high b12 levels can help dementia and I now wonder about mental illness, too. You must have many specialists you work with b/c of all of your health challenges. What doctor do you think has helped you most put all of this stuff together.

The dr's that has helped me the most are my GP--who is actually a PA and my neurologist. Now I have a Rheumy on board who wants to get to the bottom of my b12 issues--He swears I have PA is out to prove it.
Maybe 500 works for you--but I know its below the "normal" ranges--for some people it doesnt take much deficiency to feel the effects of it. B12 has benefited all dementia/AZ patients, and I know a friend of mine who was diagnosed bipolar with depression has started taking mass doses of B complex along with his script meds and he is starting to do better. He swears its the mass doses of BComplex that is helping, because before he started taking them in mass doses he wasn't having any benefits from the script meds.

hello everyone. the thread is called NEW WITH QUESTIONS so i hope im in the right thread. if not i apologize. i have not been diagnosed but i have been having problems for 3 years. i have been in and out of hospitals and seen dozens of doctors. ivce suggested PA because my mom has it. she takes monthly innjections and she been fine now for 8 years. the doctors cant find anything wrong. but i cant seem to ever get them to test me for PA. they always say i dont look anemic. i had one doctor check my b12 levels and he said it was fine. i guess the reason im here is to describe the symptoms im haveing and hope someone here can tell me if it sounds like PA or not. not obne doctror has been able to tell me anything.. ity started 3 years ago. it was like a bolt of lightning. i was driving to work when all of a sudden i got this pressure in my temples. kinda felt like my eyes were crossed but they werent. then i got so dizzy and light headed that i had to pull over. i was so disoriented that it took me a minute ior 2 just to re,member were i was and were i was going. that was three years ago. the pressure dizziness and disorientation has NEVER stopped or lightened up. i cant work or barley carry on a conversatipon sometimes. in the last few months ive been suffering from anxiety almost everyday and sometimes all day. im so fatigued sometimes i dont have the ebergy to go to tha bathroom. .the pressure in my temples is maddening. ive been to a nuerologist and he cant find anything wrong. its never painfull, just pressure like you feel when you hold your eyes crossed for to long. i end upo in the hospital alot but it always turns out to be anxiety. now the drs. there wont even look at me anymore. i dont know were to turn to.

Sorry Thumpy it's been a while since I checked this group, I started it and then I started a few others as well, because I was told I had PA then told I didn't have it. What ended up happening to me was I was not absorbing nutrients properly due to GRAIN intolerance. I was so bad that I was going to die. Went to endless dr's and they kept finding other things but nothing that related to what I was experiencing. So do yourself a favor and don't rule out food intolerances. I know it sounds crazy--but once I stopped eating all grains--my b12 levels that were in the toilet for 25+ years stabalized and have stayed within the normal range.

All your symptoms can be caused by food intolerances--do yourself a favor and have your blood tested for Genetic Gluten intolerance--start there--if they are normal--do a restriction diet for 4-6 weeks, testing each food group at a time. There are several webs sites that give you details on how to do it. Not only did I have to restrict all grains, but all legumes( I have always known I had a soy intolerance but didn't connect to all legumes until I did the restriction rotation diet), black pepper, many many veggies, and fruits, no berries. Since eliminating all of my intolerant foods, I feel better.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Sparklee sorry I haven't posted in a while I have been on othersites over my son's conditions and I just jumped on here and saw your post. The best dr I had who had an open mind and listened to me was the Rheumatologist I saw. Since I went grain free and eliminated all the other foods that I was intolerant to I feel so much better. Which is good because my son who is 7 is a major mess--and we are not battling over getting him tested. We know he is gluten intolerant so we eliminated that, food colorings is another one. He is having many many challenges that effect his daily life. I am glad I feel better otherwise I woud not have the strength to deal with everything.

How about you, how are you feeling?

Jus wanted to add that I get fatigue if my numbers were anything under 400. Just FYI