B12 shots, Thyroid issues

I don't have ITP...just got back from a trip and got a letter in the mail as well as several messages on my machine from my dr. Went for a physical to get it out of the way before returning to work next week. Dr said something about needing to go in and get some B12 shots and then need to go get a sonogram of my thyroid because it's too large? Have any of you gotten B12 shots? Do they have side effects? I'm really not wanting to try something right as I'm returning to work and I'm wondering if it is something I really need. I am going to call tomorrow (got back too late to call the drs office for clarification) to schedule the sonogram just to be on the safe side. I think I read before on here that someone had gotten these shots. What does low B12 mean? (Internet is acting up and so I haven't been able to research it on my own yet.) I only seem to be able to get to sites that are bookmarked right now, which is weird! Will try to figure out my computer more after I get back from Caitlin's appointment tomorrow.

Pauline:

I've had low B-12 too. So have my son and daughter. Recent research shows that sublingual (under the tongue) B-12 works just as well as the shots. I got 2500 mcg's at the pharmacy and have been able to keep my levels up with it. My son and daughter take it too. Ask what your B-12 level is.

Low B-12 can cause all sorts of problems, mainly fatigue and nerve damage. I wouldn't let it go. Yes, get the scan!

Hi Pauline,

I have low vitamin B 12. I have vitamin B 12 shots every three months, and have never had any side effects, apart from bruising when platelets are lower, and a little tenderness at the shot site sometimes.

I think it is something that needs to be dealt with, you need need all the energy you can get to look after those young teenage girls!

Vanessa

Thanks Sandi & Vanessa! I will check into the sublinguals since they said i have to get the shots weekly at the drs office and i really dont need to miss work at the beginning of the year. Ill take anything that gives me more energy since its definitely something ive been lacking for quite a while. Hopefully this will give me a little boost! I dont have my labs back so i dont know my actual number other than the nurse saying it was very low.

I would think it would be the nurse who would give you the B12 shots - so maybe you could set it up for a convenient time for you. The nurse is who gave my sister her B12 shots, but they were monthly not weekly.

Get that enlarged thyroid checked out. Was a thyroid panel done when you had blood work?

Had a thyroid ultrasound this morning and was told that I should get the results from my dr tomorrow. My drs office is only open in the morning so I think it will be Friday before I get the results. Exam was only about 30 minutes so I was glad it was quick!

I really don't know if a thyroid panel was done when I did bloodwork. I do know that my TSH (if that's what it's called) has always been in the normal range.

Took my first B12 supplement after my appointment and it didn't taste too bad! Whew! Wonder how long it'll take before my energy kicks in...

If you get the flavored ones, they taste pretty good. You do know that you have to dissolve them under your tongue, right? They usually work pretty fast. I actually would take 2 a day...doesn't do any harm.

Let me know about the scan results.

I did get the cherry ones. It is a tablet that dissolves. The directions say to let it dissolve under the tongue for 30 seconds and then swallow it. Did you take 2500 mcg twice a day? That seems like alot!

Yes I did :woohoo:

Did you get the results of the ultrasound yet? I would think if your thyroid was enlarged they would have done a thyroid panel - maybe. My TSH was always in the normal range, until Graves hit.

B12 isn't stored in the body - you get rid of what isn't needed.

I haven't received any news yet so I'm hoping that means that nothing is going on and it is normal. B12 sublinguals so far don't seem to be making any difference in my energy levels so I'm wondering if it takes a while to work. Starting back to work on Monday so really hoping I don't fall asleep the first week at work!

Pauline - they didn't make a difference in my energy levels either, even when the B-12 levels were normal.

I have low B12 from having hemolytic anemia. I need the shots - it makes a huge difference in my energy levels, etc.

I self-inject every 2 weeks. It has changed my life to get to do them myself. No more driving across town.

How low was your B12? Did they check your folate and ferritin levels? Often people need to bump up their iron and folic acid when they begin treatment for B12. I take 1mg of folic acid a day - it's a prescription strength. I also take Floradix 2 times a day.

To be honest, i dont know what labs they ran or what my numbers were. I finally got a call today to follow up with an endrocrinologist. The scan showed two dominant lesions on my thyroid. I called and told the endo that but still didnt get an appt until the end of Sept. Im guessing this is pretty common. I hope this will be something they can treat with meds. Do not want surgery because i have a hard time coming out of anesthesia and my last two resulted in a laryngospasm and they said it wld prob happen again. I just remember struggling to breathe and it was the worse feeling in the world.

if you're having thryoid issues, that would explain why you feel tired. I think that thyroid issues would also mess with your ability to absorb iron, so your ferritin levels and hemoglobin levels could be low as well from that. You've got to fix the thyroid so the other things can be fixed. IT's like having a hole in your gas tank - that's what I've always heard. That really stinks. I wish you well on this rough road.

Pauline - have they done any thyroid antibody tests? You'd think they would order those before the appointment so you know what you're dealing with.

I've had low B-12 and ferritin, so has my daughter (the one with Graves). Those seem to hit a lot in those of us with autoimmune disorders.

I got a bill from Quest Diagnostics. The only tests I really see that might be related to my thyroid would be the TSH, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (??), 24-OH Vitamin D-3, and Vitamin B-12. The TSH test was expensive!! Can't believe they can draw blood and charge over $600 for it, but thankfully my insurance covers most of it. Does this sound like they ordered the thyroid panel?

My husband was extrememly worried and upset that they won't see me until Sept. 27th. I've done some reading and it really looks like the worst they can do is remove either part of my thyroid or all of it if the lesions turn out to be anything. I'm still hoping it turns out to be nothing and maybe all I have to do is take meds. I've had lesions show up in chest xrays, pancreas, kidneys, and now thyroid and the drs don't seem to be worried. I finally stopped doing MRI's because they would just say there is no change and I don't want to expose my body to too much radiation. (Was doing them every 6 months for a few years and it's been almost 3 years since I've had my last one.)

My husband said our family is a jackpot for drs between Caitlin and I! Sadly though...I have felt horrible this past week, like I've been hit by a freight train! It may just be my body trying to adjust to getting back to work and having TONS to do to prepare for the kids returning tomorrow.

No, it doesn't sound like they did much testing on the thyroid. There are also: T4, FT4, T3, FT3, and several anti-thyroid antibody tests (Thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb); Thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb); Thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody (TRAb)).

It stinks that it takes so long to get to see specialists.

A thyroid panel would include TSH, T4, Free T4, Free T3 - not sure if there is anything else. I'm thinking the thyroid antibody test isn't in the thyroid panel and is ordered separately.

And one can have a negative result to antibody test and still have thyroid problem/s.

The thyroid tests my doctor gives are only for the TSH and T4. I'm on Levothyroid for hypothyroidism.

Is it possible to have a normal TSH and T4, and a messed up free T3 and free T4?

Just following up...Saw the endocrinologist this morning. She did another scan and showed me the size of the nodules and said that they need to biospy them for cancer due to the way the blood flowed through them. Said there is only a slight chance of one or both of the nodules being cancerous. If they do show cancer, then thyroid removal will do the trick. However, due to Caitlin having autoimmune issues, they also wanted to run a thyroid antibody test to make sure i have nothing autoimmune going on. They also drew blood for a full thyroid panel and i am sure i will get those results when i get my biopsy on the 22nd. Hope all is well with everyone!

Pauline I'm glad the endo is following up on those nodules, with even just a slight chance the biopsy should be done & then you will have peace of mind knowing it came back negative [I'm thinking positive!!].

I don't think everyone has thyroid antibodies if they something autoimmune going on with their thyroid.

Will keep you in my thoughts!

Good luck Pauline, hope everything comes out fine for you!
Julia

Good luck - hoping that you are breathing a huge sigh of relief on the 22nd . Ali

Sorry to hear that, Pauline. It stinks either way. But - they can both be managed and thyroid cancer is usually pretty easy to cure. My daughter went through the same thing. She had antibodies that show up with the cancer and Graves, and I was actually hoping for the cancer over the Graves. I hate autoimmune issues.

Let me know!

Thanks for all of your kind words. Im not reallt that worried about it being cancerous since it is like less than a 5% chance. I am concerned about something else though. After the first ultrasound of my thyroid, i was very dizzy for the rest of the day. Today, i went back to work after my appointment and was with a student when the room started spinning. I had to send the student back to class and go home. That was diffucult because the vertigo was awful and it was hard to drive. Got home just in time and spent most of the day vomiting because of the vertigo. Finally feel a little bit better but the dizziness is still there. I am wondering if applying pressure to my neck is causing the vertigo since i got it both times. The endo was also very direct in telling me to lose weight or i would develop diabetes anytime. I told her ive been trying to lose weight for almost a year now with eating better and exercise and she said i wasnt trying hard enough and that if i wanted to avoid dialysis in the next few years, i needed to get serious about losing weight. I guess i didnt like hearing that from a dr i just barely met.

Sandi...what made your daughter go in to get her thyroid tested to find the Grave's? Was she feeling bad?

Pauline:

My daughter works in the OR, and during a surgery, one of the doctors noticed a goiter. Looking back, we figured that she'd had Graves for a few years before being diagnosed. She was always shaking and never slept. At the time though, she was going to college full time and working two jobs. I thought she was just stressed. So did she. Hindsight is 20/20. Thank God for the surgeon who noticed and said something. Holli was diagnosed within a week. I blamed myself for not noticing the goiter and promised myself that I would start looking at people's throats from then on. I never did. Even when I tried, I realized that's because most people never look at that part of a person.

I have read that a goiter should not be palpated because it can release antibodies, but I haven't heard anything about it causing dizziness. I'll let you know if I find anything about that.

I don't blame you for not noticing...especially when she was doing so much! I am glad that the dr noticed it and your daughter was able to get diagnosed and meds for it! Obviously, one of her symptoms was a tremor then. I do get tremors from time to time, but I've always associated it with small bouts of hypoglycemia. (Had it bad when I was a child.) It usually goes away when I eat something with some protein in it. I got on the scale last night because the dr made me paranoid and I guess I do have about 30 lbs that I need to lose, but it is nothing like my sisters, who have both had to have the lap band surgeries.

Luckily, the dizziness went away overnight and I was fine yesterday. It may have just been a coincidence that I got a bad case of vertigo both times.

Off topic...one of my friends who has Lupus was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (idle case)about 6 months ago, but it has recently become very agressive. She is my age. They are doing chemo over 3 days (today will be the 3rd day)and yesterday, her dr told her that her only chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant. How will Lupus affect her as her immune system is being killed off? I'm asking because you followed Kim's journey closely. Did Kim's Lupus return? (My friend is deaf and blind so it is really sad that she is having to go through this too...she lost her sight about 4 years ago.) They are going to try to test her two sisters to see if they are a match, but one of her two sisters almost died from that flu thing earlier this year (forgot the name of what everyone was paranoid about within the last two years.) My friend is a true fighter and was doing so well with her Lupus and was a trooper when she became blind (now we sign in her hands)...she also has a very supportive husband who is so scared of losing her.

Sorry to hear about your friend. That's an awful lot to go through. Kim doesn't come here much, but I do know that some aspects of Lupus remitted for her, but she has developed some new symptoms that may or may not be Lupus related.

I'm not sure how Lupus will affect your friend's BMB; she has a lot going on.

Just had my biopsy this morning. It hurt!!! They told be beforehand that the anxiety is so much worse than the procedure itself. I really had prepared myself for it, but then when the needle went in, it was pretty painful and they had to go in several times in each nodule to make sure they got enough cells. All I can say is, thank goodness it is over! Now just have soreness, but I am at work.

They have diagnosed me with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. They said my thyroid was pretty inflammed, hence the reason for the pain during the biopsy. I asked why they had to go through with the biopsy when they knew it was Hashimoto's and they said that they still have to check to make sure everything is normal. If the results come back normal, I will have to start taking a synthroid called Levothyroxine and they will start me with the minimum dose.

Ugh, another autoimmune person in the family though! My thyroid peroxidase antibodies was 275 (reference range <35) and my Thyroidglobin was 26 (not bad considering the range is <20). My other thyroid tests all came back normal though!