Delaying B12 injections: Bad Idea

If this were a hundred years ago, I would need blood transfusions to survive. That was how people with vitamin B12 deficiency were treated. Back then, nobody knew what B12 was.

Today, I can eat meat and feel a little better, but it's not enough. Eventually, I become faint. Yesterday I felt like passing out at work. Fortunately, I was sitting down, and I managed to get myself to a restaurant and eat a burger. Unfortunately, the burger wasn't enough to take away the dizziness, chest pain, headache, tingling sensation, loss of balance, muscle fatigue, and shortness of breath. So, at about 3:30 in the afternoon, I left the office and headed home to take an injection.

I should have known three days before, after 3 straight weeks of working until night every day, that depression would kick in. It's one of my first symptoms of the anemia setting in.

A hundred years ago, people died from it. Lack of B12 can cause permanent damage to the nervous system. Today, we still don't fully understand the multiple processes of absorption and synthesis of B12 in our bodies, which often makes pinpointing the exact cause of the deficiency difficult.

Vitamin B12 is responsible for cell metabolism. Cells do not replicate or process energy without it. The anemia is a part of the deficiency, because our bodies continually need to create red blood cells. Without B12, the number of red blood cells decrease. Since red blood carries iron, which is responsible for carrying oxygen to the rest of the body, shortness of breath also occurs.

By 4:30 in the afternoon yesterday, I had injected 1.5 cc of cyanocobalamin. Twenty years after being diagnosed with B12 deficiency, you would think taking a monthly injection would be a habitual process. It's not. I'm still not used to sticking myself with a hypodermic needle, and so I avoid it as long as possible. Unfortunately, at 40 years old, I can't get away without the injection for long. Within 6 weeks of an injection, I start to feel dizzy, lose balance, and need deep breaths just to walk. I usually feel better within 2 hours of taking an injection. But this time, 20 hours later, I'm still dizzy and a little short of breath.

Cyancobalamin is a form of B12 derived from the synthesis of the B12 molecule with cyanide, which is what humans use to make B12 injectable. The vitamin is otherwise synthesized without cyanide by bacteria.

B12 tablets, the kind you put under your tongue, don't work on me. Apparently, eating meat doesn't seem to work either. I've also tried growing wheatgrass and drinking its juice. That did make me feel great, but it didn't take away my deficiency. After a couple weeks of wheatgrass consumption, the symptoms still came full force.

About an hour after taking the injection, my finger muscles were twitching as I tried to make a phone call. Not fun. Another hour later, I got on the subway to meet a dinner date. Our conversation went well for someone whose brain operated as if in light sleep.

Recovery from the anemia is apparent: breathing easier, less numbness, and less muscle fatigue. But this time recovery is happening too slow. I waited about 4 hours after feeling faint to go home for an injection. It was almost 5 hours when I finally injected. Now I'm paying for it as even my writing is suffering.

In the past, I tried to keep track of the frequency of injections. But in the last few months since being busy with work, I stopped documenting.

A person with vitamin B12 deficiency is no good to anyone while anemic. Hence, documenting today. Over the last 20 years, I tried to avoid injections and tried alternatives like different diets. I've experimented, researched, and gambled on my life. As I get older, I'm finally realizing that it's not worth the gamble. This is a real disease, and it's not going away.