ktgrok Posted August 27, 2022 Share Posted August 27, 2022 My labs came back and my B12 is again high, and actually higher than last time. Now, I DO take a bariatric vitamin that is REALLY high in B12, so it may be that...but the body is supposed to clear that out via urine. And I'm obviously not. So...um...google says that 20% of people with high B12 have a solid tumor! And others have some other problem, like liver disease, blood disorders (my labs are fine - both liver and CBC), autoimmune disease, etc. So, now I'm concerned! I sent an email to my bariatric doctor, as he is also a GI surgeon, and they did my liver ultrasound years ago before I had surgery. And a liver ultrasound is one test that may be needed with high b12. And I'll message my primary who ordered the tests. But um...anyone know anything about this? My grandmother had non hodgkins lympoma, and my mom, a smoker, had lung cancer, but no other cancers in the family. I JUST had my pap smear, it was negative. Have an order to schedule my first mammogram, but breast exam at gyn was good, nothing odd found. Will hurry and schedule that I guess. But yeah, yikes! Also, going to stop taking the vitamins for now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted August 27, 2022 Share Posted August 27, 2022 It is possible for B12 to go too high because of supplementation. You might need to switch to a lower amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 27, 2022 Author Share Posted August 27, 2022 17 minutes ago, Selkie said: It is possible for B12 to go too high because of supplementation. You might need to switch to a lower amount. I'm definitely going to stop taking it for now. My folate level is also pretty high - normal is greater than 5 ng/ML and mine are consitently greater than 24. So hopefully it is just that my vitamins have a lot of B vitamins, i hope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted August 27, 2022 Share Posted August 27, 2022 Sounds like they are just too high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 27, 2022 Share Posted August 27, 2022 It’s probably the vitamins, but checking with your doctor can’t hurt. They may have you stop & redo the tests in a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 27, 2022 Author Share Posted August 27, 2022 Oh, and I take prilosec daily which is supposed to impair absorbtion, one of the reasons I take the bariatric vitamins. But I guess that isn't an issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted August 27, 2022 Share Posted August 27, 2022 My B12 was high when last checked. My doctor said that it's not an issue, since the body will eliminate it through urine. I don't think that means that the level can't go over 100% (so it's possible for labs to read high levels), but it won't rise to a level that would be harmful. But I changed my B12 supplement to 3 times per week, instead of daily. I wouldn't worry about tumors, if it were me. I'd just cut down on the supplement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 28, 2022 Author Share Posted August 28, 2022 So, for the first time ever Reddit calmed me down instead of wound me up, lol. Turns out a LOT of people have high B12 from supplementing. And then I went and looked at the actual levels in the bariatric vitamins. Um...it has over 40,000 times the RDA!!!! That's because MOST people with bariatric surgery have trouble absorbing it...but I guess I don't, lol. I stopped them (obviously). I will ask PCP to recheck in a few weeks - should only take about a week for levels to drop from what I'm reading. If they do NOT drop, then I'll push for further testing - liver ultrasound, potentially abdominal CT, etc as if it isn't from the vitamins the next most likely cause is liver disease or solid tumor or blood cancer (but I have normal CBC so that should be unlikely). But hopefully it is the vitamins. Also, symptoms of excess vitamin B12 are high blood pressure (check), anxiety (check), sleep issues (check), muscle/joint pain (check), etc etc. So, I may have been paying 50 bucks a bottle to feel bad for the past few years!!!! For now, I'll just take iron and vitamin D! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 28, 2022 Author Share Posted August 28, 2022 Wow, my bariatric surgeon emailed me back - on the weekend! Said to stop the vitamin, and recheck in 3 months. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 33 minutes ago, ktgrok said: Wow, my bariatric surgeon emailed me back - on the weekend! Said to stop the vitamin, and recheck in 3 months. that was really nice of him! Hope that fixes things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditto Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 What kind doctor you have to e-mail you back so promptly. We need more drs like that. I'm glad there is a plan in place and that he is on top of things. I also hope you start feeling better as your level drops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 28, 2022 Author Share Posted August 28, 2022 24 minutes ago, Ditto said: What kind doctor you have to e-mail you back so promptly. We need more drs like that. I'm glad there is a plan in place and that he is on top of things. I also hope you start feeling better as your level drops. He really is fantastic. I had to stay longer than expected in the hospital after surgery and he came in on the weekend with his young son in tow to check on me. And ordered a little known drug that fixed the weird post op issue I was having. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditto Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 27 minutes ago, ktgrok said: He really is fantastic. I had to stay longer than expected in the hospital after surgery and he came in on the weekend with his young son in tow to check on me. And ordered a little known drug that fixed the weird post op issue I was having. I am super impressed with this guy! Not only for his wonderful bedside manner and dedication to his patients, but for also going the extra mile to find that medication for you. We should all be so lucky to have such dedicated physicians caring for us. On top of all of this, he actually bothered to come in to see you when he was caring for his young son. I think he is more unicorn than dr! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 28, 2022 Author Share Posted August 28, 2022 38 minutes ago, Ditto said: I am super impressed with this guy! Not only for his wonderful bedside manner and dedication to his patients, but for also going the extra mile to find that medication for you. We should all be so lucky to have such dedicated physicians caring for us. On top of all of this, he actually bothered to come in to see you when he was caring for his young son. I think he is more unicorn than dr! Definitely. He also discharged me a bit before technically should have, with my agreement, as there was some kind of intestinal bug going around the floor. At that point I was only stuck there because I couldn't get down as much fluids as they wanted, but my IV had blown AGAIN (4th time in 4 days) and rather than put in ANOTHER one, he just made me promise to keep drinking as much as I could, and go home rather than stay, get stuck again, and possibly catch C-diff or whatever was making the rounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 2 hours ago, ktgrok said: Wow, my bariatric surgeon emailed me back - on the weekend! Said to stop the vitamin, and recheck in 3 months. That it awesome that he got back to you on the weekend! I take 40,000 times and can barely keep my levels in the middle range. Fingers crossed everything checks out in 3 months and it's just less pills you need to take. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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