June 19, 2005

The needle returneth

I’m very bored with writing about my health. Is this akin to the malaise expressed by Kerri here? I think kinda sorta.

But anyway: I’m now on injections for possible B12 deficiency. Dr. Keeper says they cannot, regrettably, be self-administered. Must go to clinic to receive. It’s one per day for 4 days, one per week for 4 weeks, 1 per month for…well, forever.

It’s a little strange to be on a permanent medication for something that only might be wrong with me, but Dr. K says it’s much wiser to treat than to disregard, as a B12 deficiency can cause all manner of permanent damage to multiple systems if left to its own devices. This coincides with my research on the subject, so I’ll trot myself to the clinic like a good little possible pernicious anemic.

There’s stuff all over the web about oral treatment for B12 def. rather than injections. Dr. K says we can consider that down the road.

She also says I need an MRI. That’s because this neuropathy sounds a little funny to her. The pain doesn’t stay put in my limbs, which (she says) it generally does with B12 problems. I get the pinpricks mostly in the feet and hands, but also legs, arms, side, face, head. Now and then. Not a lot. But noticeably. And that is weird enough that Dr. K says we ought to rule out MS, which can cause abnormal sensation in all manner of places and ways.

Oh, good.

Of course, having been completely bamboozled by this information when I set up the test, I scheduled it for the ONLY time next week when I CANNOT leave my office. Now I must reschedule. So who knows when it will be or when I’ll get results.

On a considerably lighter note, kudos to Tekakwitha, who has rescued much my summer wardrobe from Goodwill with this comment. I got the Minimed thigh thing T mentions, and it does NOT fall down or require additional contraptions to hold it up. Indeed, it’s so adjustable that one can inflict whatever level of circulatory disruption to the thigh one likes, all in the name of fashion bliss. So Charlotte and I are at peace once again.

Now I just need to decide which dress is appropriate to wear to an MRI. Ahem.

4 comments:

  1. Now it might be MS. Sweet Violet. Keep your sense of humor through all of this.

    Ironic how Dr. tells a diabetic that she can't self administer shots for B12. I wonder why that is.

    Just don't wear anything metal for the MRI. Pump may go wacky, so ask about how the MRI will affect it.

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  2. Glad the thigh thing is working for you. I guess I wear mine so much that I forgot about how tight it actually is... :)

    good luck with the MRI. Keep us posted.

    -Tekakwitha

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  3. Hey Violet,

    Shots again, huh? Damn!

    Ah well, hang in there. As I mentioned in a previous comment, my MIL went through a period of months looking for a diagnosis, while her symptoms worsened-- neuropathy all over, vision problems, etc... they thought she had MS, then multiple myeloma, then amyloidosis, then POEMS syndrome (which I always thought was strange since she had only 2 of the 5 symptoms in the "syndrome"). Anyhow, it took forever for them to accept the simple answer-- B12 deficiency. Within months of treatment all symptoms,including vision problems, disappeared...

    I hate it that you need to get shots, but I'm pulling for the B12...

    Please keep us all posted.

    Take care,
    Sandra

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  4. V,

    I think it is hard to write about diabetes all the time. Main reason? Because I feel like there is so much more to me than this. I would love to hear about your life in tandem with your diabetes. Case in point for me: I just tested my bloodsugar, but there is also a tiny kitten on my lap who has been a holy terror all night long. I didn't know that kittens could scale draperies with such ease...

    On the B12 front, I'll be thinking of you from RI. But you seem to face everything with a steely core of strength, so I am certain that whatever the outcome of the MRI, you will find a way to be okay. Lean on us if you need to.

    And double kudos to Tekakwitha about the MiniMed thigh thing. My first summer on the pump, that thing allowed me to wear whatever I wanted. Game on.

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