I've been AWOL recently, I'm sorry, because I haven't been feeling well. My sore mouth and tongue are back, possibly because I took my eye off the ball regarding taking B12 and eating properly ie food which doesn't cause me problems😟 and have been feeling generally off colour. My sleep has suffered too, and I'm not the best sleeper at any time. When I had my last blood tests in December my B12 result was this...
As it looked on the low side, I started taking B12 on the advice of my dentist to help with 'burning mouth syndrome'. When the pain came back I asked Google the question
" is 64 pmol/L of B12 considered low" and this is what came back.....
The short answer is yes. The ideal is 100-110 pmol/L so I was then on a mission to get some answers from the GP surgery. After jumping through a good many hoops I managed to get an appointment last Friday and saw a very young GP whom I didn't know. He hadn't heard of 'burning mouth syndrome', understandably I suppose as he's not a dentist, but didn't seem to understand my problem at all and dismissed me by saying something like "I'm sorry but I can't help you. You should go back to your dentist "(sic) I asked if acid reflux could cause a sore tongue and he said no....(remember the answer...!)
After a subsequent rough weekend of a painful mouth and a recurrence of IBS symptoms (due, no doubt to stress) I again went through triage online for another appointment. wow! Miracles do happen. I was offered an appointment yesterday (Tuesday) with a different GP. This time I was armed with the above information and a notebook detailing symptoms of B12 deficiency, all of which I had!
Indigestion, loss of appetite, consistent tiredness, balance problems, headaches and SORE TONGUE 😠
This young lady GP was amazing. She was calm, competent, asked the right questions and listened to me. She has commissioned more blood tests and requested tests for thyroid function, diabetes, B12 & Folate, plus a full blood count. While I await my appointment for bloods on 30th March, I am to take my blood pressure twice a day for a week and submit the details to the surgery. My blood pressure in the surgery was through the roof because I was feeling so stressed. She actually asked if I get acid reflux because that can irritate the throat and tongue... FFS 😒
At the end of my appointment I was so relieved to actually get help that I burst into tears, making my GP on the verge of tears too! She was so very kind and we actually hugged each other as I left.
Please God don't let the NHS knock the stuffing out of her 🙏
On her advice I'm upping my B12 as well as taking a standard multivitamin tablet while awaiting results.
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Now I need to sort out my eating habits:
No spicy food, no fizzy drinks, no vinegar- y stuff like ketchup or salad cream, no acidic fruit, no tomatoey sauces, less fatty food, no chocolate and no alcohol, not even ONE glass of wine 😭
Oh my gosh...but it will be worth it to get relief from pain.
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I do apologise to my blog friends if this is a depressing post, but I needed to get it off my chest. Thank you for 'listening'
The next post will be happier, I promise 😁
Take care of yourselves and stay safe wherever you happen to be,
Angie 💗
So glad you spoke to a doctor who listened, hopefully you will have answers soon.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that nowadays a person has to go back and back to the doctors before they take any notice. Thank God for the doctor who listened. Hope you can get some relief from pain very soon, it must be awful.
ReplyDeleteI think that your post isn't depressing! I'm sorry you are going through such a rough time, but so glad you found a gp willing to listen and act. Here's hoping....
ReplyDeleteOh I am so sorry you have had such a difficult time let's hope you get some improvement now. The lady GP sounds wonderful not like the young man he needs to be taught some bedside manner. It seems a real lottery with GPs. I have never seen a doctor at our surgery just nurses I do begin to doubt there are any despite all their names on the board. Take care Sue H
ReplyDeleteWe are more than happy to listen. Well done you for battling to get the right answers and the right tests, not easy to do when you are feeling so run down and downright poorly. Hopefully this lovely doctor can get you on a regime that will help you in the long term, and hopefully it will include only medications that allow some chocolate and wine occasionally!!
ReplyDeleteIf it helps you to feel better, do offload, that's what this community is all about. Hopefully the 2nd Dr can come up with something to sort out all your problems. The problem with getting older is bits start dropping off/causing problems. Take care. Xx
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that you've been having such a rough time. Thank goodness you didn't give up and got a second opinion. The newer GP sounds wonderful and, hopefully, she'll be able to get you the care you need to get your numbers under control. Take care of yourself and yes, do advocate for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI had acid reflux and it has almost disappeared. I began sleeping mainly on my left side (recommended), one cup of low acid coffee a day, no alcohol, and a probiotic capsule once a day. I bought a pillow that looks like a triangle when seen from the side, so my head is elevated. I hope yours will respond to your changes.
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