questions - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Message Board

cinnamon40 · 07-16-2003, 08:20 PM

HI, i hope someone can answer some questions for me.
Ok, my brother is 41 and he went to the doctor yesterday, He has allready had alot of test done, blood work, spinal tab muscle testing. and they were ok, i think the muscle testing was,but im not for sure, He couldnt feel anything.i know he has a loss of feeling in alot of places, he said if someone would stab him in the stomach he wouldn't feel it. He is in pain all the time. They said he doesnt have ms. He can hardly walk. It is so sad!
He almost falls. HE can't walk long. He has tremors,he is tired, sometimes studders.
Also the doctor said that he has no vitamin b12 in his body. That it isnt absorbing it.
The doctor told him that it could be what is causing his problems. but not to get his hopes up.

Do you think this sounds like als.
Do you know if not getting vitamin b12 in your body could cause this?

Please write me soon, im really worried.
All i do is cry.

kim

TxGirl1 · 07-18-2003, 09:51 AM

You do not lose feeling in ALS. It does eventually paralyze you, but it does not affect your mind or sense of touch.

visit alsa.org

I'll remember your family in my prayers.

cinnamon40 · 07-18-2003, 10:52 AM

Hi , do you think having a b12 defiency can do this? The doctor told him not to get hope on it, that he thinks it
is als? But they are still running test
Schilling test 1 and 2 is next.

Kim

mistyjoy · 08-12-2003, 09:06 PM

deficiency of v-b12 can be serious and causes some scary things to happen. the doc. i am seeing said he just had a patient come to him who had been to a major clinic up north. they saw he didn't have any b12 and did not treat him for it.! that i don't understand. so, this doc. has given him 4 shots now, so far. when he came to him he wasn't walking. the night after his first shot he was walking gingerly around the house!!!!!! so, yes it could be b12

GI_WILD · 08-13-2003, 10:04 AM

VITAMIN B12- NEUROLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

Recently it has become clear the patients can have neurological damage due to vitamin B12 deficiency without anemia. In fact as many as 30% of patients with neurological disease due to vitamin B12 deficiency will have no or only subtle hematological symptoms. Patients with the most severe neurological manifestation often have mild hematological disease. Thus it is appearing that vitamin B12 deficiency may exhibit two different types of disease states in humans - hematological or neurological. Neurological symptoms are reversible if found early but those present for over a year slowly, if ever, improve.

The neurological symptoms include:

Paresthesias-most often in fingers and toes. The most common symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Diminished vibratory sense
Gait ataxia
Increases deep tendon reflexes
Memory loss
Personality change
Orthostatic hypotension
VITAMIN B12 AND THE ELDERLY

On routine screening as many as 10-23% of elderly patients will have low vitamin B12 levels. One study found that 14.5% had levels below 300 pg/ml with 56% of these patients having increased levels of homocysteine and methylmalonic acid indicative of tissue vitamin B12 deficiency. The most common mechanism is inability to absorb vitamin B12 from food. It is speculated the rapid rise in the use of H2 blockers will increase this problem in this patient population. Patients with dementia have lower levels of vitamin B12 then those without but treatment with vitamin B12 is often not effective, perhaps due to the long duration of the neurological damage. Studies are underway to examine the relationship of vitamin B12 deficiency to neurological disease in the elderly and the effects of early intervention.

Hope this hepls some, I read some where else that b12 does play aa big factor in diagnosing ALS, howvever, If I remember correctly lack of b12 was not 1 of the symtoms of ALS.