Btw, by the time you start to feel symptoms from B12 deficiency, it's already late. So it's possible you might not feel any difference after getting a shot - this is a good thing, as if you do see a difference, it means your body has already suffered some damage from B12 deficiency. You need to start supplementing long before this happens, because without enough B12 the body can suffer nerve damage. Your brain needs it, too.
If there is any doubt whether you need the shots, B12 lab results can let you know a) whether you are deficient b) whether oral supplements are enough c) whether you need shots. For instance, if an initial B12 lab test shows you are below 400 and then you try oral supplements for about a month or so, you can have another lab test done to see whether your B12 has risen. If it hasn't risen enough, or at all, you could try a higher oral supplement or simply go for the shot.
Most docs, unlike specialists (in the US, called endocrinologists), don't understand that B12 should not be below 400, and that optimal B12 should be above 500. At 300, B12 deficiency can be presumed to exist. (The laboratories can be very misleading to docs, as sometimes they say the lower limit of the "normal" range is 239 - as any good endocrinologist knows, this level is not enough.)
At one time, B12 shots were all the rage, and people swore they got instant energy from them - docs who remember this fad might be skeptical. But a fad should not be confused with a Crohns patient's legitimate need for B12 due to what we know, by know, is well documented - the effects of the disease on the terminal ileum's ability to absorb enough B12. Not every Crohn's patient needs B12 shots, but the ones who do, need all the support docs can give them.
Post Edited (njmom) : 6/4/2010 7:49:18 AM (GMT-6)