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Vitamin B12 Shots

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Posted 2/27/2007 6:06 AM (GMT 0)
Hey folks, anyone out there have their terminal ileum removed when they got their ileostomy??? My surgeon said I should get a B12 shot once a year. My GI says I should get one every 3 months. And my family doctor says I should get one every 6 weeks. What has your docor suggested. I can't make a career out of going to the doctor just to get a shot when I feel perfectly okay. But I don't want to risk my health either. I appeciate your comments.

Mike

Posted 2/27/2007 6:29 AM (GMT 0)
well vit b-12 is absorbed through your colon which you dont have anymore. you might want to try  q other month and see if you fell an improvement. I lost my transverse colon during my surgery so i take about 500 mg q day in hopes that some of it will get absorbed along the way....

Posted 2/27/2007 6:32 AM (GMT 0)
What is q ??? Will it eliminate the need to go get a shot?
Posted 2/27/2007 6:40 AM (GMT 0)
sorry.....q means every

Posted 2/27/2007 9:27 AM (GMT 0)
That's what I've been doing also. Getting the shot so often was getting to be a drag.
Posted 2/27/2007 10:01 AM (GMT 0)
Your body will tell you how often you need the shots. I have friends who have short bowel syndrome and get them regularly and say they can really feel the difference in their energy levels immediately afterwards.

Has your doctor checked your vitamin B12 levels to determine whether you actually need them or not? Some people find they do need them and others find that they can get along without the shots.

Good luck.
Posted 2/27/2007 2:02 PM (GMT 0)
Vitamin B is not absorbed in the colon, it's absorbed in the terminal ileum. I have my vitamin B levels checked every year with my CBC and have not lacked vitamin B in the past six years. Vitamin K is abosrbed in the colon. Best to ask your GI about the need to supplement/replace that.

Sue
Posted 2/27/2007 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't need them till a couple of years after my second surgery - I was told it takes time for B12 to be depleted enough to need the shots. Originally, I got the shot every month, now I'm on an every three month schedule. I give them to myself at home - it's not hard because you don't have to hit a vein or anything.
Posted 2/28/2007 4:36 AM (GMT 0)
To my knowledge, my levels haven't been checked. However, I've had plenty of blood tests over the years so who knows?  I've never felt any difference from the shots so maybe I really never needed them. I have a new GI here in Atlanta. I'll ask his opinion next time I see him. Thanks for the feedback everyone.
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