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(More customer reviews)(Marked down one star for the price ONLY).
I would like to start off with the disclaimer that my experience is most definitely unique but I just had to write it up for anyone going through the same thing. Nine months ago I woke up blind in my right eye. I can't even explain the terror and trauma if this has never happened to you (please watch the episode of Little House on the Prairie when Mary Ingalls goes blind to help you get an idea that ALMOST scratches the surface). After 4 hours at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary ER with an amazing and attentive team of doctors, nurses and technicians, I was given the new and tentative diagnosis of Optic Neuritis and referred to a Neuro-Opthamalogist who confirmed this diagnosis. I was told from the very beginning that there was a good chance it was caused by Multiple Sclerosis. I kind of expected this. I had been having trouble with my hands from time to time and my cousin and a very good friend both have MS so I am, unfortunately, very familiar with the disease. An MRI confirmed demyelization - but if you know much about neuro problems, it's another hint at MS and not a confirmation. However, not long after that, my symptoms took a turn for the worst. I was deteriorating fast - far faster than one would from the Relapse Remitting type of MS that I was on the path to being diagnosed with. I was getting severe headaches that felt like my brain was cannibalizing itself, severe burning, tingling pains all over my body, severe muscle spasms that were almost constant, ghost itches that I couldn't even find to scratch. I had trouble falling asleep at night because my head would keep jerking violently and my legs would kick. A few times I lost control of my faculties in my sleep and regularly fell over when I got out of bed in the morning. Sometimes when I woke up I wouldn't be able to tell where my limbs were. I asked my doctor if I could be tested for a B12 deficiency. "No," she told me. "I'm sorry, you have MS." Okay, the internet is my BFF and from the massive amount of research I did online, reading abstracts, reading full articles, reading the blogs of people with MS, and talking to real life victims... this was not MS. I looked deeper into the B12 deficiency to discover that I had been on THREE medications that inhibit B12 absorption for extended periods (Paxil, Metformin, and Omeprazol), I had suffered stomach problems since infancy without successful diagnosis, I am a semi-vegetarian (eat meat a couple of times a year and turn a blind eye - no pun intended - when soups are made with beef or chicken broth). These are all things that lead to a B12 deficiency. I started taking sublingual B12 tablets while trying to build my case to confront my doctor with my evidence. No change - sublingual pills are like putting a handful of grain into a silo - you will never fill it up just like you will never re-fill your B12 stores with sublingual pills. I did some more research and discovered the B12 patch. I was a skeptic and was already planning to spend my life getting B12 shots after I won the battle with my doctor but I was desperate. I could barely work anymore, I was suffering anxiety attacks, I was so sick and so tired all of the time and didn't feel like I had the time to fight it out with my doctor - I had, after all, spent 10 years getting called a hypochondriac by multiple healthcare professionals until I finally got diagnosed with insulin resistance by the best endocrinologist EVER who actually took me seriously. I was sure I didn't have ten years to waste arguing without dire consequences.
I got my B12 patches in the mail almost two weeks ago and I am now almost symptom free except for some tingling - which seems fair enough since my myelin sheaths probably need to heal. I expect that takes time. I'm not fully convinced even now that the B12 patch stopped this dead in its tracks. It seems too crazy. I'm in a watch and wait mode. I will still be following up with my doctor and deciding if the shots are a better option, but for now I'm just happy to have my life back. Problems I didn't even realize could be caused by a B12 deficiency also seem to be improving, my stomach, my acne, my insulin resistance. Who knows if it will last. I can only hope. I talk about my symptoms in past tense in my post, but up until only a week and a half ago, it was my daily reality.
To be honest, for the people who don't have trouble absorbing B12, you probably won't feel a difference using this product... but I WOULD use it - just to be sure you're getting your B12 because the medical community is apparently not inclined to diagnose a B12 deficiency and if you go down that path, you could get misdiagnosed with MS, psychosis, Alzheimer's, ALS, and much, much, more. And it's not worth losing your quality of life over if it's as simple as sticking a patch on your neck or getting a shot every month - especially since damage can be irreversible if it isn't caught early enough. Oh, also, please note that if you are suffering the same symptoms as me and the patch doesn't work, you could still have a B12 deficiency. It may be too severe a deficiency for the patch. Please harass your doctor into giving you the appropriate tests. There is plenty of info out there on B12 deficiencies so you can go to an appointment well-informed. Just visit my BFF, the internet.
Update - 1 year later: Still using the patches. My symptoms aren't 100% gone in the long term, but they are about a quarter as severe than a year ago... maybe less. Still thrilled.
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