Nancy Bethe
Jim, you and I share a very, very serious illness. Your symptoms do not surprise me as I've had similar problems. Due to the fact that I had already been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, my complaints were taken lightly by doctors. I too was told it was in my mind, or just a case of "nerves". I suffered from severe burning sensations in many areas of my body for over a year. I also had such severe fatigue that I could actually fall asleep while chewing food at the dinner table. The problems with your leg and foot are common. I had reached the point where after I fell asleep in the night, I would wake and my legs would be burning, red and hot, from my feet to my knees. It was unbearable. I found this very question in a doctor's column in the newspaper and he said it could be a symptom of Pernicious Anemia. I took the article into my physician and was finally tested for Pernicious Anemia. I tested positive. Unfortunately, because of the length of time I had it before I was properly diagnosed, I now know that some of my nerve damage is permanent. However, after several months of B-12 injections, some of the symptoms went away. The worst, the burning in my feet and legs has disappeared. Take heart. You are early in your treatment and may experience a lessoning of your symptoms as time goes on. Pernicious Anemia has the potential to affect virtually every body function and attacks your spinal column. Only time will tell how much permanent damage you have. You must educate yourself as I did. Use the Internet to do searches on Pernicious Anemia to find out everything you can about the disease. Go to the library and search medical reference books. You will be astonished by what you find. VERY IMPORTANT - this disease is often INHERITED. My children were only 18 and 20 when I had them tested immediately after I was diagnosed and they both were affected, but it was caught early enough that there was no damage. If you have children or other relatives who have fatigue or suspecious symptoms, please push for testing. Undetected, it is fatal. I myself and my children are self injecting and we have gone to 1/2 doze, twice monthly and feel much better. Our B-12 levels stay constant all month that way. You may want to explore this with your physician. I hope this has been of help to you. Best of luck. Give yourself time for improvement and healing. I feel certain some of your symptoms will disappear.