The only thing that was abnormal in her results is that her red blood cells are enlarged. Her dr. wants her to come back for another blood test, to check B12 and folate levels.
Naturally I googled, and OH MY GOSH MY DAUGHTER MIGHT NOT BE CRAZY AFTER ALL!
Miss A's diet: crappy
Miss A's favorite vegetable: iceberg lettuce
Miss A's typical daily caloric intake: negligible
Miss A's preferred foods: unknown
Symptoms of B12 deficiency:
- delusions
- paranoia
- headaches
- problems with impulse control
- depression
- mental confusion
- nausea
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- diarrhea
- constipation
- fatigue
- very pale skin
DING DING DING! She is delusional at times (and not in the way all kids are delusional and believe they are princesses or superheroes), and extremely paranoid. She's been complaining of headaches and stomach aches for a couple years. She has a lot of GI issues and is pale like Snow White (Maybe the Evil Queen wasn't trying to kill her after all! Maybe she was B12 deficient and paranoid!) and complains of being tired and needing to rest during the school day. And her explosions are an impulse control thing, for sure.
Symptoms of folate deficiency:
- loss of appetite, weight loss
- mood disorders
- irritability
- GI problems
- behavioral disorders
- slowed or stunted growth
- fatigue
- headache
- difficulty concentrating
Again, ding ding ding.
One of the sites I read noted that folate deficiency is commonly found in manic-depressive patients. Jason and I talked this weekend about whether Miss A might have bipolar disorder, because she definitely has manic or hypomanic episodes in between her rages or meltdowns.
Another note: B12 deficiency is common in people who've taken heartburn medications long-term, because they cause problems with B12 absorption. I don't know what "long-term" is, but Miss A took medication for acid reflux daily for the first year and change of her life.
I cannot wait to get Miss A back in for this blood test. She is less enthusiastic, and might in fact need to be tranquilized. She is becoming more like a young preschooler or a toddler during her meltdowns; we sometimes have to pick her up and move her to where we tell her to go, like a toddler who goes limp when he doesn't get his way. She doesn't say words, just, "Nnnuh! Nnnuh!" and weird grunts... She wigged out today when she asked to get on the computer, we said we'd set her up as soon as we finished lunch, and she got extremely agitated and said, "But I want to do it NOW!!!!" Um, hello toddler stage!
Oh also I can't shower anymore when Jason is not here because I'm back to worrying someone will kill or maim someone else during that 10 minutes. I'm back to where I was when she was 4 and 5.
So my big dream is that we can fix her with vitamin supplements (that are hopefully not injections because of the aforementioned anxiety-induced Hulk strength) and long battles over eating at mealtimes, and I will have my daughter back! Or even a glimmer of her. And maybe she'll start to grow again and avoid "severe deformity," one of the less-awesome side effects of folate deficiency.
IN MY DEFENSE:
- we only eat wheat bread
- I bake with whole wheat flour, to the detriment of my baked goods
- we have a lot of vegetables around
- we don't do iceberg lettuce
- I make her eat a piece of whatever vegetable is for dinner
- ketchup counts as a vegetable
- so does pizza
I'll let you know how it all shakes out!
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Honey, if this B12 idea works for us, I am your SLAVE FOR LIFE. Here's something, though, about the relationship of folic acid (folate) to B12 levels:
ReplyDelete"Large amounts of folic acid can mask the damaging effects of vitamin B12 deficiency by correcting the megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency without correcting the neurological damage that also occurs", there are also indications that "high serum folate levels might not only mask vitamin B12 deficiency, but could also exacerbate the anemia and worsen the cognitive symptoms associated with vitamin B12 deficiency".[from Wikipedia]
Just FYI
I would march right out to a health store and buy whole health vitamin supplements...a higher quality vitamin has less fillers and more of a good vitamin that go to her system. Crossing my fingers for you that this might alleviate some or all of the issues.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know...You are an awesome mom!
Very, very interesting! My dr. just prescribed me B12 to help out with some postpartum yuckiness instead of going to antidepressants. I haven't tried it because I'm lazy when it comes to my own health BUT if this helps with six year old meltdowns I'll run out and stock up on a year's supply!
ReplyDeleteThat's potentially awesome. I love it when there's something easily fixable wrong!
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by this: and am going to look into it for my 13 year old son...DING DING DING for him too...for years...and this gives me hope!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen--
Ok, I have this! I have megaloblastic anemia and the resultant temper/anxiety, thanks. Ugh! But. While I need B12 shots and then iron supps to bring things around, you can try Floradix. It's a liquid, food-based Bs + iron supplement that is HIGHLY absorbable and gentle (no bunging up the pipes!) Midwives everywhere recommend it to pregnant women because it works well, and fast, and gently. I've given it to my son who has the same problem (very much like Miss A) and it changed him in three days. He got a huge appetite, for real food! Hurrah. So, good luck, and I hope this is "it" for you. :)
ReplyDelete