Extreme Fatigue

[Lattelaura]

Hi All,
Happy after Thanksgiving!

I'm trying to figure how to get better. I was diagnosed with LC in 2018 and have pretty much got that under control unless I eat the wrong thing. But my fatigue has gotten worse and it is almost debilitating when I'm really in the thrones of it. I go in and out of it, thank goodness. It continues to happen more often and is adversely affecting my quality of life. After reading a lot of posts on this site I feel I have a methylation issue and maybe if i get this under control a lot of my other health issues would improve along with the fatigue. How do I do this? I see people take Methyl-Guard Plus. Do people take the 3 a day serving size? Any advise would be much appreciated.

I would like to find a doctor to help me, my regular doctor has been useless. I live in Washington State, south Puget Sound Area. I would love to find a Integrative/Functional Medicine Provider, if any knows of somebody in my area? I've been looking with no luck.

This is what I'm currently taking for supplements:
D3- 5000
Citracal Calcium - 600 mg
Doctors Best High Absorption Magnesium - 300mg
C- 1000mg

This is what I recently added:
Fully Active B12- 1500 mcg
Qunol CoQ10- 100 mg

Claritin & Flonase daily

Thank you for all your help! I live by myself and feel if it wasn't for this forum I would really be lost in this journey.

Sincerely,
Laura

[tex]

Hi Laura,

Fatigue is a common symptom of MC, and it's often magnified by various issues that are associated with MC. According to our informal poll, we're about 7 times as likely as someone in the general population, to develop thyroid problems that can go either way, but most often show up as hypothyroidism, often associated with Hashimoto's. If it takes a while (multiple years) to get our MC under control, we often develop a B12 deficiency along the way (because of the malabsorption problem combined with methylation issues). And iron deficiency is another cause of extreme fatigue.

I've been taking one capsule of Methl Guard Plus daily for 15 years, now, because my B12 deficiency became so low for so long before I figured out the problem that I developed peripheral neuropathy, and was even incorrectly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Trying to find a doctor who actually understands how to treat microscopic colitis is like searching for the holy Grail — an exercise in futility.

I hope this helps,

Tex

[Lattelaura]

Tex,

Seems like we all share a lot of the same issues. I have low thyroid and it's been going on for about 30 years. Also for the past five years or so I've had peripheral neuropathy in my feet and legs and it is only getting worse. I will try the Methyl guard Plus and will look at my bloodwork from my past visits to Doctors and from when i went into the hospital this last spring. I had a little blackout episode and hit the ground. They didn't find anything but they did a **** load of tests, so I will look at the blood work from that fun experience to see my iron and B12 levels.

Thanks,
Laura

[tex]

Tests for vitamins are not designed to deal with methylation issues. Those of us who have methylation issues will get incorrect test results on many of the B vitamins. Tests for blood B12 levels are notoriously unreliable, especially in autoimmune or MC patients.

Why?

Blood B12 reflects total B12, which includes inactive forms. With methylation issues, B12 cannot be converted into methylcobalamin efficiently. Therefore, serum B12 might appear high or normal while cells are starving for active B12.

To test for true B12 status one would need to consider the following tests:

• MMA (methylmalonic acid) — A high result means B12 deficiency
  Homocysteine — A high result means poor B12 or folate activation
  Holotranscobalamin (active B12) — This is an accurate test, but rarely ordered

This is why testing for serum B12 alone is almost worthless in methylation-compromised patients.

And similar issues apply to trying to test for all of the vital B vitamins.

I'm not sure if they still do, but doctors in the past prescribed a product named Metanx to diabetics who developed peripheral neuropathy. It was prescribed to me (I don't have diabetes). But I finally gave up on taking that product because after the passage of Obamacare it continually increased in price until it was expensive. Fortunately, by then the patents had apparently run out and there was a generic available from Thorne Laboratories that had basically the equivalent ingredients. That product, of course, is Methyl Guard Plus.

I hope this helps.

Tex

[Lattelaura]

That does help. I'm trying to figure out how not to feel so crummy. There is so much to navigate and All this is very overwhelming. Thank you for all of your expertise! One more question, Why do you only take one of the methyl-Gard Plus? My instincts are always to take the full amount that they say to on the label and is that a mistake? I know that all of our bodies are different and we react differently.

[tex]

Well, I take one capsule of Methyl Guard Plus daily, because my MTHFR gene mutations are moderate, not severe, and one capsule of Methyl Guard Plus daily seems to work well for me. If my MTHFR gene mutations were more severe, I would take a larger dose. If your MTHFR gene mutations are not severe, and you want to take the full label dose, then use the regular Methyl Guard product, rather than the Methyl Guard Plus, because the dosage levels in Methyl Guard are approximately half the dosage levels in the Methyl Guard Plus product. The doses of the active forms of the B vitamins in the Methyl Guard Plus are quite high, and I just don't believe that I need a dose that high. That said, it would be mighty tough to overdose on a B vitamin, because the excess simply goes down the toilet with no known risk to the patient (other than the risk of depleting one's bank account).

In other words, these are strictly uncharted waters, and as far as I'm aware, there's no reliable rule to follow when determining doses. And the fact that there are so many possible variations in MTHFR gene mutations, doesn't make the job of deciding on the proper dose any easier. Correlating MTHFR gene mutations, physical symptoms, lifestyles, and doses of the active forms of B supplements, is definitely not an exact science. There are a few naturopaths and other self-appointed "experts" who consider themselves qualified to make such recommendations, but I certainly don't consider myself qualified, because medical research has barely scratched the tip of the iceberg regarding methylation issues and correcting them, as far as I can tell.

Tex

[Lattelaura]

Tex,

I will just start taking Methyl guard and see if things improve. It's good to know I can't get into trouble taking it, I hope.
After dealing with LC all these years I'm use to trial and error.

thanks for all your help!

Laura

[tex]

You're very welcome. I hope it helps. It will probably take a few weeks to notice any significant difference. I've been taking it for so long that I don't even remember how long it took to notice the benefits, but I do recall that I stopped taking it a couple of times after I had been taking it for a few months, and again after I had been taking it for a year or so, and after a few days, I could feel some of my old neurological symptoms becoming worse again.

Tex