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MargaretR · 03-08-2008, 13:01

I have been made ill by prescriptions in my past-
E coli/pseudomembranous colitis - from being injected with a (now banned) antibiotic
Addiction to prescribed painkillers containing codiene

I have some everlasting damage from these and my quality of life has been less than it should have been for 20+ years.

Perhaps you may understand from this why I do not have total and absolute confidence in the medical profession. They are only human after all and are under such workload pressure that it is human nature for them to sometimes take the easy way out and provide a standard of care which is less than perfect.

Since you you appear to have absolute faith in your doctor's competance, that must provide you with great peace of mind.

A very recent personal experience of mine has proved to me that to take responsibility for my own health has been an essential health preservation measure.

A year ago I began to have overwhelming urges to sleep - after 4 hours awake I needed 2 hours sleep totalling 11 hours a day - so I had lost the use of 4 hrs a day of living. Most people who work hard and find little time for sleep said 'Lucky you' but I considered that I was losing 1 day a week of living. The doc decided that it was probably narcolepsy - untreatable - learn to live with it and 'drink lots of coffee'.

During the winter I got bronchitis and battled through it and did not resort to asking for antibiotics until February - my past experience with antibiotics makes me extremely reluctant to use them.

The bronchitis cleared after 2 weeks but I was left easily breathless. So I concluded that I have some emphysema - 50 yrs of smoking - only myself to blame.

So at age 65 I appeared to be facing the prospect of sleeping and gasping for the rest of the time I had left - naturally got quite depressed.

I was at 'rock bottom' mentally and physically because the sleepiness had got worse so that I never felt properly awake. Then I was told by an aquaintance 'I was like that until I got vitamin B12 injections'

This set me on a path of websearching
Vitamin B12 deficiency

I asked for my B12 blood level to be tested and it came back 'normal'
(What our NHS consider normal is judged to be dangerously low in some other countries)
So my doc then began tests of heart and lungs. 'Heart fine' but I expect him to find some COPD

Due to my distrust of the medical profession I decided to self medicate with vit B 12.
After only one week the sleepiness had gone completely and the breathlessness reduced by 50%.

I had B12 deficiency which has not, and would not ever, have been diagnosed, and which if untreated would have caused irreversable damage to my nervous system with symptoms mimicking MS and dementia. My doc can see that my self medication is working and regrets that he cannot he cannot provide me with B12 free on prescription.(nhs guidlines wont allow him to)

If I had not taken responsibily for my own health my remaining years of life would have been not worth living.

So that is why I take the trouble to put on here news about anything which I think may be causing all of us health damage.

I don't mind at all being labelled a hypochondriacal harbinger of doom

.... perhaps you will appreciate now why I do it

03-08-2008, 13:01	#26
MargaretR God Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: c l m Posts: 12,362 Blog Entries: 4 Liked: 517 times Rep Power: 29209	Re: Three ways to die I have been made ill by prescriptions in my past- E coli/pseudomembranous colitis - from being injected with a (now banned) antibiotic Addiction to prescribed painkillers containing codiene I have some everlasting damage from these and my quality of life has been less than it should have been for 20+ years. Perhaps you may understand from this why I do not have total and absolute confidence in the medical profession. They are only human after all and are under such workload pressure that it is human nature for them to sometimes take the easy way out and provide a standard of care which is less than perfect. Since you you appear to have absolute faith in your doctor's competance, that must provide you with great peace of mind. A very recent personal experience of mine has proved to me that to take responsibility for my own health has been an essential health preservation measure. A year ago I began to have overwhelming urges to sleep - after 4 hours awake I needed 2 hours sleep totalling 11 hours a day - so I had lost the use of 4 hrs a day of living. Most people who work hard and find little time for sleep said 'Lucky you' but I considered that I was losing 1 day a week of living. The doc decided that it was probably narcolepsy - untreatable - learn to live with it and 'drink lots of coffee'. During the winter I got bronchitis and battled through it and did not resort to asking for antibiotics until February - my past experience with antibiotics makes me extremely reluctant to use them. The bronchitis cleared after 2 weeks but I was left easily breathless. So I concluded that I have some emphysema - 50 yrs of smoking - only myself to blame. So at age 65 I appeared to be facing the prospect of sleeping and gasping for the rest of the time I had left - naturally got quite depressed. I was at 'rock bottom' mentally and physically because the sleepiness had got worse so that I never felt properly awake. Then I was told by an aquaintance 'I was like that until I got vitamin B12 injections' This set me on a path of websearching Vitamin B12 deficiency I asked for my B12 blood level to be tested and it came back 'normal' (What our NHS consider normal is judged to be dangerously low in some other countries) So my doc then began tests of heart and lungs. 'Heart fine' but I expect him to find some COPD Due to my distrust of the medical profession I decided to self medicate with vit B 12. After only one week the sleepiness had gone completely and the breathlessness reduced by 50%. I had B12 deficiency which has not, and would not ever, have been diagnosed, and which if untreated would have caused irreversable damage to my nervous system with symptoms mimicking MS and dementia. My doc can see that my self medication is working and regrets that he cannot he cannot provide me with B12 free on prescription.(nhs guidlines wont allow him to) If I had not taken responsibily for my own health my remaining years of life would have been not worth living. So that is why I take the trouble to put on here news about anything which I think may be causing all of us health damage. I don't mind at all being labelled a hypochondriacal harbinger of doom .... perhaps you will appreciate now why I do it __________________ Last edited by MargaretR; 03-08-2008 at 13:06.