Today I was reflecting on the history of my knee/leg problems, starting with injuring my right leg and knee when I started an exercise program in July of 07. I attributed this to starting with a more strenuous program than I could handle.
Why did I start an exercise program in July of 07? Because:
- I’d started treatment for my exercise-induced asthma, which had been limiting my ability to exercise previously….
- I’d started treatment for my vitamin B12 deficiency and was full of energy and wanted to MOVE and DO things.
Here’s where I usually add, “Unfortunately, my muscles weren’t up to handling what I was doing.” I’d started walking a 1/2 mile a day, working up to a mile a day, and then a mile and a half — but apparently that was too much.
I’d also recently looked up journal entries from when I’d gone on other exercise kicks, plus other vacations that involve a lot of walking. In 06 I had noticed feeling fatigued, had mentioned it to my ARNP,* but I’d still had a several walk-heavy vacations without injury. I wondered how my muscles had been so atrophied in a year, how I’d been so much more sedentary. Yes, symptoms of b12 deficiency include fatigue, depression, and balance problems….
And weight loss and weakness. That sounds like muscle loss. What if I hadn’t lost weight, but what if I’d lost muscle? That might explain it. From my diary at the time, 6 days after starting b12 supplementation:
This is getting entirely too weird.
First, I’m nowhere near as interested in meat and eggs as I was. Especially for breakfast. Suddenly I’m eating a banana and yogurt for breakfast, and steaming veggies with garlic and a little chicken for lunch. I haven’t done this in years.
Second, I’m not crashing hard in the afternoon.
Third, I’m less tired in general.
And now … I’m not as interested in caffeine … ? Note, I haven’t stopped drinking it. But instead of a minimum of 7 cans/cups, today I had 2 cans of diet Pepsi and 1 cup of coffee. I’m craving chocolate less too.
This is all within one week.
A week later:
I feel like I’m bursting with energy and want to move and dance all the time. In reality, I’m ready to sit down – or at least stretch a bit – after an hour. Sitting still and focusing on work? Er…NOT so good. Wanna play!
So…hm. Maybe it wasn’t just that I’d been a lump. By the time I was diagnosed the lab noticed my red blood cells were notably deformed and I was pretty anemic. I was asked if I’d lost weight, and the answer was no…but that might not mean I hadn’t lost muscle.
At least I hadn’t developed dementia.
*As noted earlier, my former ARNP listened to my concerns, checked my thyroid function, and decided it could be my history of depression or that I was overweight and should consider WLS. She also upped my Wellbutrin prescription. The B12 deficiency wasn’t found until I changed healthcare providers.
Living ~400lbs 
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