![]() ![]() I was beyond frustrated, and honestly terrified to leave my house for fear of fainting in public. The nurse did an echocardiogram, which came back normal, and the normal test results led the doctor to tell me, “Some young women just faint,” before sending me home. I was 26 years old and knew that none of this could be normal, so I spoke to my gastroenterologist, who referred me to both a cardiologist and a neurologist. I’d been living with Crohn’s for nearly a decade at that point, but these symptoms were new: dizziness, fainting, numbness in my extremities, trouble remembering certain words, telling the same story to the same person three times. In the spring of 2018, I was starting a new job in a new city - and also dealing with some (literally) dizzying new symptoms. People with Crohn’s in their ileum, or who have had their ileum surgically removed, should be especially vigilant of their B-12 levels. Vitamin B-12 is absorbed via the last section of the ileum, at the end of the small intestine - exactly where my Crohn’s is most active. That may explain why up to a third of people with Crohn’s and 16% of people with UC experience a B-12 deficiency. And surgeries, flares, and the severe symptoms of IBD can make it harder, over time, for the body to absorb the vitamins it needs - like B-12. Many B-12 deficiencies happen in people whose bodies aren’t able to absorb nutrients correctly. Ad revenue keeps our community free for you What does a B-12 deficiency have to do with my IBD? ![]()
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