Medical cutbacks vitamin B12 injections

[Banjomansmate]

Just as well I am no longer a carer. The GP surgery nurse has just phoned me to tell me that Friday’s appointment for my Vitamin B12 injection has been cancelled and I will not be getting them for the duration of the current crisis! My body cannot absorb this, which is why I need injections every 2-3 months..

 

[Batsue]

@Banjomansmate
That is awful, I have just booked my mum in for B12 for next week, they said that the surgery will be locked and to knock on the window and wait in the car park until called.

 

[Banjomansmate]

I booked the appointment over two weeks ago! I would be happy to stand outside while they gave it to me, it takes a couple of minutes.

 

[silkiest]

Hi @Banjomansmate , vitamin B12 injections are not a luxury or a what if, they are essential to maintain life. Technically you could still survive with 6 monthly injections but the quality of life would be very poor. vitamin B12 is an essential service that my local surgery is maintaining. I would contact the surgery again and if they are uncooperative advise that you will be complaining to the local CCG or health ombudsman. This is atrocious and the nurse sounds incompetant.

 

[RosettaT]

MY OH blood test came back 'irregular' for the vit B but I'm not sure which. He has to go next Tuesday for another blood test then an appointment with Dr once the results are back. Our surgery look to be operating as normal for things like this tho' they have resorted to phone consultations, which I usually have for OH so I don't need to take him down there.

 

[Melles Belles]

My daughter had her ear syringing appointment for next week cancelled so she will be deaf in one ear for a while

 

[millalm]

@Banjomansmate - any chance you could get a bottle of1200mg B12 pills and take them regularly to get you through?

 

[Banjomansmate]

@Banjomansmate - any chance you could get a bottle of1200mg B12 pills and take them regularly to get you through?

My body doesn’t absorb it in a normal manner which is why I need the injections.

 

[Banjomansmate]

Hi @Banjomansmate , vitamin B12 injections are not a luxury or a what if, they are essential to maintain life. Technically you could still survive with 6 monthly injections but the quality of life would be very poor. vitamin B12 is an essential service that my local surgery is maintaining. I would contact the surgery again and if they are uncooperative advise that you will be complaining to the local CCG or health ombudsman. This is atrocious and the nurse sounds incompetant.

I know her well and she was very apologetic about having to tell me. As I had the annual blood tests in January she said it had been decided I was managing OK and therefore they wouldn’t do it. My thoughts were, I am managing because I’ve been having the injections!
if I was just phoning up to make an appointment it might not have been so bad, but to have the long standing appointment cancelled two days before is galling.

 

[Bunpoots]

That’s dreadful @Banjomansmate . Could you do the injection yourself if they just passed it through the window to you? Sorry that might be a really stupid suggestion.

 

[Just me]

It’s a good suggestion @Bunboots. A friend asked if she could inject herself when she was refused an appointment. She didn’t need to though as they fitted her in for an appointment.

 

[silkiest]

Yes @Banjomansmate your bloods are good because of the injections. I even had this once with a diabetic patient whose bloods were good with treatment so a junior doctor stopped them! The next thing I knew was when the patient had severe infections due to poor diabetic control. B12 and the needles and syringes can be prescribed and delivered by your local pharmacy. If you don't feel up to drawing it up and injecting I am sure a local nurse would answer a call for help on a local facebook or other support group. There is always the option of requesting district nurses - they should be visiting people who are self isolating and should be able to teach you to self inject if this is likely to carry on long term. Good luck

 

[Banjomansmate]

I phoned my GP’s surgery on Friday to see what was happening about the B12 injections as I had heard that another surgery was refusing to do them but referred a patient to a different local surgery to give them (goodness knows why). The receptionist was very nice and immediately asked my symptoms and said she would refer them to my GP and if approved I would be able to have the injections! Later the senior practice nurse left a message to say I should book an appointment for next week, so hopefully it will be back to normal on Thursday.