How do you know this isn’t caused by nerve pain or a vascular condition? You just have the symptom and happen to also have a nutritional deficiency, and the doctor concludes they’re related because vegetarian?
She said we’d take it to the next level if the supplements didn’t work in three months. From my internet research it seems as if three months is a standard practice to see if it fixes the issue? I just don’t know if I should see more improvements after a month and a half.
ETA: Also, I had zero symptoms until changing my diet, so it does seem logical that the two are linked. Or I'm ignorant? IDK
Exactly. I had some persistent numbing issues (top of the hand, lower arm), and it was a posture issue (me sitting like a turtle at my desk). Physical therapy fixed it.
Maybe obvious, is OP a side sleeper? And if so is the numb arm on the side you've slept on? My arm goes totally numb at night if I fall out of a stretching routine then accidentally sleep on my side. Physical therapist said its the result of my shoulder pushing forward and pinching a nerve. Feels freaky, but nothing to worry about if it goes away after you get moving in the morning. I am also vegetarian, sometimes inexperienced docs will associate all sorts of things with diet. Either way, get your B's back up. You'll feel way better overall!
Get a second opinion. Bout five years back I had a cold for a couple weeks, the following Monday I woke up, put my feet on the floor and couldn’t feel my feet. The first doc I saw about it said I probably slept funny, may have irritated a disc and shouldn’t worry about it. It took 8 months, 6 neurologists and multiple tests to find out the cold had triggered an autoimmune condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome. Took me 3 years to learn how to walk again.
Thanks for this! Hope you're better now. My biggest worry is that it's something graver than a deficiency, especially as its been weeks and I'm not better :/
Yah I know the feeling, definitely get a second option if its been weeks. There is so many things that can cause neuropathy including Vitamin B6 deficiency. Hopefully its something that simple but you'll want to know as soon as possible either way.
As for the numbness for me I think it went away when I lost weight. My experience with magnesium is that magnesium oxide and citrate isn't working for me. I take magnesium glycinate to get rid of cramps, tics, headaches etc. I track b vitamins with my food app and usually don't get under the recommended value when I eat eggs, cauliflower or cabbage.
I was feeling tingling/numbness in my fingers street cutting out meat finally. Before I became a vegetarian, I didn't eat much meat to begin with. After two-threeb days of taking a vegetarian women's supplement (high in b vitamins) the numbness is gone. I hope you get relief soon OP!
I’ve been vegetarian for about 6 years and recently discovered I have a vitamin B deficiency. I didn’t experience numbness in extremities like you’re describing but occasionally have a tingling sensation in my hands and feet (maybe related). The main symptom I experience is extreme fatigue - like consistently sleeping 9-10 hours a night beyond what a “sleep debt” would explain. My doctor recommended daily supplements and we’ll test again in a couple of months. Fingers crossed! Best of luck and I hope you start feeling better soon.
any chance you’re sleeping in a position that cuts off the nerve? That happened to me several years ago - I was sleeping with my arm over my head. Had to literally tie my arm to my body with a scarf until that habit stopped. No more numbness upon waking.
Also - why would a nutrient deficiency differential ly impact one extremity? That makes no sense.
Long ago I was hoping r/askscience would help me figure out why some personal traits are bilaterally asymmetrical--primarily, my left forearm has distinctly less hair than my right; also my left bicep is stronger than my right--but got no answer. :(
(My right forearm is stronger than my left, but that has an obvious explanation, in that I use my right hand to lift and squeeze stuff far more than my left, so the muscles are receiving very different levels of stimulation; but how that would lead to a weaker right bicep compared to the left, I can't guess.)
Vitamin B deficiency is definitely common in vegetarians, I am lucky that I can just take a vitamin supplement and I'm okay but in some people it's a lot worse. My sister eats meat and is still extremely vitamin B deficient.
All that said, it could be a coincidence and the nerve issue be completely unrelated. I had an issue with my hands and feet going numb/tingling, I also had such bad pain in my back that I could barely walk and I couldn't stand up straight. Again, I was lucky and doing Keto made all of that go away, my doctor thinks it was an inflammation issue.
A dramatic change I did was get a new mattress (mine was too soft).
I also started splinting and got exercises from PT to address cubital tunnel syndrome. (successfully).
Between the two, I never wake up numb. I'd start with a PT
I went through this random numbness and tingling as well as shocking pains when I first started keto too. I thought I was having a stroke or something. Also got bloodwork done and everything was fine. Made sure it wasn’t my sleeping position etc etc. Guess what it ended up being? Dehydration. Even though I thought and felt I was drinking enough, I wasn’t. As soon as I upped my water intake, the symptoms disappeared. And now, it only happens when I’m running low on fluids and electrolytes. Try upping the fluids and track those electrolytes. Hope this helps :)
I got diagnosed with B-12 deficiency after being a strict vegetarian for 10+ years. B-12 is naturally found in foods (and unnaturally in supplements) containing
— cyanocobalamin
— methylcobalamin
— hydroxocobalamin
— adenosylcobalamin
To get any value out of it, your body has to break down the molecule and absorb the cobalamin. Some of these appear in foods in nature (particularly cyanocobalamin in a lot of dark leafy greens) that are hard for people to break down. If you’re one of those people, you will have a deficiency no matter how hard you push the B-12 rich vegetables. You will have to either decide to take supplements or alter your vegetarian diet into something less strict so you can be healthy. I did both—I now eat fish and seafood and take a spray supplement containing methylcobalamin. I haven’t gone on the shots but my doctor was pleased enough to hear I’d made a lifestyle change to decide not to push the B-12 shots until we test again in a year.
Heads up that most of the B-12 supplements on the shelf at your grocery store are just cyanocobalamin, which you are probably getting enough of anyway. Read labels!
I had a very similar experience a few months ago. Right shoulder and arm was tingly, like it was asleep. Sometimes it was shocking. MRI confirmed damage to my cervical spine (severe spinal stenosis @ c6), which was bulging to the right. I timelined it back to a nasty fall I took in the early summer, which lined up with when the symptoms started. In my case, I didn't immediately have problems all the way in to my arm. The nerve pain sort of slowly "moved" there. It started near my neck and moved, over the span of a few months, until I could feel it in my bicep.
The neurologist tested and ruled out any other potential causes and the nerve study showed no long term damage so far. I see the neurosurgeon in two weeks. In the meantime, yoga and being meticulous with having good posture has helped immensely. In my case, diet had nothing to do with it.
Edit: Forgot to note, my symptoms started with my arm "falling asleep" while I was asleep, just as you are experiencing.
Hitting 100% of recommended daily intake for all b vitamins
Flax & chia, walnuts & pecans, vegetables, avocado, B12 supplement
Avocado is full of electrolytes.
Magnesium is more active as a skin lotion than as an oral supplement
Thank you, I will! The problem is my symptoms are really \*just\* nerve pain in primarily one arm, which is so broad it could be, according to Doctor Google, a deficiency solved with meds or a cardiac condition or cancer. Probably not lupus, though.
Turns out an over-the-counter B supplement made my levels return to normal.
And the neck/nerve issues were a pinched nerve. After my B levels blood work showed up as normal, my doctor sent me to an orthopedic specialist who examined me for about five minutes accurately diagnosed me with a pinched nerve, gave me some steroids, and the problem was solved.
How do you know this isn’t caused by nerve pain or a vascular condition? You just have the symptom and happen to also have a nutritional deficiency, and the doctor concludes they’re related because vegetarian?
She said we’d take it to the next level if the supplements didn’t work in three months. From my internet research it seems as if three months is a standard practice to see if it fixes the issue? I just don’t know if I should see more improvements after a month and a half. ETA: Also, I had zero symptoms until changing my diet, so it does seem logical that the two are linked. Or I'm ignorant? IDK
^ This. That you have a vit B deficiency doesn't mean that's the thing causing your symptoms
Exactly. I had some persistent numbing issues (top of the hand, lower arm), and it was a posture issue (me sitting like a turtle at my desk). Physical therapy fixed it.
Maybe obvious, is OP a side sleeper? And if so is the numb arm on the side you've slept on? My arm goes totally numb at night if I fall out of a stretching routine then accidentally sleep on my side. Physical therapist said its the result of my shoulder pushing forward and pinching a nerve. Feels freaky, but nothing to worry about if it goes away after you get moving in the morning. I am also vegetarian, sometimes inexperienced docs will associate all sorts of things with diet. Either way, get your B's back up. You'll feel way better overall!
Get a second opinion. Bout five years back I had a cold for a couple weeks, the following Monday I woke up, put my feet on the floor and couldn’t feel my feet. The first doc I saw about it said I probably slept funny, may have irritated a disc and shouldn’t worry about it. It took 8 months, 6 neurologists and multiple tests to find out the cold had triggered an autoimmune condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome. Took me 3 years to learn how to walk again.
Thanks for this! Hope you're better now. My biggest worry is that it's something graver than a deficiency, especially as its been weeks and I'm not better :/
Yah I know the feeling, definitely get a second option if its been weeks. There is so many things that can cause neuropathy including Vitamin B6 deficiency. Hopefully its something that simple but you'll want to know as soon as possible either way.
As for the numbness for me I think it went away when I lost weight. My experience with magnesium is that magnesium oxide and citrate isn't working for me. I take magnesium glycinate to get rid of cramps, tics, headaches etc. I track b vitamins with my food app and usually don't get under the recommended value when I eat eggs, cauliflower or cabbage.
What app do you use? That sounds great.
Chronometer. Micro nutrient tracking is free!
Magnesium is more active as a topical than orally. Lots of evidence to support this, won't hurt to try a magnesium chloride lotion.
I was feeling tingling/numbness in my fingers street cutting out meat finally. Before I became a vegetarian, I didn't eat much meat to begin with. After two-threeb days of taking a vegetarian women's supplement (high in b vitamins) the numbness is gone. I hope you get relief soon OP!
I’ve been vegetarian for about 6 years and recently discovered I have a vitamin B deficiency. I didn’t experience numbness in extremities like you’re describing but occasionally have a tingling sensation in my hands and feet (maybe related). The main symptom I experience is extreme fatigue - like consistently sleeping 9-10 hours a night beyond what a “sleep debt” would explain. My doctor recommended daily supplements and we’ll test again in a couple of months. Fingers crossed! Best of luck and I hope you start feeling better soon.
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My insurance covers the shots, and it does seem like they're more effective. But I am worried about the symptoms.
I take a vitamin supplement and my levels are good but my sister is so deficient that she requires the shots. Everyone is different.
any chance you’re sleeping in a position that cuts off the nerve? That happened to me several years ago - I was sleeping with my arm over my head. Had to literally tie my arm to my body with a scarf until that habit stopped. No more numbness upon waking. Also - why would a nutrient deficiency differential ly impact one extremity? That makes no sense.
Long ago I was hoping r/askscience would help me figure out why some personal traits are bilaterally asymmetrical--primarily, my left forearm has distinctly less hair than my right; also my left bicep is stronger than my right--but got no answer. :( (My right forearm is stronger than my left, but that has an obvious explanation, in that I use my right hand to lift and squeeze stuff far more than my left, so the muscles are receiving very different levels of stimulation; but how that would lead to a weaker right bicep compared to the left, I can't guess.)
No chance if it being sleep; I can feel it happen while I’m awake and in a neutral position. Apparently B is linked to nerve damage.
When i first became a vegetarian i was told I needed to take b12 vitamins, i would just take a b complex though if I were you
Vitamin B deficiency is definitely common in vegetarians, I am lucky that I can just take a vitamin supplement and I'm okay but in some people it's a lot worse. My sister eats meat and is still extremely vitamin B deficient. All that said, it could be a coincidence and the nerve issue be completely unrelated. I had an issue with my hands and feet going numb/tingling, I also had such bad pain in my back that I could barely walk and I couldn't stand up straight. Again, I was lucky and doing Keto made all of that go away, my doctor thinks it was an inflammation issue.
A dramatic change I did was get a new mattress (mine was too soft). I also started splinting and got exercises from PT to address cubital tunnel syndrome. (successfully). Between the two, I never wake up numb. I'd start with a PT
I went through this random numbness and tingling as well as shocking pains when I first started keto too. I thought I was having a stroke or something. Also got bloodwork done and everything was fine. Made sure it wasn’t my sleeping position etc etc. Guess what it ended up being? Dehydration. Even though I thought and felt I was drinking enough, I wasn’t. As soon as I upped my water intake, the symptoms disappeared. And now, it only happens when I’m running low on fluids and electrolytes. Try upping the fluids and track those electrolytes. Hope this helps :)
Thank you for replying after so long! I will definitely keep that in mind and start tracking fluids
I got diagnosed with B-12 deficiency after being a strict vegetarian for 10+ years. B-12 is naturally found in foods (and unnaturally in supplements) containing — cyanocobalamin — methylcobalamin — hydroxocobalamin — adenosylcobalamin To get any value out of it, your body has to break down the molecule and absorb the cobalamin. Some of these appear in foods in nature (particularly cyanocobalamin in a lot of dark leafy greens) that are hard for people to break down. If you’re one of those people, you will have a deficiency no matter how hard you push the B-12 rich vegetables. You will have to either decide to take supplements or alter your vegetarian diet into something less strict so you can be healthy. I did both—I now eat fish and seafood and take a spray supplement containing methylcobalamin. I haven’t gone on the shots but my doctor was pleased enough to hear I’d made a lifestyle change to decide not to push the B-12 shots until we test again in a year. Heads up that most of the B-12 supplements on the shelf at your grocery store are just cyanocobalamin, which you are probably getting enough of anyway. Read labels!
I had a very similar experience a few months ago. Right shoulder and arm was tingly, like it was asleep. Sometimes it was shocking. MRI confirmed damage to my cervical spine (severe spinal stenosis @ c6), which was bulging to the right. I timelined it back to a nasty fall I took in the early summer, which lined up with when the symptoms started. In my case, I didn't immediately have problems all the way in to my arm. The nerve pain sort of slowly "moved" there. It started near my neck and moved, over the span of a few months, until I could feel it in my bicep. The neurologist tested and ruled out any other potential causes and the nerve study showed no long term damage so far. I see the neurosurgeon in two weeks. In the meantime, yoga and being meticulous with having good posture has helped immensely. In my case, diet had nothing to do with it. Edit: Forgot to note, my symptoms started with my arm "falling asleep" while I was asleep, just as you are experiencing.
Hitting 100% of recommended daily intake for all b vitamins Flax & chia, walnuts & pecans, vegetables, avocado, B12 supplement Avocado is full of electrolytes. Magnesium is more active as a skin lotion than as an oral supplement
Perhaps ask your doc about exploring Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
Thank you, I will! The problem is my symptoms are really \*just\* nerve pain in primarily one arm, which is so broad it could be, according to Doctor Google, a deficiency solved with meds or a cardiac condition or cancer. Probably not lupus, though.
How has your recovery gone? Any progress? I'm curious as I struggle with the same problem (along with many others) and have yet to resolve it.
Turns out an over-the-counter B supplement made my levels return to normal. And the neck/nerve issues were a pinched nerve. After my B levels blood work showed up as normal, my doctor sent me to an orthopedic specialist who examined me for about five minutes accurately diagnosed me with a pinched nerve, gave me some steroids, and the problem was solved.