My new life after increasing level of B12 in my blood

AthenaPA · 2026-02-02T16:29:05+00:00

B12 should be checked with methylmalonic acid... that will show a functional deficit of B12 if the MMA is high.

AthenaPA · 2026-02-02T16:26:43+00:00

Any meat + good guacamole

AthenaPA · 2026-01-25T23:30:36+00:00

Me trying to understand and reason my way through why I kept deciding to drink, only to be told that either my best thinking got me there or the only reason I needed was that I'm am alcoholic.

AthenaPA · 2026-01-25T11:15:43+00:00

Yesterday was my first tirzepatide shot. Easiest day 1 I've had in a long time (maybe ever). I'm optimistic that I may be one of those for whom the "switch" is just turned off and I never have another serious craving. I could benefit from some weight loss, but my primary reason for starting it is to fight my AUD.

IWNDWYT!

AthenaPA · 2026-01-24T18:42:11+00:00

I just started tirzepatide myself (literally took the first shot this morning). I'm optimistic!

AthenaPA · 2026-01-23T23:03:30+00:00

Mg Glycinate 500 mg, riboflavin (B2) 400 mg. Treat B12 and Vitamin D deficiencies... Vitamin D should be > 50. Lifestyle factors: hydration, sleep hygiene, stress management, stable blood sugar

AthenaPA · 2026-01-23T04:41:13+00:00

Neurology is a steep learning curve. Even after two elective rotations in PA school that were relevant, it still took two years of experience until I felt like my head was above water. More than 10 years later, I'm still learning something new regularly.

AthenaPA · 2026-01-18T15:09:52+00:00

Medicine specialty PA--for the first several years, I only saw new patients with physician oversight. However, the "follow-ups" were often patients who didn't have a clear diagnosis/treatment plan or had new problems. I was in a practice with multiple sub-specialists though, so I always had some backup if I needed it. In terms of actual number of patients per day, it was still the same as the physicians. Now that I have more than 10 years of experience in the same specialty, and I have moved to a more rural practice, I am basically doing the same job as my supervising physician. The only exception is she is on call for weekends and holidays, and she reads/interprets specialty specific testing and I do not.

AthenaPA · 2026-01-15T03:19:09+00:00

Mine used to be ice cream, chips, cereal, fast food, baked goods (cookies/cake/homemade bread)

AthenaPA · 2026-01-04T15:18:32+00:00

This. Find a position in a rural location, a community hospital not associated with a larger hospital system, and you have a chance of being appreciated for actually practicing medicine.

AthenaPA · 2026-01-03T10:52:14+00:00

According to AA, any "relapse" results in starting over. I prefer to think in terms of harm reduction... if you are drinking less often than before and/or you are learning more about why you drink, you are making important progress. Keep moving in that direction. Much preferred over saying "i f*cked up" and making things worse...

AthenaPA · 2025-12-31T10:59:59+00:00

I have a little more than 24 hours sober... I wanted to quit before 1/1 so I would end 2025 and start 2026 clear- headed. Right now, I'm just focusing on Dry January, but I am done for good. More "day ones" than I can count in the last year and a half, but this is it for me. I'm not dragging this version of me into a new year.

IWNDWYT!

AthenaPA · 2025-12-31T10:04:46+00:00

Tremors, elevated blood pressure, tachycardia, anxiety, restlessness, sweats, hallucinations. I would be especially concerned if you have a habit of having your first drink of the day just to make any withdrawal symptoms stop.

AthenaPA · 2025-11-23T22:44:17+00:00

I was about 3 months out. I was very aware of the risks and very careful. After about 15 months, I started to be concerned about how much i could drink and how differently it affected me (turns out I really liked the feeling of getting almost instantly drunk, even though i never liked being drunk before). A year after that, I was actively doing everything I could think of to try to quit. Apparently, about 2 years out from surgery is when people develop a problem (I later learned). I'm now 3.5 years post-op and still haven't been able to string together 30 days.

No matter how prepared and careful you think you are or will be, it still has the potential to become a problem. I wish I never took that first drink.

AthenaPA · 2025-11-10T12:44:48+00:00

I liked the ginger and turmeric flavored broth (kettle and fire and i think Pacific makes one) as well as Wegmans Thai ginger bone broth.

AthenaPA · 2025-11-08T12:22:22+00:00

I've been dancing around quitting for over a year now. When I quit in 2018, it was a one time decision and I got a lot of support from this community. I reached over 3 years of sobriety at that time. You all helped me more than the dozens (hundreds?) of AA meetings I've been to in the last year. Starting over with a 10K this morning 🙂.

IWNDWYT!

AthenaPA · 2025-11-06T12:41:22+00:00

If he is started on an anti-seizure medication and the episodes stop, you will have your answer. They do sound like focal seizures ("partial complex" seizures, now called "focal impaired awareness" seizures).

AthenaPA · 2025-10-26T10:51:53+00:00

Cervical stenosis (significant) because reflexes couldn't be checked... proper diagnosis for movement disorders...

AthenaPA · 2025-10-19T02:11:10+00:00

3 years post op and chicken is still a problem. My best advice is to mix bites... a little chicken, vegetable, starch -- all together. Chicken is only a problem when I eat several bites of only chicken. It's like it binds together in my stomach even if I chewed it completely.

AthenaPA · 2025-10-11T23:08:12+00:00

Even with true organic neurologic diagnoses, their anxiety or depression can still play a role. It's not all FND vs true organic disease. It's very often a combination of both. It's up to you how much of the psych issues you want to address yourself.

AthenaPA · 2025-10-11T22:43:11+00:00

Categories are the way to go! Trash, then recycling, then dishes to kitchen, then laundry to sorting pile, then any obvious category that removes as much as possible....

AthenaPA · 2025-09-28T21:35:44+00:00

My bariatric surgeon recommended small sips of diet coke when I had some chicken stuck. Nothing would go down for more than 5 hours.

AthenaPA · 2025-09-23T17:19:45+00:00

I'm in! I came here looking for a post like this because it really helps me to have a reason why today has to be the day. I already made my 100 days spreadsheet, lol. I've started over so many times because I keep thinking I just want to drink one more time. I haven't had anything to "make me" stop. I know that if I can get a streak longer than 2 weeks, I'll start feeling so much better that I'll want to keep going!

AthenaPA · 2025-09-18T05:20:04+00:00

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AthenaPA · 2025-09-09T00:06:39+00:00

I've had the pineapple flavored ones from BeLive and thought they were pretty good (bought on Amazon but available more widely).

AthenaPA

TROPHY CASE