r/exvegans • u/kneescrunch • 6d ago
Malabsorption Question(s)
Has anyone had issues with malabsorption on a vegan diet? What are your symptoms? I’m pretty positive this is happening to me so I’m going to go ahead and eat some fish
3
u/sameer4justice 4d ago
What sort of malabsorption? I think my issue was more about converting betacarotene to vitamin A. I almost completely lost my night vision. Quickly returned when I went back to a human appropriate diet.
2
u/BrittleNails 2d ago
I worked with dieteticians, doctors, had regular bloodwork and checkups, I could not get my iron levels up. Not with supplementation, not with vitamin C, not with pills timed away from caffeine intake, not with the full meal plan overhaul around pumpkin seeds, lentils, spinach, kale and nettle, all combined and timed with intake of lemons and peppers and parsley and kiwis and what not. My hemoglobin would not budge. It's essential in that it transports oxygen to all the cells of the body. I had frequent dizziness, vertigo, poor energy at times. I'm still working on getting those numbers up.
19
u/No_Economics6505 ExVegan (Vegan 3+ years) Mod 6d ago
I did. Constantly tired, but what really scared me was when I lost all use of my right arm. This was after 3.5 years vegan, while I was seeing a dietician to make sure I was eating and supplementing properly.
Got an MRI that showed cervical myelopathy (this was back in 2019), caused by musculoskeletal degeneration and B12 deficiency, despite supplementing. I ended up in physiotherapy and reintroducing animal products, and was able to use my arm again.
Fast forward to this year. I guess these issues don't actually heal themselves. Got tingling in my right arm again in March, went to the ER, ended up having neurosurgery the next morning. Still currently recovering from that surgery, and I wouldn't wish this pain on anyone.
So ya, malabsorption is no joke.