In case of a suspected deficiency, there are three elements the doctor should check: vitamin B12, folic acid and potassium. The shortage of any one or all three can keep us down and without any pep or ambition even to do our daily chores. B12 and folic acid interact to the point that a deficiency of either one might be mistaken, without complete tests, for a deficiency of the other. Everyone needs each, to make the other one work right. There is no danger of taking too much BI2; the body throws off what it does not need. The folic acid should not be taken in large doses. Studies are not really complete, but it seems that the most a person should take is 0.4 mg a day. Potassium in natural foods cannot be overdone. The greatest source is bananas, with orange juice also being very good. However, if you have a shortage of potassium, which can also lead to a run-down feeling, you probably cannot get enough from foods without gaining weight.
An ileostomate who cannot absorb enough vitamin B12 from food or from pills must take shots. Folic acid and potassium can usually be absorbed in pill form, but the ileostomate should watch that the pills are not going through the digestive tract whole and being washed down the drain without being absorbed by the body. If an ileostomate feels tired all the time, they should consult their physician.
