I'm a 45 yr old female with typical boringly long history of nagging health complaints- anxiety (well controlled on fluoxetine), extreme tiredness and lethargy, frequent headaches,skin complaints including very dry skin and funny bumpy rashes on elbows and knees that come and go,and a twenty year history of irritable bowel type symptoms, now I get out of breath and exhausted easily.
I've had blood tests in the past which just showed slight anaemia.
I went back to the GP recently asked to be tested for coeliac-and she also ran a full panel-liver and kidney function and glucose etc were all fine. Here are my others:
TSH: 2.8 mu/L. 0.27 - 4.20mu/L
Calcium: 2.18 mmol/L. 2.15 - 2.55mmol/L
Vit D: 31 - abnormal-gp recommended supplements
Haemoglobin estimation: 109g/l. 120-150 g/l
Ferritin: 5 ug/l. 13 - 150ug/l
B12: 228 pg/mL. 180-914pg/l
Serum folate: 4.4 ng/ml. 3.10-20.00ng/ml
ESR: 31 mm/h. 0-12mm/h
Coeliac screen- normal- IgA- 0.8, igG 0.9
Obviously from this I'm anaemic and ferritin is very low, and because my ESR is also high my gp referred me to gastroenterologist for bowel investigations.Gastro was pretty dismissive and thinks I just have IBS, he basically shrugged when I mentioned my ferritin level is 5. He is going to do a colonoscopy just to be sure though. In his clinic letter he said the anaemia doesn't warrant further investigation as I still have periods. Even though they are normal and not heavy.
The gp will discuss iron supplements etc once I have had the colonoscopy. I did ask for more detailed thyroid tests: free t3 and 4 and thyroid antibodies but she refused, saying my thyroid result was dead normal and my symptoms were probably just caused by anaemia, which goes against a lot of the advice I have seen, but I don't feel I can argue with my doctor, even though a lot of my values are at the bottom end, like B12, but she won't do further testing as they are 'normal'.
Any thoughts? I really don't want to feel this grotty for the next twenty years!
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Chris1802p
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Low bs and iron are classic Coeliac or gluten sensitivity symptoms. I would try an elimination for 4 weeks. Tell your doctor this is what you are going to do and report back to them with the changes. Sadly as we only test for one protein in Wheaton this country often it comes back negative. Mine did but I am so sensitive I can’t eat it long enough to get a biopsy.
You could try posting this on the Thyroid site on HU as they seem to be good on interpreting results.
Non-Coeliac gluten sensitivity is another possibility to look at, as Wobbly Caroline has mentioned. It can affect your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
You really need a full thyroid panel done tsh, free3 free4 and antibodies and one big word of advice get copies of your bloods for the thyroid as you should never take a gps word for it"they are ok" most gps do not know there ass from their elbows when comes to reading bloods fir the thyroid and a tsh alone is useless-i too have celiac and thyroid disease with hashimotos and graves and a member of tuk-your ferritin is too low as mine was back in january at just 10-my symptons are breathless, exhaustion, palps and trembles, i would not wait to supplement i would buy my own now, gps really should be treating the def as it can have very dire consquences. Im not surprised you feel like you do, god knows !! Im still symptomatic of def still but have managed to raise mine to 27 3 months later and have now been referred to GI and Haematology. Hope you get your self sorted and remember get a full thyroid panel done and get copies-you are entitled to these by law.😊😊
I agree with Rmichelle, your thyroid appears to be struggling a little, and I think this is your problem, but TSH alone is not enough to get a full picture.
Hashimotos (auto-immune thyroid disease), can have many symptoms in common with coeliac disease, and also causes low vitamin D, ferritin, folate and b12. Your GP will never test for thyroid antibodies, so you'll likely have to pay for a private test. Medichecks and Blue Horizons are recommended by thyroid UK - these tests would probably suit:
Do the test first thing in the morning, before you eat or take any medications. It helps to do the test after a hot shower, as your blood flows better.
I only use my GP for referrals and nothing more. Most GP's are useless. Fire your doctor as he is not listening to you and is a detriment to your well being. Find yourself a Homeopathic or Holistic doctor or DO. Whatever supplement you incorporate into your diet make sure they are not artificial, especially iron. Ferrous Fumerate, not Gluconate. Also make sure if you start supplementing B12 and Folate those especially are not artificial. No FOLIC ACID. Start researching.
If you have IBS, you very well may be gluten intolerant or Celiac. Stop eating wheat; go gluten free. Do your bumpy rashes itch? That may be another sign of Celiac; a skin disorder called Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH). If that is the case not only will you have to go gluten free, but will also have to have all topicals that are GF....shampoos, conditioners, lotions. Here is a list of names wheat goes by in topicals;
Vegetable protein (may contain wheat, barley, rye and/or oats)
Stop drinking pasteurized milk, that is a real game changer. Commercial milk ruins the gut. From the sounds of it you may have Hashimotos. as well as Celiac. You are obviously autoimmune compromised, so NO VACCIINES of any kind. For us with auto immune, vaccines are a killer and more than likely the very culprit that has caused our health issues. Mine began 55 years ago after a terrible reaction to the Oral Polio vaccine and has been a downward spiral since then, until 7 years ago, when a Homeopathic doctor discovered I had Hashimotos and Celiac. I have since researched and found that I also have DH.
So, 1st step; Gluten Free and check your topicals.
2nd step; Find another doctor.
Hopefully you will feel better soon. It has been along contorted road for me, as well.
PS. The main thing that healed my IBS was eating cannabis leaves. If you live in a state where it is legal, grow your own.
Alot of people cannot take ferrous fumerate-i for one as it bought me out in a rash all over and severe nausea and cramps-never again...but i do take ferrous gluconate and have been on this for 5 months now as its more digestable and gentle, ferrous sulphate is another one that disagreed, i think you have to find one that suits you and unfortunatley that one was not for me.😊😊
Hi Chris 1802p - I totally agree with Catryna49 - find a good naturopath to sort this out for you. I'm in the middle of changing GPs and starting to see a naturopath and feel better already. They're usually always happy to answer any questions you have - unlike GPs and specialists who often prefer you just take their word on everything, and are are offended and show a bruised ego when you know as much, if not more than them about a topic you've clearly researched.
BTW - your B12 is not normal. Your symptoms seem like they could be B12 related and might improve with supplements (lozenges or injections if, like me, you can't absorb B12). Join the PAS group on this website, if you haven't already. Good luck
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