Maybe in the wrong place....advice please

[PurpleNel]

Hi everyone and many thanks in advance for your time. Apologies in advance if I am in the wrong place. Clutching at straws as feeling very unwell for last 18 months.

I have recently been diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis/Hashimoto's but I have some abnormal blood test results that can't be explained by this.(?)

A private blood test in July this year showed an elevated ferritin level

FERRITIN - 167 (RANGE 13-150) (looking back over GP tests I can see this has steadily risen in the last 2 years. I eat very little meat, virtually no red meat and I don't supplement.

Other abnormal and high in range bloods include

- SERUM GLOBULIN - 40 (range 21-35) - been steadily rising over previous results

- SERUM TOTAL PROTEIN - 80 (63-82) - been steadily rising

- SERUM ALBUMIN - 46 (35-50) - been steadily rising

-TOTAL WHITE BLOOD CELLS - 10.2 (range 4-10) - rising quickly

- RED BLOOD CELL - 4.87 (3.8-4.8) - steadily rising

- HAEMOGLOBIN ESTINATION - 151 (120-150) - steadily rising

- CORTISOL - 334 (under 350)

I have also developed spider angioma and palmar erythema in last 2 years.

I have also noticed some yellow patches in my eyes.

I have no idea if any of this is linked or relevant.

GP is being totally useless. Had to get thyroid disorder diagnosed privately as he insists I don't have a thyroid problem (even though I now have a visible swelling in my neck) and every symptom going.

He says all of the abnormal results are only slightly abnormal so just keeps taking more blood tests every few months. But I am now so unwell that for the first time in my life I am having to claim benefits as after watching my health deteriorate further and further I've had to finally admit work is impossible.

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice.

[radd]

PurpleNel,

Your elevated haemoglobin is inline with RBC high count. Ask your GP to test EPO hormone levels as high indicates anemia but low indicates Polycythemia Vera where too many red & white blood cells are produced. The treatment is the same as hemochromotosis, ie vensections.

A ferritin level just over-range is not always indicative of hemochromotosis (some go into the thousands!) because as well as being an iron storage protein, ferritin is an inflammation marker & could be raised due to Hashi’s elevated antibodies. To evaluate true iron status ask your GP for an iron panel.

Raised albumin can be the result of a high meat diet, dehydration or inadequte thyroid hormones to drive good liver function. Liver enyzmes may become elevated too as the livers excretion abilities becomes slowed/impaired. Raised albumin risks binding too much thyroid hormone resulting in too little available for use, and high levels of proteins risk attaching thyroid hormone that is then pee’d out.

Therefore, you may find once thyroid hormones are optimised lots of these results will normalise. What time was blood drawn re cortisol result? Cortisols circadian pattern should start high in the morning & gradually reduce in a low slung curve.

You will find this forum extremely quiet compared to the ThyroidUk one. There are many with hemochromotosis but the forums tend to be on FB, etc.

[PurpleNel in reply to radd]

Radd, thank you so much for your reply.I think you are certainly right that once my thyroid problem is addressed many of the other problems will normalise.

I can't remember what time cortisol blood was taken.....I think around 10am. So perhaps the patterns explain why this was raised?

My brain fog makes it difficult for me to digest things properly but I think from reading and re-reading your reply (things penetrate eventually, sometimes!) that you think it unlikely that my results could indicate haemochromatosis?

Having been forced to try and diagnose myself thanks to the appalling 'care' I have received and having been given no answers for any of my blood results I am just trying to eliminate things.

Thank you again so much for your time.

[PurpleNel in reply to radd]

I meant to also say that my CRP test result was 1.8 (range 0-5).So, I think this suggests the high ferritin isn't down to inflammation but I might have misunderstood something.

[JigFettler in reply to PurpleNel]

A better measure of inflammation is plasma viscosity. Formerly ESR.

CRP better for infection measure.

Jig