Recent B12 results

[Bunnyhopps]

Hi there, I am new to this forum and have been directed from Thyroid UK. I recently had bloods done with Medicheck and my B12 came back at 34(25.1-165). I think this is low and I asked the nhs nurse at my gp's to test my vit levels yesterday as I was having bloods drawn for another reason but she refused and said I needed to get a gp to request this. I am speaking to a gp over the phone on Friday and if anyone thinks my B12 is low then I want to be armed with this info so I can ask for it checking. I am feeling really tired so I am in the process of trying to get to the bottom of it. Any advice would be much appreciated. Tia.

[fbirder]

No, it's not low.

The test you had done was for 'active' B12 and you're result of 34 pmol/L is above the bottom of their normal range.

However, it is close enough to the bottom to fall into the grey area where you might be low enough to have symptoms of a deficiency.

Apart from the fatigue (which the doctor will put down to your thyroid problems) do you have any other possible symptoms of a B12 deficiency?

[Bunnyhopps in reply to fbirder]

Thankyou so much for your reply. Its just tiredness and gaining weight which I immediately thought was to do with my thyroid. I was diagnosed with Underactive thyroid 8 years ago...same symptoms...tired and not losing weight even though I upped my exercise and dieted. Recently I feel the same ad 8 years ago so I asked on thyroid uk and found out if vitamins are low it can effect the thyroid meds. So I paid for bloods from Medichecks who said my vits were ok but ferritin was high at 230(13-150) yet I dont take any iron supplements or eat red meat. But the nhs bloods I had done yesterday....2 weeks after medichecks....say my ferritin is 150(10-300) so I dont understand. I put the medichecks results on thyroid uk and someone said I maybe Pernicious Anaemic as my B12 of 34 was low. All my thyroid levels came back ok so then I thought maybe it could be B12???? Vit D was 74 (50-200) but I do take a daily supplement of vit D but thats the only supplement I take and was wondering if I should take some extra B12.

[Nackapan in reply to Bunnyhopps]

Just to add . I was told ferritin can raise with Inflamation.or in a stage if pregnancy by a doctor. Ask your doctor if inflammatory markers were done.

Or an explanation if you puzzled by that result.

As you now have had your b12 level done as a baseline.

No harm in optimising your vitamin snd minerals including b12 in a supplement to see if it helps you or your medication to work better?? If that's the advice from thr thyroid members.

You say symptoms familiar to you .I think you would probably have some unfamiliar ones if b22 deficiency symptoms had started.

Hope you pick uo soon when you in balance again

All just ideas .

We all function on such different levels if b12

Good you've had it checked though.

[Bunnyhopps in reply to Nackapan]

Thankyou so much.....its very much appreciated. I do think a supplement of B12 can only help. I cam cope with the tiredness but not the weight gain....I hate it. I have gained 2 stone in 2 month....I have been dieting and walking a lot more but still the weight goes up a couple of lbs each week.Thanks for your words of advice.😊

[fbirder in reply to Bunnyhopps]

Unfortunately it seems that many on the TUK forum do not know the difference between serum B12 and active B12. A result of 34 pmol/L is very low for the serum test, but in the normal range for the Active test.

Absent any other symptoms of a B12 deficiency I doubt a doctor can be persuaded to try B12 injections.

[Bunnyhopps in reply to fbirder]

Thankyou so much.....I had no idea of the 2 different types of B12....its really helped though you explaining it. No gp has ever explained anything to me about thyroid and vitamins. I mentioned to the nurse at my gp's surgery yesterday about how I have learnt so much in the last year by being in these forums than I have in the 8 years I have had thyroid problems.....she basically told me to stop looking online!!!!! I told her the forums have helped me understand so much more and that you would think the gp's would be glad of me sorting it myself rather than taking up valuable docs appointments to ask questions.....but that doesnt seem the case. She actually spoke to me like I was a naughty child....so I just agreed with her...lol...it seemed easier. Thankyou so much for taking the time to reply to me...its very much appreciated.

[fbirder in reply to Bunnyhopps]

When it gets into the blood B12 binds to one of two proteins, haptocorrin (HC) or transcobalamin (TC). Only the TC-B12 can actually get into the cells - this is the 'active' B12. Nobody seems to be at all sure what the point of HC-B12 is.

Normally there is about 4 times as much HC-B12 as there is TC-B12.

The normal serum test measures both types. The active test only measures TC-B12.

That's why the 'normal' range for the serum test is about 5 times higher than the normal range for the 'active' test.

[lucylocks in reply to fbirder]

Hi

my Active B12 came back at 41 at Medichecks.

Via path at St. Thomas Hospital state,

* between 25-70 referred for MMA

Reference range: >70*

viapath.co.uk/our-tests/act...

Any thoughts ?

[fbirder in reply to lucylocks]

Yes. Your result falls into the 'grey area'. There's a big overlap between 'people who have 'normal' levels but are deficient' and 'people who have low B12 and aren't deficient'. See pic.

There's no real consensus on how people who fall into this area. Viapath think that they should be tested for MMA. If that is high then they have a deficiency. If it isn't, they don't.

Stupid doctors are ignorant of the grey area (or choose to ignore it).

Good doctors will look carefully at the symptoms of those people and, if they may be caused by a deficiency, they will start a course of injections. If the injections result in an improvement in those symptoms then the doc will continue them for life.

B12 Grey Area

[lucylocks in reply to fbirder]

Thank you for your reply,

my folate was also under range at 2.7 ug/L range 2.9 - 14.5

I rang doctors for a telephone appointment, I explained to the receptionist about my results. The surgery then sent me a text saying to take a copy of my results into the surgery. I attached a copy of Viapath advice re MMA testing.

When I took the paper work in I was told I would receive a phone call from one of the clinicians, this was a week ago and I have still not heard anything.

[shortytlc]

Hang fire before taking any b12, or energy drinks etc they can skew results, so you have a baseline of active b12, gp surgery dont normally test this, different areas will have different levels (dont ask) anyway see if you can get your gp to test b12, folate (this needs to be higher end of the range so you can utilise your b12) iron and ferritin would be good too, although prob wont do. And when you get results come back on here and ask for more advice, there is other tests intrinsic factor, auto antibodies, mma and homycistiene but most surgeries wont do these as a 1st line investigation.

[Bunnyhopps in reply to shortytlc]

I have a doctors phone call tomorrow and nurse app on Mon for bloods doing so when I get results I will post on here. Thankyou so all who have commented....it helps so much.😊

[Hidden]

Mine was 27 which was classed as extremely low so I would say yours is low.

[fbirder in reply to Hidden]

Are you talking about a Medichecks test or a serum test done by the GP?

Because 27 isn't extremely low on the Medichecks test.

[Hidden in reply to fbirder]

It was medichecks. I didn't think GP checks for active b12?

[fbirder in reply to Hidden]

So it was in the 'normal' range.

[Hidden in reply to fbirder]

Doesn't feel normal with all the symptoms I'm getting 😔

[lucylocks in reply to Hidden]

Hi

please see my reply to fbirder above, re Viapath