Pernicious Anaemia

[Kwizzbit]

Hi Guys

I have had B12 above reference range (NHS UK so probably a very outdate reference range system)

GP told me it was high a year ago. Nobody had told me!

I don't take any B12 supplements or multi vitamins ( I take Vit D and Vit c separately daily only)

I also have "borderline" full blood count - again with the prehistoric reference ranges used in the UK this probably means there is a significant issue.

I have Hashimotos and I am on a private repeat for 2 grains of Armour per day - my GP had never heard of any NDT (oh the joys!) How can GPs not know about NDT as synthetic stuff was only introduced in the 60s ! Don't they look at history!?!?!

Please can anyone advise on my next steps?

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

Did your GP order any extra tests when high B12 was first found?

If you've not had B12 injections, are not taking B12 supplements or not eating lots of B12 rich foods then I would expect your GP to test liver and kidney function and a full blood count (FBC) and maybe some other blood tests.

High serum (total) B12 without supplementing can be a sign of a serious health condition so push your GP to investigate more if they haven't.

If you have symptoms of B12 deficiency although your serum B12 level is high then you may want to look into "functional B12 deficiency". This is where there is plenty of B12 in the blood but it's not getting to where it's needed in the cells. There are forum members here with functional B12 deficiency.

Have you had recent results for folate and ferritin (and other iron tests) and Vitamin D?

"I also have "borderline" full blood count "

Do you have the actual results for your blood tests?

Link about Full Blood Count

labtestsonline.org.uk/tests...

I'm not medically trained.

[Sleepybunny in reply to Sleepybunny]

Links to forum threads where I left detailed replies with lots of B12 deficiency info eg causes and symptoms, UK B12 documents, B12 books, B12 films, B12 websites, B12 articles and a few hints on dealing with unhelpful GPs.

I suggest you take at least a week to look through it all so it's not overwhelming.

Some links may have details that could be upsetting.

Some of the info will be specific to UK.

healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

Thread about Patient Safety, has useful links for those having difficult health experiences.

healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

[WIZARD6787]

I found this video helpful to understand that B12 can be high if the issue is malfunction of transcobalamin. No idea about other causes of high B12. Luckily there are those here that do.

[FlipperTD]

Scientist, not medic. [If I was a medic I'd probably be on strike anyway!]

Don't get hung up on our reference ranges. If they were correct when they were introduced, why should they change anyway? Ranges vary between labs for very good reasons. More important to concentrate on seeing whether your results are going up, or down, or staying the same, whilst keping an eye on the reference range. We all have our own 'reference range' when we are healthy and stable. In general, it's not a good idea to supplement with vitamins etc without some supervision and a baseline. Iron, for instance, is toxic in excess. Once we've absorbed and stored too much iron, it'snot possible to excrete it without some clever pharmaceuticals, or, of course, blood loss.

Be careful out there!

[helvella]

The term "Natural Desiccated Thyroid" is rarely used within medicine. The most common terms for animal derived thyroid are Desiccated Thyroid Extract (DTE), Thyroid USP and, historically, Thyroid BP.

That is one major reason doctors who have not had significant experience of treating thyroid patients might well be unaware of "NDT".

"Synthetic stuff" was introduced in the 1950s. (Technically, a form of thyroxine was available in the 1940s. But limited purity and availability - and cost - meant it was not widely used.)