Advice needed please

[Lisa3ok]

I have posted a couple of times on here previously and got fantastic support and advice. I took your advice on board and i have been back to my gp again and had yet more blood tests done!

My symptoms are still the same and some days are worse than others especially the tiredness and exhaustion.

I have not been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and am not taking any medication for it. However my mum and auntie both have hypothyroidism.

Lymphocyte count 0.9 (1.0-3.0)

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate 22mm (above range, but doesnt give the range)

Serum ferritin 17 (11.0-307.0)

Serum folate 4.6 (3.1-19.9)

B12 235 (180-914)

TSH 2.22 (0.2-4.0) wont test T3 and T4 as i am told TSH is within range

Please can you advise me where to go from here.

Thank you

[rosetrees]

You don't have an iron test there, but your ferritin level is way too low. Anaemia in itself can make you feel pants. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I'd start by concentrating on raising my iron level. Buy spatone water, food-state iron pills from a health store, multi-vitamins with iron, lots of iron rich foods. It takes time to raise iron levels, so be patient.

Your folate level is also low. I don't know what you need to take to improve that as it isn't a problem I have. I know you can buy folic acid in Boots, but not sure if that is the right thing to take.

Your B12 is low - I use an oral B12 spray which I buy from Amazon.

Improve these levels and you will very possibly start feeling better. Then, you can get T4 and FreeT3 done by Genova UK if you feel you want to.

I'd also look at getting your cortisol levels measured. Again, Genova UK do this as a 24 hour saliva test. It's easy to do - you take four samples, freeze them and send them back by courier.

[Hidden]

Your iron, folate and B12 are way too low, please don't supplement B12 yet, you need to properly investigate for Pernicious Anaemia at those levels. Please look around this website:

b12deficiency.info/

There are more tests that you can have done, see here:

b12deficiency.info/testing....

In the "Very Useful Links" section you will find links to the Pernicious Anaemia Society and B12d.org, they are the 2 main UK support groups. You can also get free support and advise from Pat and Andrea's Facebook page.

Hampster x

[shaws Administrator]

If you supplement with B12 it should be methylcobalamin and not cyanocobalamin.

B12 deficiency can give us similar problems.

[infomaniac in reply to shaws]

Is there anything I can do when B12 brings me out in acne? (It was a sublingual Methyl tablet) It was the same when I tried Biotin too