Blood Test Results - Advice please

[beakerone]

I've been having some mild symptoms for a couple of years now which seem to be getting worse. Fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, dry skin, dry eyes, general aches and pains etc., etc. Some general blood test results in September (taken after a parasite infection) showed by my B12 was at 182 and my ferritin was low. I've been back to the Doctor for more tests as the tiredness is really getting me down and stopping me from living a normal life and the results are as follows:

Serum Ferritin 27 ug/L (22 - 275)

Serum Folate 4.6 ug/L (3.10-20.50)

Serum Vitamin D 38 (between 30 and 50 insufficiency)

Serum B12 265 ng/l (187-863)

Serum sodium 141 mmol/L. (135-145 mmol/l )

Serum potassium 4.8 mmol/l. (3.50-5.00 mmol/l )

Serum creatinine 83 ummol/l. (45.00-84.00 mmol/l )

GFR 67 ml/min. (70-130.00 ml/min)

TSH 5.78 ml/U/L (0.27-4.20 ml/UL)

Ft4 12.9. Pmol/l. (10.00-23.00)

Thyroid Peroxide Antibodies 8.1 (0-34)

I have been on iron supplements for 4 months now so my ferritin levels have gone up slightly but doctor has told me to keep taking them until it gets up to 70. I have also been taking a B12 supplements (one from amazon that you suck) and have now been given a Vitamin D supplement.

My doctor says that the thyroid results are just showing that I might get an underactive thyroid one day but that there is nobody he can refer me to do as the blood tests do not show anything in particular. He said that a TSH level of 5.78 would never show symptoms. He asked me to go back in 6-8 weeks to have my B12 and ferritin levels checked again. Should I just leave it at that and hope the vitamin D makes me feel better?

Thanks for your help in advance.

[sezzy]

The tsh is out of range so it suggests your hypothyroid ,I would look for another doctors opinion .

[Jazzw]

I'm impressed that the doctor knows a ferritin of 70 is needed; rather less impressed that he thinks a TSH of 5.78 would produce no symptoms and doesn't need treatment. It does.

See if you can ask for another TSH, and preferably FT3 and FT4 tests to go along with those repeat ferritin and B12 tests. Getting your ferritin and B12 up will help your thyroid, but that may not be enough.

[Flower3]

How much vitamin D are you taking now? You want it to be around 100, minimal 80. So yes, the ferritin and vit. D deficiency could be your problem.

I don't agree with your doctor about your thyroid. Your brain checks if there is enough thyroid hormone in your body. If not it will ask for it aka the messenger TSH. TSH is sent to the thyroid, thyroid will answer to that and make more hormone. BUT sometimes the thyroid can't make more hormone. So the brain keeps checking and asking harder so you will get a high(er) TSH.

Your TSH is too high and your FT4 is low. Which means your brain is asking for it loudly but it seems your thyroid can't keep up. Good thing the antibodies are checked, they're okay so you don't have Hashimotos disease.

You could be hypothyroid. Is this the first time your thyroid is checked? If not please ask those results and post here. You could ask to repeat a blood test at the same time when your ferritin and B12 is being checked. Maybe it's a temporary thing (the thyroid I mean). If not, your GP should consider a trial with thyroid hormone (levothyroxine).

[beakerone in reply to Flower3]

Thank you for all your replies.

I have been given 500mcg of colecalciferol to take for five days then 50mcg a day.

I've had two other TSH tests in the past few months as follows:

Sept 2014 - TSH 2.92 ml/U/L (0.27-4.20 ml/UL)

Nov 2014 - TSH 2.64 ml/U/L (0.27-4.20 ml/UL)

The September one was early in the morning whereas the November one was around lunchtime.

To be honest, the Doctor was so dismissive that it could have anything to do with the thyroid that I don't think he will let it be checked again. My original Doctor at the surgery (who has been on leave for a few weeks now) asked for the test in September after the parasite infection and this was repeated by the gastro consultant I had to go see in November. Not sure why the gastro man repeated it actually, but some private consultants only trust their own labs.

I don't think that my hospital will test for FT3 as Doctor asked for full profile including T3 but it was not tested as not felt necessary with my results. I guess I will just have to keep plugging on for another couple of months and hope that the iron and vitamin D start to make me feel better.

Thanks for the advice! I have found the info. on this site so helpful.

[Flower3 in reply to beakerone]

I understand, most of us have to battle with our doctors..

Try the iron an vit. D, see if you feel better when the deficiencies are solved. Keep the thyroid in the back of your mind, if you don't feel better or not enough then ask for a new blood test.

[Spareribs]

A parasite infection? H-Pylori? - Antibiotics & PPIs?

no bugs left to promote digestion = no nutrients - in France and Egypt they give you probiotics to repopulate the gut... even Hippocrates knew the score....

"A TSH level of 5.78 would never show symptoms" - tosh, but technically correct, symptoms don't show - signs do....

Fatigue, brain fog (symptoms)

weight gain, dry skin, dry eyes (signs)

general aches and pains (symptoms) Vit D will help that - but you may feel worse at first - I did especially shin pain...

not sure if I helped there.... bit like a lecture - sorry!

(you may need a more helpful GP, there's lots about)

[beakerone]

Parasite infection was giardiasis. Was treated with very strong antibiotics and took a probiotic called Culturelle for a month afterwards on the advice of a friend. Maybe I should have taken them for longer.

My vitamin D level in November was normal (68) so not sure what has caused it to drop since then. I started on the tablets yesterday and feel ok so far.

I will keep on with the supplements in the hope that they do the trick. Thanks for the advice.

[greygoose in reply to beakerone]

You probably need magnesium and zinc, too.