Latest Blood tests

[Churchie]

These are from my latest bood test results. I am supplementing Vit d and managed to increase it from 50 and I am taking ferrous fumarate to increase the iron level.

Should I be doing anything to increase the folate or B12?

21Serum Ferritin20-275

9.9Folate2.7-34.0

374Vitamin B12180-914

79Vitamin D50-150

[Clutter]

Churchie, I supplemented 1,200mcg methylcobalamin spray when my B12 level was a little lower than yours and my B12 went to just over 700 in 4/5 weeks. I continue to supplement 1,000mcg sublingual lozenges and also take a B complex vitamin which has the RDA of folic acid which should improve your folate.

[Churchie in reply to Clutter]

Thanks

[Finola]

Hi,

You know that your ferritin is still very low ideally it should be around 80. B12 ideally around the top of the range - I use Jarrow 5,000mcg lozenges. Folate s/be a bit higher. Your vit D level looks ok at 79 so just use a maintenance dose.

[Churchie in reply to Finola]

Thank you. I have only started on the iron supplementation since these blood tests and the endo recommended it (only usefulness thing she did have to say). The level was about the same a year ago and the GP said he didn't want me to take anything for it but to eat more liver. This last year has been such a learning curve. It only occurred to me this week whether I should do something about the b12 and folate rather than being told in a year's time!

[humanbean in reply to Churchie]

Your ferritin level was 21 with a range of 20 - 275, and your GP didn't want you to take supplements...

Words (almost) fail me.

It is worth pointing out that, if the spread of values for ferritin in a healthy population is a "normal" distribution i.e. lots of people have levels in or near the middle of the range, and fewer and fewer people have results the closer and closer you get to the bottom or top of the range, then :

The middle of the range you have given i.e. 50% of the way through the range, is 147.5

Your result of 21 is only 0.4% of the way through the range.

There is no way your result can be classified as "normal" by any person with an ounce of compassion, and you should have been put on supplements a year ago.

If your doctor takes you off supplements after a couple of months because your ferritin has risen a little bit, be aware that you can buy a wide choice of iron supplements for yourself, and some of them are quite cheap e.g. ferrous fumarate. Ask for advice if the situation arises, and post your levels again when/if you need to.

[Finola]

Eat more liver - he's a comedian isn't he!!

At this level your body is just not absorbing vitamins and minerals from your food so you'd have to Hannibal Lecter in order for liver to get you back well again!

We all learn that most GPs are at best clueless and at worst negligent and inhuman in their treatment of patients like us who won't behave and get better!

I would suggest you also have a look at tpauk.com and stopthethyroidmadness.com, if you haven't already done so - I found them empowering and highly informative. Obviously this site a very welcoming and helpful site too.

There are probably other vits and mins which are lower than optimal and which you should look to get checked. You can do this privately if your GP is unhelpful and then post the results on this and the TPA sites for comments.

In order to get to a point where I could again live the sort of life I chose I had to take my health into my own hands and the sites mentioned above were very helpful indeed.

I wish well.

Finola

[Churchie in reply to Finola]

And these only got tested this time because of the advice on here. The endo didn't request them!