Results

[Diyena]

TSH is still 5.85 (0.27 - 4.20) ( no change after 6 weeks of 25mcg levo) so my levo has been upped to 50mcg

Thyroid peroxidase ....8 Kiu/L Doctor tells me this is normal.

Free T3......4.6pmol/L. (2.8 - 7.1) Normal also

B12....232ng/L. (191 - 663). Normal

Serum folate.....5.ug/L. (4.6 - 18.7). Normal

Doctor tells me I'm deficient in Vit D and has given me once a week doses of 2 vials for 6 weeks to take, he says this should sort it. the results were

25 - OH Vit D level. 34 nmol/L. >50

FSH was also tested on my request to see if I could put any symptoms down to menopause, again head the hormones were normal 16 iu/L which apparently means I'm not through to menopause.

Can I just confirm that the doctors ' normal' is what is actually deemed normal to sufferers?

[Jose651]

Your B12 level may be in range Diyena, but it is low. I would put your post on PAS

Site of HU and they will advise you about that my dear.

[Diyena in reply to Jose651]

Sorry, what is PAS HU?

[Jose651 in reply to Diyena]

Pernicious anemia society. Some people have B12 deficiency because of their diet, vegans/ vegetarians.

Others cannot absorb it from their food for different reasons and have to have injections for the rest of their life. They suffer from PA.

HU is Health Unlocked.

I am a member of both sites (as I have both illnesses )and they are invaluable.

👍

[Diyena in reply to Jose651]

Ah I see, thank you. My iron was ok when they tested it 7 weeks ago so I don't think I'm anemic . What's the best food to get B 12 from?

[shaws in reply to Diyena]

Pernicious Anaemia is a serious condition and Jose651 is right in bringing this to the fore. Ask your GP to test the intrinsic factor as your levels of B12 are low, even if at the bottom of the range. If we have one autoimmune condition we are apt to get others.

If you look at some of Marz's post she has also posted lots of info on B12 as I believe she was neglected by the doctors.

[Jose651]

You get B12 from animal sources only, not plant sources. Meat, Fish, Dairy,

Eggs and Chicken.

Your iron levels may look ok, but if you put a post on here or PAS with your result and ranges for B12 only, members will advise you to supplement.

Take care

[Jazzw]

As I posted in reply to your question the other day, what you're looking for are results that are optimised, rather than simply within the normal range.

So ideally, your TSH should be below 1.0 (once you've started Levo). FT3 should be in the upper quartile of the range. Yours is barely halfway up the range, so still some way to go. FT4 should also be in the upper quartile of the normal range. B12 should be at least halfway up its range so ideally should be 500+.

You're Vitamin D deficient as you know - it should be more than 50, so you've very deficient.

[Clutter]

Diyena 'normal' just means results are within range but it isn't the same as optimal.

TSH 5.85 is abnormal because it is over range. TSH 1.0 or lower will be optimal for most people and is also normal because it is in the 0.35-4.20 range. FT3 4.6 is normal but at less than half way through range is not optimal. Being in the top third of range ie >5.6 is optimal, and normal in the 2.8-7.1 range.

50mcg dose will bring down TSH but I think it's likely you'll need another dose increase in 6-8 weeks.

B12 is very low in the normal range. PA Society recommend 1,000 is optimal, which is above your range. I would supplement 5,000mcg methylcobalamin daily for 3 months and then reduce to a maintenance dose of 1,000mcg. Take a B Complex vitamin to improve folate and keep the other B vitamins balanced.

How much vitD is in 2 vials? VitD 34 is very low. Most people are comfortable around 100.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[Diyena]

Thank you all for your replies, this is all very confusing to me as I'm new to it. Each ampoule contains 25,000 IU according to the packet. So 50,000 IU once a week. Why would it be one dose weekly rather than a bit each day? I guess that the fact I don't eat fish is partly why my Vitamin D is so low.

[Jazzw in reply to Diyena]

No, unlikely to be anything to do with fish. We get most of our Vitamin D from the sun. Unfortunately, living in the UK the sun isn't strong enough between October and March for us to make any from sun exposure, and everyone is now so skin cancer phobic that we slap on so much sunscreen we don't make much during the summer months either.

Yet Vitamin D is very important - low levels are linked to all sorts of things, from weak bones to depression.

As Marz says, your B12 is also worryingly low. One of the side effects from hypothyroidisim seems to be reduced gut absorption of vitamins and minerals in the diet. It would be worth finding out if there is another reason for your B12 deficiency before starting to supplement though.

[Marz]

Your B12 is woefully LOW. Only 20% of that result can be utilised in the cells - where it is needed. Doctors do not understand that when B12 is left low and untreated it can become a neurological condition. Any result under 500 can be the cause of neurological damage. Please look at the link below - scroll down to read the neurological symptoms and the others.

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

Once you are taking B12 supplements - further testing is pointless as the levels are inflated. I have even read where GP's have done that and then proclaimed the patient fine - even when they have Pernicious Anaemia. It is a scandal. We have to learn to take care of ourselves.

My lack of knowledge for almost 40 years resulted in my having a serious back operation which I can now see was caused by B12 deficiency when the spinal cord was compromised. Walking for more than half an hour is painful but I can practice yoga I have always taken a good B Complex which kept my B12 level around the 350 mark since 2005 - little did I know that that level was not enough. Had the surgery in 2007.

So please take your B12 seriously - low levels are also implicated in Alzheimers and Dementia - so make sure you take a GOOD B Complex as well as the B12.....