Advice please

[Maud04]

Good afternoon,

I am looking for a little advice from the wise peple on here as my gp seemed to politely ignore me when I asked about Vitamin D, Folate, Ferritin and B12. Just said that when bloods were done when I was admitted to hospital there was no mention of anemia.

I have now been on Levothyroxine 100mcg for 6 weeks and am feeling much better than I was, however I still have a few things which individually probably sound like nothing but all together are rather unpleasant to say the least.

Having spent a considerable amount of time on here reading and trying to educate myself about hypothyroidism I think my remaining issues may be due to low Vit D and B12.

I hate to moan (even on here where you are all so understanding especially when there are so many people in much poorer health than me) but after 51/2 months off work I really need to go back soon and need to be as healthy as I can be.

I have a numbness in part of my foot (it has been numb for months)

Carpal tunnel has returned along with plantar fasciitis

Burning sore feet

Aches and pains in most joints

Night sweats

Mucus sounding raspy cough

Dry skin especially inside ears , dry hair, brittle nails

Light headed/dizzy particularly first thing and when bending or if I turn my head too quickly (the tinitus seems to be almost gone- had it 24 -7 before medication)

And of coursethe constipation!

I only give a full list so you know all of it.

Now onto the question, should I take Vit D, and B12 supplements? From reading other posts I think it may alleviate the worst of the list above. If so what would you recommend for me.

Thank you in advance for any advice as it is greatly appreciated.

Wishing you all good health.

Maud

[bluebug]

The GP will attribute all your symptoms to hypothyroidism so as far as they are concerned there is no need to test you vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate and ferritin.

However if you have had a recent TSH and t4 test since your levo dose has been and the results are in range even if not optimal then it's time to ask again for the GP to test the vitamins and minerals.

The only alternative is to have a Blue Horizon plus 11 blood test.

It isn't wise for anyone on here to advise you to take supplements without you being tested first simply because vitamin D is fat soluble and too much vitamin D can be toxic. And if you start taking vitamin B12 tablets without being tested any tests you take after that will be skewed and you may still actually be deficient.

[Maud04 in reply to bluebug]

Thank you for your quick response, this is what I thought so will leave it untill I get it checked out.

I am going for blood tests again in the middle of August.

The last were ones were an improvement on the original but only taken one month apart with only three weeks on the 100mcg dose. The GP said they were good TSH 9.27 *H(0.34 -5.4) , Free T4 14.7 (9-24)

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Maud04]

GOOD!!!! With TSH almost double the top of the range and Ft4 near the bottom? Those are dire results, although they might be going in the right direction. Most healthy people have TSH under 1 and Free T4 (and free T3) in the top quarter of the range. If those results were after 6 weeks on levo, it's time for a dose increase.

[Maud04 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Good afternoon Angel,

No thankfully not after six weeks only three weeks on 100mcg and one week on 50mcg but one month in total. Thought it was done a little soon (after reading posts on here) but was not about to argue with the GP. (Not then anyway .....not saying I will not express an opinion or two in the future )

Thanks again

Maud

[greygoose]

You should not take anything without getting tested first. You need to know if you actually are deficient, if so how badly so that you know how much to take. Just taking shots in the dark like that, won't help very much.

Tell your doctor it's not just about anemia! Low B12 leads to neurological problems, and low vit D to crumbly bones. Plus the fact that your body cannot synthesis the hormone you're taking if you have nutritional deficiencies. But, doctors know nothing about nutrition!

[Maud04 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you,

It is what I thought but decided to chek with the people who know.

[Marz]

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

Sorry to hear your GP is not being co-operative with further testing. They really are clueless and sadly we have to take matters into our own hands. As you have possibly read we are often deficiency in the vitals when Hypo.

Look at the above website and tick the symptoms that apply to you and maybe show your GP. You do NOT have to be anaemic to be B12 deficient. Please obtain copies of the blood tests that were done and post here. Lots of information there including a letter you can write to your GP about B12D ....

bcshguidelines.com/document...

Above are the Guidelines your GP should have read. There are many pages - sorry.

Did you have your anti-bodies tested ? Maybe contact Blue Horizon and ask if they are able to do a screening for the vitals you need.

[Maud04 in reply to Marz]

Thank you

Will get Blue Horizon Tests done after I return to work if my GP is not co-operative.

[Marz in reply to Maud04]

Hope you have found the links useful - good ammunition when you see your Doc

[Maud04 in reply to Marz]

Yes thanks

very useful

reading through it at the moment.

Kind Regards

Maud

[Ruthi]

Good? "The GP said they were good TSH 9.27 *H(0.34 -5.4) " he thinks that is good?

Not only is TSH way over range, but healthy people generally have a TSH around 1.0!!!

[Maud04 in reply to Ruthi]

HI Ruthi

I am hoping he just meant compared to the month previous when TSH was 83.1 *H(.034 -5.4) with Free T4 <5 (9-24) but he did say the endo more or less ignores TSH results.

And I do feel better than I did

Kind Regards

Maud

[Ruthi in reply to Maud04]

Good heavens! How did you function?

[Maud04 in reply to Ruthi]

Ruthi,

Not well the last eight months before the pneumonia and sepsis were not great. Saw the GP about 5 months before I ended up in hospital and mentioed aching joints, swelling to legs and feet, carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis, tinitus and vertigo. Felt like a real moaning minnie !

Got a prescription for volterol gel and told I would be sent for a hearing test.

To be honest I knew I felt bad but thought some of it was just my age !

It was only because I kept going to the GP because I was not recovering from the pneumonia sepsis that the GP (not mine) sent me back to hospital forchest x-rays due to rattling chest and low O2 I got re-admitted while they did tests.The respitarory consultantthankfully noticed my goitre (i thought i had got a fat neck due to the weight I had gained) and added thyroid checks to the list of blood tests they were doing.

Maud

[Treepie in reply to Maud04]

I was 101 now below 1 ,but it took over a year for most symptoms to go.I was exhausted just going up the stairs twice, twice because I could not remember why ( nothing to do with hypo) now I can go up and forget why several times without a problem!

[Maud04 in reply to Treepie]

Thanks Teepie Gives me hope

[Treepie in reply to Maud04]

I should have said some symptoms went quickly: snoring,sleep apnoea,husky voice but there is not a quick fix to it all.

[Anthea55]

Could be worth checking for low stomach acid - see this link

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Hypochl...

Get that right and you will improve your digestion which may help the constipation and vitamin & mineral levels. There's a DIY 'burp test' which will give you an indication.

Also worth going gluten free - many of us find that's helpful.

[Maud04 in reply to Anthea55]

Thanks Anthea, will try this burp test and see what I find out