Help with BH blood test results please.

[Rita-D]

Hi all, Just had my latest blood test results back and I'm a bit confused. I began supplementing Vit D, Magnesium, Selenium, B12 and acidophilus in June. Latest results show high ferritin which was in range in May. Also high B12, so I've stopped supplementing that too (was just in normal range in May) and have also stopped Vit D supplements on advice of a functional health practitioner that I've just started seeing. She suggested that I see my Dr about high ferritin level. She doesn't think it's anything serious, but she does think I have inflammation. Problem is I can't get an appointment until 5th September (all the doctors work part-time in our practice and he must be on holiday too).

Any advice from you lovely people please? I've posted my May results, I think and I'll post my lastest in another post. Can't seem to upload 2 photos. Thanks.

[bluebug]

Ferritin levels can rise in inflammation and in infections. That's why if your levels are up AND you can afford it, you should get a full blood count and iron panel to check your other measurements are in range. Then repeat them if you need blood tests in about 6 months.

The NHS won't do this because:

1. Most GPs don't know what ferritin is so don't care whether it is in or out of range,

2. The GPs who do know what ferritin is aren't worried as long as it is within the range or near the range.

3. Those who do know what ferritin is, will do the minimal blood tests they can get away with to save money so they may do a full blood count but they won't do an iron panel.

I wouldn't worry about vitamin B12 being high unless it is well over 1,000 as once you start supplementing all the vitamin B12 blood test is measuring is the amount you have supplemented by. The actual amount of active B12 in your cells is much lower.

I was advised by someone I know if I was going to have a blood test to stop taking all vitamin and mineral supplements a minimum of 48 hours before but preferably a week before. That way things like B12 shouldn't be so high they freak doctors out.

[Gambit62 in reply to bluebug]

you need to stop supplementation of B12 for a couple of months at least if it isn't going to have an effect on the blood results. High B12 isn't actually a problem if caused by supplementation - the big problem is that supplementation can make diagnosing an absorption problem nigh on impossible - because it can stay in your system at very high levels for a very long time.

[Everdean in reply to Gambit62]

What about the Blue Horizon test which test only for the B12 actually in the cells?

[Rita-D in reply to Everdean]

Thanks Everdean, I didn't know there was one for B12 in the cells. Not going to do this just yet as I've just signed up with a functional health practitioner, so need to give her a chance. I've already spent £200 on blood tests and £130 on FHP and then loads on supplements and Epsom salts in the last couple of months, so need to just take it easy for the moment.

[Gambit62 in reply to Rita-D]

think you are probably talking about active B12 tests - this looks at the levels cobalamin that have been converted to be transported to cells- it doesn't actually measure what is happening in cells.

MMA and homocysteine tests can give an indication of what is going on in cells as they look at waste products that build up if B12 isn't available in cells but there are other factors that can make them high so they are not first line tests just clarifying measures.

As far as I am aware there is no test that actually tells you what is happening at the cell level directly.

[Rita-D in reply to Gambit62]

Gambit62, thanks for your reply. I only started supplementing B12, because the advice on here is that it needs to be nearer 1000 and mine was 326 in May. I have stopped supplementing and will see where that takes me.

[Rita-D in reply to bluebug]

Thanks for your reply bluebug. I didn't supplement iron, so the test will probably reflect inflammation.

As regards B12, I started supplementing because it was 326 (it was 326 - range 140 - 750) and advice on here is that it needs to be nearer 1000. But it's now 1422, which is why my functional health practitioner is saying stop it.

Sorry I can't seem to upload my test results for some reason. I'm obviously doing something wrong.

[Gambit62 in reply to Rita-D]

you can only up load pictures when you start a thread - not in a reply.