Hi I'm a newbie here and need help with blood results please

[Taliswood]

Hi

I have not been tested for Thyroid problems so hope it is ok to post in this group? I was wondering if someone could take a look at my blood results above. I asked my GP if I could have B12 and magnesium blood tests and have just got my results, he did a few others and says they are all fine. I really don't know much about what the results mean other than I can see they are all within the required levels of 'normal? What I would really like to know is if these levels could be contributing to my health problems and are there any other tests you would suggest.

I have had back, knee, foot pain and some other health issues for about 16 years now, had many lumbar and facet joint pain injections, lumbar decompression and fusion with rods and screws in 2012 which was really successful. It is only since I had a second decompression surgery on my lumbar spine in Sept 2015 that I have not been able to manage my pain levels.

I am trying to treat my pain naturally because meds have had such awful side effects and not done anything for the pain but am in so much pain, am so so tired/exhausted/lacking energy and now looking at different vitamin and minerals that if deficient can cause this or elevate pain levels or irritate nerves in my lumbar and theracic area.

I am officially menopausal, take HRT, high strength Glucosimine and Rose Hip and Turmeric Golden Paste. The worst pain is from the dreadful electric shocks in my lower back after any little activity, this doesn't always start straight away but could be delayed until after I have rested and then try to move. I have a real 'heavy' feeling in my pelvis/sacroilliac/hip area all the time which also locks or ceases up so quickly and can't stand, sit up or lay down for many minutes because of this. My legs jump about in the evenings while sitting with my feet up, my feet vibrate all the time and my back is so sensitive the muscles spasm at any little activity or movement.

Any comments or help would really be appreciated. Sorry it's a long post and thank you for reading. I hope today is a good one for us all 😃😃 x

[jimh111]

I'll restrict myself to commenting on magnesium as I have no knowledge in the other areas. Magnesium blood tests are not useful as it is the magnesium levels in the cells that matter ("intracellular magnesium"). When there is chronic pain stress hormones are released and these produce a magnesium from the intra to the extra cellular space. i.e. magnesium leaves the tissue cells and enters the blood. The kidneys then release the magnesium into the urine in order to keep blood levels stable.

These lower levels of intracellular magnesium produce "hyperalgesia", they enhance sensitivity to chronic pain. This pain results in lower intracellular magnesium levels which lead to magnesium loss.... A vivious circle. I would suggest you supplement with magnesium citrate. It will take a month or two before you notice any effect. There are no tests for magnesium deficiency outside of research labs so you just have to try supplementation.

You could ask for a thyroid blood test but unless you have other signs of hypothyroidism I wouldn't take it further.

As for the pain I would request a referral to a specialist pain management centre. They have specialist expertise and are able to recommend treatments that general doctors may not have thought of. I assume you have already been referred to a physiotherapist.

[Taliswood in reply to jimh111]

Hi Jim

Thank you so much for your reply, I must apologise for such a long delay in answering. My dog was diagnosed with kidney failure which apparently they can live will for quite a while but I only had two days with him after that. Devastated 😢😢 he was such a special lad.

Anyway, I find the info everyone has provided on the different minerals and vitamins fascinating and never knew that they could have such an effect on our bodies. I have been reading about magnesium since you replied and wonder what you think about the oil rub. It says it is absorbed quicker directly into the area where you have the pain, have you tried this? You are very knowledgeable about magnesium so guess you or someone close have suffered. Do you mind me asking about that?

Some others have suggested thyroid and more blood tests so will chat to my GP tomorrow afternoon when I see him. I have been under a pain specialist since the beginning, had many injections, nerve blocks, denervations etc but they just don't seem to last. Also having weekly sometimes more private Physio and hands on techniques which has been helping but again it doesn't last. I have a little programme of exercises to do at home to sort out my muscles and build my core strength.

I have seen my pain guy since posting here and he has referred me to a rheumatologist as the steroid injection I had in my knee in June took away some of my electric shocks but they are now back at 10 on the pain scale. He wants to eliminate any of the inflammatory arthritis'. He thought that my central nervous system may not recover as well for a second time and this may be as good as it gets and also I might have Fibromyalgia now too which he has written to the Rheumatologist about too. I see him tomorrow morning. I just can't accept that this may be how it is for me yet and so hope he can help. Thank you again x

[greygoose]

Hi Taliswood, welcome to the forum!

The first question obviously has to be : why don't you ask for thyroid tests? Low thyroid is the cause of so many ills because thyroid hormone is needed by every single cell in the body. If there's not enough to go round, all sorts of things can go wrong! Tell your doctor you want :

TSH

FT4

FT3

TPOab

The tests you've just had done... Not much of any interest, except the B12 and folate, which are way, way too low. And that most definitely could be causing you a lot of problems. Absolutely no point asking your doctor for help there, because doctors know nothing about nutrients. If something is 'in range', then that's fine by them!

So, you're on your own with that one. If I were you, I would supplement with 5000 mcg sublingual methylcobalamin (the absorbable form of B12) daily for a few months. Then you can drop to 1000 mcg. At the same time, get a good B complex, with methylfolate (the absorbable form of folate), and take one a day. This will bring your folate up. The best place to find these supplements is Amazon.co.uk, don't even bother with the high street chemist! Good brands are Jarrow, Solgar and Thorne Research.

There was no point in testing the magnesium, because it will always be in range due to the way the body handles magnesium - your doctor should have known that! More tax-payer's money wasted, because it's an expensive test! However, that doesn't mean you're not deficient. Most people are deficient, because the soils are depleted. Just take some. It could do you the world of good! Here's a link to help you get started :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

You should also ask your doctor to test your vit D and ferritin, as they could be low, too. And will cause you lots of problems if they are.

[jimh111]

Forgot to say that low magnesium is associated with restless leg syndrome.

[Forest1000]

Hi Taliswood, where are you located, many of the units on your test are different to those on my full blood test in the UK? I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Pernicious Anaemia and being treated for both. However, my B12 test is recorded as Low at 83 ng/L with the normal range as 180 - 900 ng/L. you have a result of 100 ng/L ,described as borderline on your test..

The recommendations in a paper I was given by my specialist, 'Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of cobalamin (B12) and folate disorders' ...written on behalf of the British Committee for Standards in Haematology, states " A serum cobalamin cut of level of either 148 pmol/l (200 ng/l).....should be used as evidence of cobalamin deficiency in the presence of a strong clinical suspicion. Your B12 result is very low by these standards, and I believe you should be treated with B12 injections or supplements depending on the cause of the deficiency. Check the Pernicious Anaemia Society website for a list of B12 deficiency symptoms, to see if you might have PA, and go back to your doctor. The symptoms are the same for B12 deficiency due to PA or due to other causes. I can't comment on the rest of your test results because I don't recognise the units used. Hope this is helpful; take care and good luck with your doctor

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