Blood Results Are in - Need Expert Advice

[MelissaRz]

The results are in, but ALL are in-range -- please let me know your thoughts of why I'm having so many symptoms (and oh the exhaustion, pain and swelling in the legs!) yet my results are all "normal"!

TSH, serum - 1.05 u[iU]/mL (0.40 - 4.50)

Thyroxin, serum, free - 1.1 (0.8 - 1.8)

Cortisol (taken at Noon) - 7.4 ug/dL (no reference range listed)

Vitamin D 25-hydroxy, serum - 22 ng/mL (30 - 100)

Vitamin D, 25 Hydroxy D2 - <4 ng/mL (no reference range listed)

Vitamin D, 25 Hydroxy D3 - 22 ng/mL (no reference range listed)

Thyroglobulin Antibody - <1 IU/mL (reference range <=1)

Folate, serum - 9.9 ( reference range >5.4)

B12 , serum - 240 pg/mL (200 - 1100)

Ferritin 27 ng/mL (10 - 232)

Iron 74 ug/dL (40 - 190)

eGFR 95.75 mL/min/1.73m2 (reference range >60)

Carbon dioxide, serum, total - 25.5 mmol/L (18 - 33)

Chloride, serum - 102 mmol/L (95 - 110)

Potassium, serum - 4.5 mmol/L (3.5 - 5.5)

Sodium, serum - 142.0 mmol/L (135 - 150)

Calcium, serum - 9.7 mg/dL (8.5 - 10.5)

Creatinine, serum - 0.7 mg/dL (0.4 - 1.3)

Urea Nitrogen, blood - 8.2 mg/dL (7 - 25)

Blood Glucose - 79 mg/dL (74 - 120)

Basophil Count, blood - 0.09 10*3/mm3 (0.00 - 0.21)

Eosinophil count, blood - 0.33 10*3/mm3 (0.0 - 0.05)

Absolute Monocyte Count - 0.46 K/MCL (0.11 - 0.59)

Lymphocyte Count, blood - 2.27 10*3/mm3 (0.60 - 3.40)

Neutrophil count, absolute - 5.16 K/uL (1.8 - 7.4)

Basophils as a % of Blood Leukocytes - 1.1% (0.00 - 1.5)

Eosinophils as a % of Blood Leukocytes - 4.0% (1 - 5)

Monocytes as a % of Blood Leukocytes - 5.5% (3 - 11)

Lymphocytes as a % of Blood Leukocytes - 27.3% (15.0 - 40.0)

Neutrophils as a % of Blood Leukocytes - 62.1% (40 - 75)

Platelet Count - 380 10*3/mm3 (130 - 500)

Red Blood Cell Distribution Width - 14.0% (10.5 - 18.0)

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration, RBC - 34.3 g/dL (31 - 38)

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin, RBC - 29.3 pg (26.0 - 34.0)

Mean Corpuscular Volume, RBC - 85 fL (75 - 100)

Hematocrit, blood - 41.8% (35.0 - 48.0)

Hemoglobin, blood - 14.3 g/dL (11.5 - 16.5)

Erythrocyte (RBC) count - 4.90 10*6/mm3 (3.80 - 5.80)

Leukocyte Count, blood - 8.3 10*3/mm3 (4.0 - 11.0)

Testosterone, serum, free - 5.2 pg/mL (0.1 - 6.4)

Testosterone, total - 0.42 ng/mL (reference range - units converted. See lab report for original value)

[Spareribs]

Well the "Vitamin D 25-hydroxy, serum - 22 ng/mL (30 - 100)" is below range, also your iron, ferritin & B12 are all low - you need to supplement as vitamin/mineral deficiencies often are the cause of pain (low Vitamin D in my case) - they all work together and are essential for thyroid hormone to work too.

Meanwhile, I'm just cooking some liver & onions - Jane

[MelissaRz in reply to Spareribs]

As desperate as I am to feel better, LOL, I might actually get VERY close to dying before eating liver and onions! Ha ha!!! I'm a vegetarian and my body rejects meat, so liver is definitely out! I am allergic to eggs so I'm not really supposed to eat them -- but since I never really see/feel any reaction, I'm gonna eat them now to help the B12 deficiency. I'll also get some of the supplement.

[fibrolinda]

Which is why us vegetarians need to supplement:

[MelissaRz in reply to fibrolinda]

Ok, so I'm ready to supplement away! Where do I start? What types (B, B-complex, etc -- what do I take for the low ferritin and iron?) -- what brands are good/high quality in the US? Should I get a sublingual B12? I'll take all the advice I can get on this! Thank you!!!

[LAHs]

I completely agree with you reallyfedup123. I have often wondered how vegetarians get their iron, particularly if they are hypothyroid. I go out of my way to eat a small steak once a week just for the iron. Morally I would love to be a vegetarian but I feel constantly ill when I try.

[humanbean]

TSH, serum - 1.05 u[iU]/mL (0.40 - 4.50)

On the face of it this looks okay but...

Thyroxin, serum, free - 1.1 (0.8 - 1.8)

Your Free T4 is too low - it is under mid-range - so I would have expected your TSH to be higher. If you are on thyroid meds you need an increase. It's a pity that you don't have a result for Free T3.

Vitamin D 25-hydroxy, serum - 22 ng/mL (30 - 100)

This is much too low. Take a look at this chart :

grassrootshealth.net/media/...

To get up to a recommended level of 40ng/ml you need to supplement 5000 iU vitamin D per day. More info later...

Thyroglobulin Antibody - <1 IU/mL (reference range <=1)

This suggests you don't have automminue hypothyroidism but is not conclusive, and you would need to be tested for TPO antibodies as well to be sure. Usually TPO antibodies are tested in preference to Tg antibodies, so this test being done on its own is a surprise. Negative results can't be relied on to stay negative.

Folate, serum - 9.9 ( reference range >5.4)

I do find it annoying when there is no upper limit to a reference range. I have seen upper limits in the 40s and the 60s. Your result looks like it could be improved quite a bit. Taking a B Complex supplement containing methylfolate and methylcobalamin (see B12 result) is usually a good idea. Vast doses are not necessary. People like supplements like Thorne Research Basic B Complex, and Jarrow Formulas B Right. I'm sure there are other popular ones. They are available from ordinary supplement sites and Amazon/Ebay.

B12 , serum - 240 pg/mL (200 - 1100)

Much too low. You want a result which is above 500, and preferably much closer to the top of the range. If you can persuade your doctor to give you injections of B12 this would be best. But assuming this is not possible then you need to supplement with methylcobalamin 5000 iU as well as the B Complex mentioned earlier. After the first bottle reduce to 1000 iU.

Ferritin 27 ng/mL (10 - 232)

This is much too low. You need a result which is mid-range or even a little bit higher i.e. about 120 - 150. You will need to supplement with iron.

Iron 74 ug/dL (40 - 190)

This matches up with your ferritin (iron stores) result - it is too low. You want this to be mid-range as well.

eGFR 95.75 mL/min/1.73m2 (reference range >60)

Your kidneys appear to be in excellent health.

Calcium, serum - 9.7 mg/dL (8.5 - 10.5)

Supplementing vitamin D will increase the amount of calcium you absorb from your diet. Since your result is already mid-range don't supplement calcium in any form.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

Taking vitamin D3 supplements raises the amount of calcium absorbed in the diet. You want that calcium to go into the bones and teeth, not the soft tissues and the arteries.

To achieve that you need to take vitamin K2. There are supplements that combine vitamin K2 and vitamin D. See SeasideSusie's replies in this thread :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Avoid vitamin D2 supplements like the plague.

You also need to take a magnesium supplement along with the D3 and K2.

Choose whichever one appeals to you :

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

metabolics.com/blog/the-def...

globalhealingcenter.com/nat...

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Iron supplements : Do a search on the forum for the following:

"fumarate"

"gluconate"

"bisglycinate"

"haem"

"heme"

There are loads of posts on the subject of iron supplementation you can read.