Blood tests

[donnabrain]

hello

I recently had private tests for thyroid,which were fine,and NHS tests for vitb12 and ferritin

receptionist said they were " normal" but I requested a copy anyway.

I think they are a bit low?

I have also posted on pernicious anaemia site

ferrtin 15 ugL (13-150)

b12 269 ngL (190-660)

[shaws Administrator]

Have you been diagnosed as having Pernicious Anaemis?

Your B12 is too low. Your GP should have checked the intrinsic factor to decide whether or not you have P.A.

If you don't have P.A. you should supplement with B12 methylcobalamin B12 and the aim is to reach around 1,000. We can develop neurological damage of nerves if we have too low B12. The following is a statement:-

There is a suggestion within the Pernicious Anaemia Book written by Martin Hooper, MBE, that:-

"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebral spinal fluid below 550 pg/ml.

For brain and nervous system health and prevention of diseases in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1,000 pg/ml."

[donnabrain in reply to shaws]

thank you for your swift reply

I have not been diagnosed with PA

I visited my gp recently,as I have been gluten free since January,and the bowel problems I have had for thirteen years have improved a lot,and I started to think about possible absorbtion issues,

I have had neurological symptoms for years

[Clutter]

Donnabrain,

The results are normal because they are within range but they are low. You can supplement iron to raise ferritin and taking each tablet with 1,000mg vitamin C will aid absorption and minimise constipation. Take iron 4 hours away from Levothyroxine.

The PA Soc will advise re B12.

[donnabrain in reply to Clutter]

thank you

I do not take levo

[shaws Administrator]

This a previous post re B12 - others will refer to your ferritin level and advise.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

If you could post your results for thyroid hormones 'Normal' doesn't always mean optimal.

[donnabrain in reply to shaws]

thank you

I had my thyroid tests done privately and posted them

the advice here was that they were fine

[Stourie in reply to donnabrain]

Hi, I looked back at your thyroid results and think that there could be improvements. The tsh could be lower , the t4 is low in range and so is the t3. The only problem is that your doctor won't treat you with the "normal" results. None of them are optimal.

Jo xx

[donnabrain in reply to Stourie]

thank you for that

I think i,ll have to leave that as it is for the time being and concentrate on the low b12 and ferritin

I started b12 supplements the day after the test

I shall get some ferritin from Holland and Barrett

I will make an appointment with gp to discuss,and if they are not receptive,will discuss again in July at my annual lupus unit appointment.

hopefully one of the teo might take me seriously

found out on Tuesday that my tax credits are reducing from 500 per month to just100 so any more private tests etc are completely out of the question

I am just hoping that the longer I am gluten free,the more I may improve.

[Stourie in reply to donnabrain]

Wishing you well.

Jo xx

[donnabrain in reply to Stourie]

thank you 😊

[bluebug]

Do you have a recent full blood count?

If so edit your post and post the results with ranges.

If you have low ferritin having a full blood count is a good idea to rule out whether you have iron deficiency anaemia. If you do have iron deficiency anaemia then your GP, if they are decent, should try and find out why you have it as well as prescribing you iron supplements.

The reason to rule it out is the amount of iron supplementation you need for iron deficiency anaemia is more than just to raise your ferritin level.

Edited to say: Some GPs don't seem to know the link between low ferritin levels and iron deficiency anaemia. Though in some cases IMHO I think the ignorance is due to trying to save money on giving people mostly women blood tests.

[donnabrain in reply to bluebug]

over the years,I have frequently been found to be low in iron

no doctor has ever investigated why

I have always been given a course of iron and that's it

twice I have queried this,and both times been told,well you are not now.

when I asked for my b12 to be tested my dr said there was no need as it had been normal in 2014!

I think i will have a job on my hands getting any other tests

[bluebug in reply to donnabrain]

Best thing for you to do is do a data subject access request to see your full medical notes.

You have to pay for this. More information can be found by Googling the Information Commissioners office and your NHS country. For example for England Google "data subject access request NHS England"

That way you can see when you were low from iron plus get your full blood test results with ranges including your vitamin B12 level.

You can then take action yourself to sort out the problem. In most cases this is simply supplementing and doing private testing when appropriate to have optimal levels.

If your GP asks why you want to see your full medical record you tell the truth - it is your legal right plus you are fed up of feeling like crap and want to see if there is a pattern to it so you can sort it out yourself.

[donnabrain]

I posted my results about a week ago,and was advised on here that I am euthroid