Little bit of advice please

[shortytlc]

Hi little bit of advice please, I've recently been diagnosed with pernicious anemia so having jabs also have fibromyalgia,low vit d treated with tabs,low end of normal test results for iron ferritin folate which ive managed to get medication for after harrasing gp ( for help with b12 jabs)

Found out both sides of my parents family have thyroid problems(mums sister (was hyper but then hypo), 3 of dad's sisters and 2 cousins all hypo) Ive always had slow metabolism struggle with weight I now have thinning hair,eyebrows, low labido,energy many others I understand it could just be a cross over of other complaints but having telephone consultation Tuesday so would like to be bit more informed.

I've only ever had tsh tested for thyroid which has come back over the years as 3.4, 1.78, and 2.05 (range is 0.3-5.5)

With the consultation I'm going to ask for bloods to be done and to include

Iron, ferritin, folate, vitamin d and calcium (with being on meds and aware that these shouldnt go to high) unsure of what to ask for with the thyroid issue though

Any advice would be welcomed thank you for reading

[Angel_of_the_North]

For the thyroid, you need free T3 and free t4 and B12 (as well as the tests you mentioned) as you might have central hypothyroidism which is not refelcted in the TSH result. GPs are not trained to recognise or treat it (it's a problem with the pituitary or hypothalamus, not the thyroid itself). Tests should be done fasting as early in the morning as possible.

Levels to aim for:

Ferritin >=70

Folate half way up range

B12 >500 pref top of range

D3 >95

[shortytlc in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Hi thankyou for your reply and info, well phone consultation done hmmm gp didnt know about the relationship of b12 iron folate and ferritin ! Although eventually said I could have tested, was ok with fbc vit d and calcium, on thyroid said lab will only test tsh if lab sees a problem then will will do others grrrr I'm going to try and wing it when I have my tests done you never know. If not looks like I'm going to have to go private which I can't really afford money wise but health wise it's needed

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to shortytlc]

Well, they'll never pick up central or secondary hypo if they don't test FT4 and Ft3. The lab WILL test them if the GP marks the form as suspected central hypothyroidism, but you'd need an endo referral anyway as GPs aren't trained to deal with it as you've discovered. However, since you once had a TSH of 3.4, it probably isn't central. Just get your own tests done though Medichecks or Blue Horizon as the first step, and get the list of doctors and endos with a clue from [e-mail].

[shortytlc in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thank you for info really not on is it,we get treated like hypochondriacs