I collected these blood test results from GP surgery last week
Serum vitamin B12 level 397 ng/l [ 197 - 771 ]
Serum folate level 4.8 ng/ml [ 2 - 18.7 ]
Serum ferritin level 81 ng/ml [ 13 - 150 ]
Serum total 25-hydroxy vitamin D level 39 nmol/L [levels should be >75 nmol/L at all times... Levels 25-50 indicate deficiency, supplementation is indicated...
This morning I received a text to contact the surgery, have just rung them, they said doctor said Vitamin D is low, which could be contributing to my tiredness, and suggested I make an appointment to see her. I now have appointment for next Wednesday.
When I requested these blood tests, I told the doc that all those levels need to be optimal for health and for the levothyroxine to work well, and explained why. I'm glad I remembered enough of what I've learnt from this forum 😊 She thanked me at the end of that appointment because she'd learned something from me.
Anyway, when I collected my results I'd assumed that my results wouldn't be low enough for NHS help, so I've ordered various supplements (vits D, B12 methyl cobalamin sublingual, K2MK7, C, Thorne basic B, ferrous fumarate, magnesium citrate)
Vitamin D 5000IU arrived this morning, the rest should be here by the end of the week, I think? My question is, do you think I should I start taking them before I see the doctor next week?
If I do supplement before GP appointment, should I wait until they all arrive, or start the Vit D today? If I remember correctly Vitamin D is the one that is best taken with the K2 and magnesium? Should I wait for those to arrive first?
Thank you
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jamiface
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I'm in a similar situation with dr dragging their heels and getting hold of bloods before they've bothered to look etc... I would hold of until u see them if they want to supplement or do further tests they will need you to not be masking anything I would imagine - I've done the same have b12 patches in the cupboard but dr put me on b9 for that deficiency once I saw them which I'm reading would also raise b12 so I would possibly bow to their greater knowledge for now they ordered a biopsy for me which I had Monday and now I'm waiting for results I don't want to mess with my bloods til I know what's going on as I have low cortisol and 0.1 tsh also xx good luck xx
Hi- b9 or folate, won't raise b12 In fact if you have a b12 deficiency taking folate without supplementing b12 could actually make your situation worse so please be careful. And I wouldn't personally be relying on the knowledge of any doctor about nutrients - time and time again on here we see total and absolute proof that a lot of them have absolutely none.
Actually, doctors know nothing about nutrients, and your doctor will probably think these are all 'fine' - apart from the vit D3. But, if she gives you a prescription for that, it could either be the wrong thing (D2) or too low a dose. They usually give 800 iu, which isn't enough to raise levels. But you could wait and see on that one.
She will probably think that your B12 is ok, as well as your folate, but they are both a bit low. B12 should be at least over 500, and folate at least mid-range. So, you could start taking the B12. And, with that, you need to take a B complex. If you get one with 400 mcg methylfolate, that will raise your folate nicely. When you've finished the bottle of 5000 mcg, go onto 1000 mcg as a maintenance dose. But, remember, once you are supplementing B12, there is no point in getting a normal B12 test, because the results will be skewed. You would either have to stop the B12 for 5 months, or have an active B12 test. Also (sorry this is so long!), if your B complex contains biotin, stop it a few days before having a thyroid test, because it will skew the results of that.
Your ferritin is truly fine! lol
Vit D3 is the one you need to take magnesium and K2MK7 with. BUT do not start all your supplements at the same time. Start one, then wait a couple of weeks before starting another. If you start them all at the same time, and one of them doesn't agree with you, you would have to stop them all and start again. Complete waste of time.
Remember that you need to take supplements at least two hours away from levo, and Vit D3 four hours. The ideal would be to take magnesium 6 hours away, but four hours might do at a pinch.
I see you've bought ferrous fumerate. But that will probably be difficult to fit in. You need to take iron at least four hours away from levo, and two hours away from EVERYTHING else - except vit C, which is needed for absorption. You don't desperately need that at the moment, so I would concentrate on optimising the others, if I were you. But, you can - and perhaps should - take lots of vit C. It helps with absorption of lots of things, and is very good for the adrenals.
Thank you, greygoose, I'll stick the ferrous fumarate in the back of the cupboard and introduce the other supplements gradually. I'll do a new post next week when I've heard what the GP has to say 😊
Hi - well done for educating your GP and well done to her for being prepared to listen and learn, a rarity it seems these days.
I wouldn't expect them to be offering supplements for anything other then vit d, but next Wednesday isn't that far away, so if you wanted to wait it certainly wouldn't do you any more harm - after all you have probably been deficient for quite a while.
To be honest jamiface there's no need for ferrous fumarate with your ferritin level (unless you have iron deficiency anaemia for which you'd need a full blood count).
It's such a fuss fitting iron tablets around everything else. You can maintain that level, even increase it, by eating liver.
I started off with ferritin at 35.1 (13-150), tried Solgar Gentle Iron (couldn't use FF due to already suffering constipation). Got it up to about 50 but constipation was so much worse I had to give up even a 5mg supplement. Level plummeted again.
I started eating liver, quite something form a demi-veggie but sometimes needs must, and I'm now up to 91.7 (20-150).
Liver once a week to raise ferritin level, maximum 200g (I generally have about 140g), now level is good I'm eating it once every 7-10 days.
Thank you, I'll stick the ferrous fumarate in the cupboard 😊 Am planning to eat liver once a week (cooked it on Monday for the first time in years and it was a lot nicer than school dinner liver, which was what had put me off it, even decades later) 😂
Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed your liver. Once you find a way to cook it to your taste you start to look forward to your liver dinners, doesn't take long either
I like mince, as long as I do it the way my Mum used to do it - cooked with an equal amount of pearl barley 😊
I do hope pearl barley isn't on the list of goitregenic foods 😱 I made the mistake last night of eating a packet of pine nuts that were in my cupboard. Oh, well, I'm not going to do that again 😢
Note to self, print out that list of goitregenic foods next time I find it, don't just leave as an open tab on my iPad in case I accidentally close the tab. Again.
Did you get some sort of reaction to the pine nuts? If not, don't worry about it. They won't hurt you. Forget goitrogenic foods, they're a red herring.
Mince was my ex husbands favourite food - mince and plain boiled potatoes. I will never eat it again!
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