Help - with interpreting Iron panel

[Michymo]

Hi

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to improve my iron count ?

Iron Status

IRON * 6.1 umol/L (6.6 - 26.0)

T.I.B.C 53 umol/L (41 - 77)

TRANSFERRIN SATURATION * 12 % (20 - 55)

FERRITIN 90 ug/L 1 (3 - 150)

On T3 only and trying to increase dose as feeling tired but think my iron may be reason?

Thanks x

[shaws Administrator]

SeasideSusie will respond when she reads your post.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Your previous posts show you have Hashimoto's, so are you strictly gluten free, or not tried it yet?

[Michymo in reply to SlowDragon]

Trying to go gluten free but not strictly yet

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Although your ferritin (iron stores) is good, nothing else is. I think you need to speak to your GP, I don't know the answer to this.

[Michymo in reply to SeasideSusie]

Tried that he just ferritin good so nothing to worry about! I did have a misccraige about 4 weeks before test so thought maybe blood loss had contributed to it

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Michymo]

Personally, I wouldn't accept that. I would see another doctor, say you are worried about serum iron and transferritin saturation being below range and TIBC being quite low in range, and you would like an explanation of it.

Have a look at the table here scroll down to "What does the test result mean?" labtestsonline.org.uk/under...

and look at this pdf which shows clearly what the different results may indicate melbournehaematology.com.au...

Another pdf with a chart showing more information irondisorders.org/Websites/...

I would be looking into this. If your GP thinks your miscarriage contributed to the result, get him to repeat the test to see how things are now.

[Michymo in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks Susie very helpfuk

[Gambit62 in reply to SeasideSusie]

totally agree - ferritin is only one measure of iron and it does need to be taken in context - there was a case not that long ago of someone who had iron poisoning because there GP had just gone on ferritin levels without looking at the full iron situation so just using one measure and ignoring other measures is not an acceptable practice

sorry - don't have a reference to the specific case mentioned.

[Michymo in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Gambit

[ShootingStars in reply to Michymo]

Hi Michymo. It's been 5 months since your post. How are you doing now? I'm so sorry you experienced the loss of miscarriage. Your labs are an excellent example of why a person should never just go on Ferritin alone, no matter what a doctor says. You always need to be your own advocate. Ferritin (obviously) does not tell the complete story. Your ferritin is fine, but all your other iron levels show a problem. Something is going on here.

For the opposite reasons, I have been an excellent example as to never, ever just rely on Ferritin for iron status. A few other people on here reported the same toxicity experience. I had lowish in range Ferritin, 23 (10-200). Increased iron foods and started iron supplement. My ferritin increased 13 points in 3 weeks, which is a lot. The rest of my iron panel was normal as of that date. I continued with increased iron foods and supplements. Retesting a month later showed ferritin at 54 and all the other iron components at a toxic level. I decreased consumption of iron foods and iron supplementation. My ferritin remained at 54 and all my other iron levels normalized and were no longer at toxic levels. If I'd continued consuming extra daily iron like I had, I could have permanently damaged my organs.

Since your GP can't read your iron panel properly, it would be a good idea to consult with a hemotologist or a good OBGYN to figure out what is going on with your iron. I hope by now your iron panel has normalized and you are feeling much better.