I was wondering if anyone could give me advice re my blood results particularly iron levels and whether they are too low.
serum ferritin 27 range 13-150
Serum vitamin b12 490 range 197-771
Serum folate 6.2 range less than 3.9 (seems to be elevated)
E-gift less than 60 range 60-90
Serum calcium 2.42 range 2.15 to 2.5
Drum adjusted calcium 2.36 range 2.15 to 2.5 serum osmolaity 287 range 275 to 295
I would be most grateful for any advice, my hair falls out a lot and my ending is retesting my iron levels. I have started to take a multivitamin including iron.
Best wishes to you all
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thyroid555
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Do you have results from a full blood count? Have you had your vitamin D level tested?
Both the results from these would help indicate what is wrong plus low vitamin D as well as low iron/vitamin B12 causes hair loss. Also without these results if you have any numbness and tingling it won't be easy to confirm what is causing it.
Oh and the multivitamin won't help if you are deficient as it doesn't contain enough of any vitamin to get rid of deficiencies.
Thankyou so much for your reply. my FBC. I don't think I have a copy of my FBC, but Vitamin D level is 90.(range 50-120) It has improved from what it was and I take 800 iu of Vitamin D a day. I take 14 mg of Iron in the Multivitamin. My hair falls out a lot when I wash it. I don't have numbness or tingling.
Thankyou so much for your kind reply. Wishing you all the very best
Vit. D at 90, is excellent [unless fighting something catastrophic, then some practitioners like to see it closer to 100]. BUT...if you are not also taking K2, the body misuses D3, and, adding D3 can push the Parathyroid glands to over-produce, which can trigger Docs to freak-out and remove them...bed move. As I understand it, People should take about 200 mcg.'s K2 for each 1000 iu's of D3...or, if not taking additional D3, then at least 200 mcg's of K2.
K2 is often found in fermented foods, like Natto, Brie, Gouda or Edam cheeses [the 4 items with highest counts]. It's not so much in veggies.
The gut bacteria called "Bacillus Subtilis", used to ferment those items mentioned, can also be found in a very few of the better Probiotic supplements, like: Garden of Life's "Primal Defense Ultra" product.
ALSO, [and most Docs don't know this, or forgot it]...if one is chronically dehydrated, a mechanized CBC [Complete Blood Count, aka: Full Blood Count], will appear to be in normal limits, even if one's slightly anemic. An old-fashioned, non-mechanized Blood Count [hemoglobin & hematocrit, mainly], like a blood bank might do, will show real results, from putting a drop of fresh blood into a copper sulfate solution....but blood sample will appear "normal" from the machine read....
....Do you understand the ramifications of that?? It means, most Docs send blood collected, to get mechanically processed/read..... HOW MANY are told they are fine, when they are really dehydrated and slightly anemic?
....The "Tell" to find the anemia, is to also get the Serum Ferritin results. Serum Ferritin shows body's stored iron. The usual CBC only shows what's circulating in serum from blood......It means: blood cells float closer together, appear "in normal range", simply due to blood cells floating closer together, appearing as-if in higher numbers, when person is dehydrated; But, shows anemic if the same person is well-hydrated!
Also, IF you really need iron supplement, please use one that has a higher absorption likelihood, and less irritating to the gut....such as: ferrous gluconate or glycinate.
What Form a mineral or other supplement comes as, Matters! I'd never suggest someone use say, Magnesium Oxide, unless nothing else was available, as that form is harsh on the gut, and harder to absorb. Same thing against Calcium Carbonate...hard to absorb, and tough on gut. Some forms absorb and help one system better than others.
We had a couple patients who seemed unable to absorb any kind of iron, even show-push IV iron. One visited her sister in UT; returned with a very different form of iron that looked like sky-blue crystals in a baggie, to reconstitute with water and drink. She was able to absorb that...guessing it also had copper in it, from the blue color...we never could learn what, exactly that was.
I see from your firstvpost you had T3 stopped last year.
When T3 is stopped Vitamin levels crash right out.
Are you now back on T3?
Multivitamins are not recommended, in part they have such tiny doses it's not going to fix a deficiency, also most gave iodine in, not good for anyone with Hashimoto's.
Yes your ferritin is too low. Ask GP for some iron supplements. Ferrous fumerate is the best tolerated by most. If they won't prescribe you can buy over counter. Eating liver once a week should help improve level too. Looking for at least half way in range.
You need vitamin D tested too. Highly likely to be low. Ask GP to test. Or vitamindtest.org.uk is £28 home test kit.
A good vitamin B complex with folate in not folic acid would push your B vitamins up a bit too
You might also benefit from sublingual B12 lozenges.
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
Lastly as you have Hashimoto's are you on strictly gluten free diet?
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels stop Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
Thankyou very much for your kind and very helpful reply. I am back on the T3, My Pyschiatrist is prescribing it. I have appealed to the CCG and my MP is on the case! Thankyou so much for all your helpful advice, it is much appreciated. I have heard gluten free diet can help, I am not sure I could stick to it at the moment. I am taking Vitamin D and my levels have improved from what they were.
Many Thanks for your support and help. Kind Wishes.
It can be really hard to make such huge changes to one's diet choices! Good that you are considering that though!
Easiest, Imho, is to choose to stop one type of food at a time. Two biggies to stop: grains and sugars. Since there are components in GMO'd grains that cause harm, and as long as you are not also diabetic or pre-diabetic, might consider choosing to try more Organic grains, then stop grains, to start with. Once you get a grip on that change, only then try stopping sugars.
You should see measurable results by stopping each of those groups of foods. The more you keep those changes going, the faster you can tell what irritates, and what works for you. After several months of sticking to the change, it starts getting easier; I've found that even the aroma of the offending foods, is now no longer inviting as it used to be. If I eat it anyway, I usually feel yucky pretty fast. That makes it increasingly easier to avoid those!
Unsure what the auto-spell-check did to the lab you have labeled "e-Gift"?
All but the one lab, are basically "within normal limits". You're lucky your practitioner will keep prescribing thyroid of any sort, much less an NDT [natural desiccated thyroid, or any thyroid, with that...mine nearly cut-off my RX for it, because of the TSH alone being "within normal limits", even though on low end] .
BUT....it might mean something not usually tested, could be contributing to hair loss. I understand there are other factors that can do it, like: Deficiency of Vit. V3; scalp parasites or germs; trace and main minerals, etc.
Luckily, there're fairly low-cost ways to handle these: Nutritional Yeast has B vitamins; Kelp Snacks have all the minerals. ACV [real apple cider vinegar], can be used as a rinse on washed hair, let to sit on the scalp skin for about 15 minutes, rinse...repeat about weekly. Also, good idea to take a hard look at what you usually choose to put into your mouth...if it's mostly veggies, that's golden. If it's mostly processed foods, high sugars, starches...that's hazardous to most people's health; might consider making healthy changes to what you consume.
Also, if you were pregnant or post-delivery, even by a few years, the hair at the temples commonly thins or even gets "bald spot"...that's related to female hormones changing drastically, and hair density and texture, often suffers for that.
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Back to feeling awful : < - do these blood tests mean anything?
Recent blood test results advice please
Blood test results
