New here can someone please help with results ????

[Tamg]

Hi all

I have been suffering symptoms since last year, brain fog, extreme throat issues, ear problems, dry skin, muscle pain tiredness etc.

I have had my results back from blue horizon although they reported things looked ok for thyroid and commented I have Low folate , ferritin.

Can anyone please she any light on these results ??? I feel so poorly !!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

They should also have highlighted your very low vitamin D as well

The fact folate, ferritin and B12 are all low suggests low stomach acid or possibly gluten intolerance

Certainly a possible gut issue like malabsorption

You don't appear to have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease) as antibodies are low

Take results to GP for treatment for low ferritin. They should do full iron panel for testing for anemia. You may need iron infusion, certainly iron supplements

I will add in humanbean as the iron and ferritin guru

Low folate (can't see the results) needs treating, but not really before testing for Pernicious Anaemia as your B12 is also on low side, though GP may not agree

Vitamin D needs supplementing to bring level up to around 80- 100nmol

Ask GP to run blood test for coeliac disease as possible cause of low vitamin levels. If positive you will need an endoscopy to confirm

Regardless of coeliac test result, you may find strictly gluten free diet helps

But you might ask for referral to gastroenterologist first

[Tamg in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks SlowDragon. will take the advice on board. I was thinking is my TSH possibly on the low side?

I have such a list of symptoms and have been ill since last year ,could it all be to do with vitamin deficiencies ?

[Tamg in reply to SlowDragon]

Folate was low 3.7 (3.9-36.8)

Zinc 11 (11-24)

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Tamg]

Well there's no doubt your vitamins are all badly affected.

Getting them optimal and finding possible cause of gut issues is first step.

Gluten intolerance or Coeliac, low stomach acid or candida, SIBO all possible

It could be that thyroid is upset by gut .....or gut upset by thyroid

Blood tests don't really show any obvious clear thyroid issue

But sometimes it's not clear cut

Assuming you have a good varied diet, you are not getting much in way of nutrients out of it

Malabsorption or low stomach acid possible causes

Zinc is an essential thyroid nutrient

Folate necessary too

So consider supplementing both these

Only start one supplement at a time and wait 10-14 days before adding another. Otherwise if you get change, good or bad, you don't know which is cause

hypothyroidmom.com/my-favor...

hypothyroidmom.com/10-nutri...

[Tamg in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for response. Is there any particular type of ferritin ,folate , zinc I should be taking? Should I also be taking vitamin C as Iv heard you need vitamin C for iron supplements.

Also how do you test if you have sibo/candida ? An alternative practitioner did tell me I may have this .

[greygoose]

Why did you test for TRAB, rather than TPO antibodies? TRAB is for Grave's. Did you think you had Grave's?

[Tamg in reply to greygoose]

Hi greygoose , I didn't opt for it specifically it just came in the package from blue horizons tests. what is the TPO ?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Tamg]

TPO = Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies, commented on in your other thread.

[Tamg in reply to SeasideSusie]

Ah ok thank you.

[greygoose in reply to Tamg]

Ah, OK, you had Tg antibodies and TRAB tested. I've never seen that combination before. That's very interesting! People usually have the package that contains Tg and TPO antibodies. Those two are for Hashi's.

[Tamg in reply to greygoose]

Yes , I think I had that too it's my other post results continued..it lists the TPO and Thyroglobulin antibodies.

[greygoose in reply to Tamg]

Yes. I didn't see an actual number for the TPO, though, it just said 'negative'. It's the combination of tests that interests me, though.

[Tamg in reply to greygoose]

Yes that's what I wondered too so I have emailed them asking about the numbers.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to greygoose]

She had both TPO and TG antibodies tested (on second post) - both results were negative

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Vit D needs to be 100-150nmol/L according to the Vit D Council. You should be supplementing with D3, 5000iu daily and retest in 3 months. When you've reached the recommended level you need a maintenance dose which you find by trial and error, it may be 2000iu or more or less. Retest twice a year to keep within the recommended level.

Cofactors K2-mk7 and magnesium are necessary when taking D3. Magnesium helps D3 to work and K2 directs the extra uptake of calcium from food to bones and teeth and away from arteries and soft tissues.

B12 should be over 500 according to Sally Pacholok in her book "Could it be B12". Anything below that level means that deficiencies can begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid. Sublingual methylcobalamin will raise your level and when taking B12 we need a good B Complex to balance all the B vitamins.

With such a low level of Ferritin you should speak to your GP. You need an iron panel and full blood count to see if you have iron deficiency anaemia.

[Tamg in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for response I'm thinking of taking the B12 sublingual spray , is this effective?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Tamg]

I don't use it but I know of no reason it shouldn't be as effective as the sublingual lozenges.