Hi all, I’m really confused about my latest blood test results. Firstly, here’s a bit of background (excuse the repeat from a post I did a month or so ago). I've never been diagnosed with a thyroid condition but I posted on this site early last year as I believed I did have a sluggish thyroid, I had all the symptoms. Anyway, it turned out that I had iron and folic acid deficiency anaemia, with very low ferritin and low (but 'in range') B12. I also got diagnosed with very mild chronic kidney disease which doesn't really cause me any symptoms. Unsurprisingly doctors ruled out my thyroid as an issue, although several lovely people on this forum indicated thyroid could still be an issue. So in the last year, after the initial ferrous sulphate and folic acid prescriptions, I've been daily taking a sachet of spatone liquid iron and 1 tablet of 1000ug vitamin b12 methylcobalamin. About once a week I also take a tablet of 5mg folic. I am gluten, dairy, soya and alcohol intolerant so have a pretty natural diet. I'm 52 and active (I walk a lot and swim frequently). Oh, I also use a natural progesterone and oestrogen cream (20-1 from Wellsprings) as I self diagnosed a problem with very low hormones and that does help.
After my last post, I decided that, because I’m still not feeling 100%, and because my thyroid tests have always been high but normal TSH and low but normal T3, I’d order some metavive supplements to boost my thyroid function. I’m waiting for them to arrive and then I did my annual Medichecks blood tests and am now really confused!
Despite supplementing, my ferritin and folate is low again and the medichecks doc has advised upping the supplements (no sign of anaemia, haemoglobin etc all at the upper end of normal). I’m therefore doubling my spatone intake and for a month I’ll take folic acid daily. (I can’t take a vitamin B complex as I react to one of them, B6 I think). And despite my TSH rising, my free T4 and T3 has actually improved. And weirdly, my neutrophils are below range (I’ve been advised to watch out for infections and re test in 4 weeks). And to cap it all my cholesterol levels are high which I’ve never had before (not that I’m worried about that). Now I don’t know what to do!
Should I take the metavive, or are my continuing symptoms of fatigue, lethargy, low body temperature, loss of eyebrows, slight weight gain in the last 6 months, and now mild hearing loss, down to the low vitamins and other levels, or that fact that I’m hitting the menopause, or is thyroid still an issue?
Results as follows:
TSH range 0.27-4.27 mlu/l: Mar 17, 1.61 - Jun 17, 2.16 - Sept 17, 2.53 - Oct 18, 2.98
FT4 range 12-22 pmol/l: Mar 17, 12.48 - June 17, 15.43 - Sept 17, 14.7 - Oct 18, 16.6
FT3 range 3.1-6.8 pmol/l: Mar 17, 3.39 - June 17, 3.91 - Sept 17, 4.01 - Oct 18, 5.06
Ferritin range 13-150 ug/l: Jun 17, 115.7 - Sept 17, 55.2 - Oct 18, 20
Active B12 range 37.5-188 pmol/l: Oct 18, 135
Folate range 3.89-26.8 ug/l: Sept 17, 19.98 - Oct 18, 6.29
My neutrophils are just below range and my hormones are within range for my cycle time, although my oestrogen is slightly low. All tests were taking between 7.30 and 8.30 am fasting.
If anyone has any insights I’d be very grateful!