New results - Not sure what to make of them

[Chickenlife]

Hi all I have some new results which to be honest don’t make sense. For the past 5 months I have been supplementing with selenium, Vit D + K2, Vit c & zinc, magnesium bisglycinate, a good quality b complex with folate and have increased my nutritional Iron. Tests were taken early am and I’m not on any thyroid meds. Any comments would be appreciated. First result is sept 18, second Feb 19. Thank you.

B12 (25.1-165) - 41.3, 49.0

Ferritin (13-150) - 85.2, 62.7

Folate (8.83-60.8) - 10.2, 20.0

TSH (0.27-4.3) - 2.71, 2.19

FT4 (12-23) - 15.4, 16.4

FT3 (3.1-6.8) - 5.21, 4.91

Anti TP (0-34) - 42, 39.1

T4 (66-181) - 83.5, 76.6

TGAB (0-115) - 225, 220

Vit D (50-100) - 77.4, 75.6

[greygoose]

Which bit doesn't make sense, Chickenlife? Levels are bound to fluctuate slightly. Especially as you have Hashi's.

[Chickenlife in reply to greygoose]

I guess it is more the vitamins. Folate has increased which is good but the rest don’t seem to have improved or have actually gone down despite supplements. Am I just expecting too much too soon?

[greygoose in reply to Chickenlife]

What, exactly, are you taking? Maybe you're not taking enough?

I would say that your B12 was so low that you should have been tested for Pernicious Anemia before you started supplementing. Did you do that? If you have PA, a B complex is not going to help much.

[Chickenlife in reply to greygoose]

Not tested for PA. Doctor didn’t feel that my symptoms indicated it.

[greygoose in reply to Chickenlife]

I seriously doubt that your doctor would know much about the symptoms of anything. They don't do symptoms in med school anymore. PA symptoms are very much like hypo symptoms, in some ways. How would he know the difference without doing the tests? For some reason - and not the one he gave - he just didn't want to do the test.

But, in any case, you are not taking enough B12 to raise your levels. Plus, you won't absorb much of what you are taking from a pill, because it doesn't survive the stomach acid very well. B12 is much better taken sublingually. If I were you, I would try 5000 mcg sublingual methylcobalamin daily (along with your B complex) and, when the pot is empty, get the 1000 mcg size as a maintenance dose.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Did you leave your B complex off for 3-5 days before the test? It needs leaving off for all blood tests, not just thyroid ones.

Is it liver that you are eating to help raise ferritin? You might want to increase the amount you eat, you can safely eat 200g per week, or liver pate, black pudding. Also include other iron rich foods apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in... and leave off iron rich foods for a week before testing iron/ferritin.

Which B complex are you using? I increased my folate from bottom or range to top of range in 2.5 months with Thorne Basic B.

How much Vit D are you taking? In what form - tablet, capsule, softgel, spray?

[Chickenlife in reply to SeasideSusie]

No b complex for days before testing.

Eating liver pate daily.

Vit bcomplex was garden of life vitamin code raw B complex withfolate (450mcg) and B12 (133mcg)

Vit D + k2 spray 3000IU

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Chickenlife]

You might need a higher amount of methylcobalamin in your B Complex. Thorne Basic B has 400mcg of both methylfolate and methylcobalamin in 1 x capsule. Igennus Super B has 400mcg methylfolate and 900mcg methylcobalamin in 2 x tablets.

You could take more Vit D spray, say double on alternate days.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Also....alongside other recommendations

Are you on strictly gluten free diet?

If not, then that's something to consider

Ideally get coeliac blood test first just to rule it out.

Buying online for under £20 or ask GP

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...