Calcium still Slightly raised

Just had word from GP my Calcium is slightly raised from the bone profile blood test. They said raised but stable. Looks like nothing is going to happen here then lol

[humanbean]

Have you been tested for hyperparathyroidism?

nhs.uk/conditions/hyperpara...

parathyroid.com/parathyroid...

You probably also need to be tested for osteoporosis. If you have too much calcium in your blood it is important to know where it is coming from. And one of the biggest sources of calcium in the body is, obviously, the bones.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

Not at gp but results from end of March I had PTH of 10.5 from the gastro team

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Previous post shows low vitamin levels and IBS

Can you add your thyroid test results and ranges. Likely you only had TSH tested

How much vitamin D have you been supplementing, this will raise your calcium levels

B12 was very low, ferritin too

What did GP prescribe?

Or Have you been self supplementing to improve these?

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also extremely important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised

If Thyroid antibodies are raised this confirms autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto's. Low vitamin levels are extremely common as direct result. Gluten intolerance is extremely common too

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or all vitamins

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random

Have you had Coeliac blood test?

Been checked for coeliac during endoscopy?

IBS type symptoms can be due to gluten intolerance

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect 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. Dairy is second most common.

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

Ideally ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet




(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)




Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

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

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

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Until I got these results I didn't realise what my vitamin levels were. I was always told they were normal so never bothered self supplementing as didn't think I needed too. I was on D3 over winter and because vit d was low, now in the 70's rather than 26 they say its within range. My vit d has been as low as 9!!!. I'm currently taking folic acid for low folate but that's looking good at the minute. I have no idea what my thyroid levels are but they said they're ok but looking at other test results I think I'll get these tested privately like others seem to do.

I've had coeliac test via endoscopy, again was negative but I have drastically reduced my gluten intake as I believe I do have an intolerance to it but I was doing this anyway prior to any blood tests or endoscopy. This is all new to me and I have a lot to learn. I'm definitely thinking my gut issues are probably hormone related and I've found out so much with being on this forum this week and last.

I have a lot of questions but hardly ever get to see a gp these days but there is one at the surgery who is pretty clued up as he's really interested in Endocrinology. I've asked to speak to him on Monday afternoon. So I'll see where I go from there

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Vitamin D was truly dreadful at 9. Any result under 25nmol and GP should have prescribed a LOADING disease of vitamin D that's 300,000iu over 6-8 weeks. Approx 5000iu per day for 8 weeks or 7000iu per day for 6 weeks

Local CCG guidelines

clinox.info/clinical-suppor...

Government recommends everyone supplement October to April

gov.uk/government/news/phe-...

GP will only prescribe to bring vitamin D up to 50nmol. Aiming to improve vitamin D by self supplementing to at least 80nmol and around 100nmol may be better .







Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.




Retesting twice yearly via vitamindtest.org.uk




Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is good as avoids poor gut function.




It's trial and error what dose each person needs. Frequently with gut issues we need higher dose than average

Too much vitamin D is toxic, so important to test levels after least 2 x per year while working out what dose you need

Low vitamin D and low B vitamins can be linked as explained here

drgominak.com/sleep/vitamin...

B12 and folate on the low side. Supplementing a good quality daily vitamin B complex, one with folate in not folic acid may be beneficial.

chriskresser.com/folate-vs-...

B vitamins best taken in the morning after breakfast

Recommended brands on here are Igennus Super B complex. (Often only need one tablet per day, not two. Certainly only start with one tablet per day after breakfast. Retesting levels in 6-8 weeks ).

Or Jarrow B-right is popular choice, but is large capsule

If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results

endo.confex.com/endo/2016en...

endocrinenews.endocrine.org...

Ferritin - GP should run full iron panel testing for Anaemia

Ferritin needs to be at least half way in range for good thyroid function

Once vitamin levels improve important to retest Thyroid levels. It's common to see thyroid results start to reveal hypothyroid levels as vitamins improve

Important to get thyroid tests early in morning to get highest TSH

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks SlowDragon. When my vit D was 9 I was on a loading dose for 1 month, then tested again the next month my dose was reduced and tested again then another month on a more normal intake and tested again that was three years ago. It was only after attending a & e last July, with vomiting and diarrhoea i found out my calcium was raised so then thought checking vit D again, August I found it was 26 so back on vit D for 7 weeks. Mind you I was also dehydrated which can also affect calcium I later found.

It's only now I'm getting nowhere, when I was in pain again ast week, I said to the GP that it's looking like I'm going to have to deal with this myself. I'm not crazy and don't need antidepressants or CBT. I know there is something going on but sadly I feel like I'm going to endure some serious consequences before I find out what. I'm not normally an anxious type who lives on there nerves thinking about what ifs. I keep going until the point of collapse sometimes. I pick myself up again and carry on... I just don't know how much longer I can do this for. I'm losing weight because I have difficulty in absorbing food properly and sometimes I have no appetite at all but I need to get food to maintain what energy i have left. I come in from work and practically fall asleep on the couch, but told there nothing wrong. Its frustrating. Sometimes, i have joint inflammation, mouth ulcers diarrhoea stomach pain. Had my gallbladder out 2015, I'm feeling this is a consequence of something else and it's me that's looking outside the box and looking seriously at hormones. I've requested access to my results and letters for the last 4 years from my GP. I need to be told everything for me to move forward with this and not be told all is fine when it isn't as I've found out.

I've tried various diets, teas, and other such things to try and help gut function.

It should be interesting to see what I find out especially about Thyroid function. This could be an interesting journey which I hope will give me my life back. Along the way I hope to share anything I pick up to perhaps get more people to advocate for themselves.

Sadly the NHS haven't got the resources or funding to deal with complex anomalies.

[silverfox7]

My calcium shot up over range when I started taking Vit D. I didn't know then that taking Vit D also increases calcium. But I also found out I should have be taking the co factors of K2 and Magnesium.

K2 takes the calcium out of your blood where it can cause problems with stones or calcified muscle and puts it in your bones and teeth and the Magnesium locks it in there. My calcium levels dropped back quickly so it works well. Do not start of K2 though if you are on blood fillers but speak to your doctor for advice.