I have recently had my blood test results back from medichecks and everything has come back normal apart from my CRP which I have been advised to see my GP which I did on Friday, my GP said that when she done blood tests in May my CPR was up 28 which she wasn’t concerned about...take in mind I have Polymyalgia and trying to decrease from 1mg daily to 1/2 but just can’t do it, I really struggle, she sending me for another test as lab ranges are different and will decide then if she will refer me to a rhumetalogist .
As for the rest of my test results are they in a good place? Are my vitamin also in a good place or do I need to supplement, I would appreciate your take on this 😀
Written by
misschris
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Are my vitamin also in a good place or do I need to supplement
Ferritin is fine, the rest need addressing.
Active B12: 89.5 (37.5-188)
This is above the level where testing for B12 deficiency is suggested so it's not too bad, but I prefer mine over 100.
Folate: 5.94 (>3.89)
Although this is "in range", and a level over 4.5ug/L excludes deficiency (according to NHS Berkshire & Surrey Pathology Service) I wouldn't want mine that low, I prefer mine to be in double figures.
If those were my results I would be supplementing with a good B Complex such as Igennus Super B or Thorne Basic B, both contain the bioactive forms of ingredients. When taking a B Complex containing Biotin (B7) or Biotin as an individual supplement, it should be left off for 7 days before any blood tests as it can give false results when biotin is used in the testing procedure (Medichecks confirmed they use biotin in theirs and this is their recommendation).
Vit D 56.2nmol/L = 22.48ng/ml
The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml).
To reach the recommended level from your current level the Vit D Council suggests supplementing with 3,700iu D3 daily (nearest is 4,000iu).
Retest in 3 months.
When you have reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).
A good quality Vit D supplement at a reasonable price is Doctor's Best softgels which contain only D3 and extra virgin olive oil to aid absorption. Some people like BetterYou oral spray. Tablets and capsules aren't the best form of D3 supplement.
Don't start all supplements at the same time. Start with one, leave it 1-2 weeks and if no adverse reaction then add the second one. Continue like this. If you have any reaction then you will know what caused it.
Your thyroid results look pretty good with a low TSH, FT4 at 72% through range and FT3 at 60% through range.
Thank you SeasideSusie, would you recommend that I buy b12 D3, MK7, B Complex, Magnesium and folate separately? I do buy Solgar B12 and MK7 separately but could all the others be in one tablet ie multibionta for over 50’s have the likes of D3, Folate, Zinc etc?
Buy them separately. Multivitamins are generally a waste of time and money as they tend to contain too little to be of use and often use the least absorbable and wrong form of ingredients and they can compete for absorption.
Looking at the Multibionta 50+ it appears to contain, according to
D3 - 5mcg = 200iu and you need 3,700iu. Also there is no fat in the tablet to aid absorption of the D3.
Folic acid and the recommended form is methylfolate. Folic acid has to be converted to folate and not everyone can do that.
B12 is the cyanocobalamin form and the methylcobalamin form is recommended, and there is only 1mcg which is less than useless.
It contains iodine which should only be supplemented after testing and if there is a deficiency. Iodine used to be used to treat hyperthyroidism so unless there is a deficiency it's likely to make hypothyroidism worse.
Selenium is the selenate form which is inorganic and one of the least absorbable forms.
It contains iron and iron affects absorption of everything else and needs to be taken 2 hours away from any other supplement.
It has a myriad of nasty excipients that we don't need that you find in cheap supplements. It also contains soya which we hypos should avoid.
All you need from what I have suggested is
B Complex - Thorne or Igennus, there is enough B12 in the Complex for your needs, you wont need a separate one, but if you already have some then finish them off but add the B Complex anyway because you need to balance all the B vitamins not just take B12 on it's own.
D3 - Doctor's Best has absolutely no nasties - check out Dolphin Fitness for best price
K2-MK7 - purest form is Vitabay Organics (Amazon)
Magnesium you'll have to decide which form is best for you, if you decide on Magnesium Citrate then the purest form is Natural Calm Original powder.
Thank you so much for that information, some I buy separately but others like I explained I have in multibionta, I don’t mind spending if am going to get better quality tablets. I will finish off my b12, the MK7 I can use when taking the D3....feel really happy with that, thank you 😊
What is it in the Multibionta that you think you need?
If you are taking that then I wouldn't buy any more. As I explained, it has the wrong forms of ingredients and not enough to help, the iron affects the absorption of everything else and it contains iodine and soya, both of which should be avoided - iodine only should be taken if tested and found to be deficient. This supplement wont help you. Doctors often suggest patients take multivitamins, doctors know nothing about nutrients, optimal levels and supplements, they're not taught this.
I think it’s because it has a lot of vitamins and minerals, zinc, selenium, I know on a few occasions I have been low in zinc, folate and I’ve basically just opted to buy an all round supplement so that if my body deficient in others then it would be supplemented, my gp will only test for folate, b12 vitamin D which I have been extremely deficient a couple of times but once an back in range gp just stops them, so I then think am ok I don’t need anymore, only to find am deficient again.....I think I need to do mine privately and that way I can keep on top of it.
I have twice been very low in D3 and had to go on emergency dose and then maintenance dose, then they check my levels and stop the meds once am in range but left Ive ended up being low again, hence another emergency dose, maintenance does until am in range, so am thinking of just dosing myself and re-test in 3-6 months or like you say dose from Oct-April. 👌
Igennus Super B are good quality ingredients and you can adjust dose easily. Full dose is two tablets per day. Probably only need single tablet and maybe can cut down to less after several months
Solgar zinc piccolante are tiny tablet.i just take twice a week
I ended up getting nutri-ark b-ComplexI I will take note for next time cos igennus was recommended. I will look for the Solgar zinc piccolante cos I do tend to be low in zinc.
Can you clarify, what are you trying to decrease fom 1 mg to 0.5 mg, and why?
It's worrying that your Dr doesn't understand that ranges differing between labs doesn't necessitate wasting NHS resources by retesting, when you have a perfectly acceptable set of results. Whether the range used by Medichecks is <5 and with another lab is say, <3, is largely irrelevant when you've had a result of 28 and 35.44 with successive tests - especially when in any case, an optimal CRP for a woman is said to be >1.00.
Yes I was decreasing from 1 mg to 0.5 mg, even tho I am on. 1 mg daily I still get some aches and pains but they are bearable and because I want to come off the steroids I have managed to basically put up with it but as soon as I try 0.5 mg I struggle from sitting position climbing stairs...but never as bad as it was when I first got diagnosed, my GP wants me off the steroids as I have been on them and (tapering) since May 2017, she said I’ve been on them too long, explained that I have problems decreasing any further to the point I would not be able to do my job as it involves supporting a gentlemen up the stairs.....now when my results came back at 28 she said she was not concerned that it was raised, now after having them done by medicheck and the advise was that I needed to speak to my GP as it shows that there is infection or inflammation in my body and yet when she tested and it was 28 she wasn’t concerned...bit worrying now that I think about it.
Sorry forgot to add...my GP told me I had to come off them and wouldn’t give me another prescription after I finished a month on 1 mg daily, hence going back after a couple of days because I struggled climbing stairs, I knew I was not ready to come off them but she was adamant that I had to.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Blood test results
LATEST BLOOD TEST RESULTS-NEED YOUR OPINIONS
Are my Blood Test Results OK?
Blood Test Results 
Need help with my blood test results please! 
