Hi, First time poster worried

[Dawnexe]

Hi by nature I'm a worrier and have health anxiety which I think stems from being a medical secretary for 15 years and seeing so many things being diagnosed to people. I gave that job up eventually!

my reason for posting is I've been having recurrent UTIs for the last 6 months and also not had a period since Jan 20 so think I'm period menopausal. My last UTI has taken 7 weeks to clear up and even now I'm.left with symptoms and soreness.

I also recently had a sore feeling in my throat for weeks and kept throat clearing as my throat felt mucousy at times.

so me being me thought I would get my thyroid tested privately with medichecks. I've had TSH tested by GP in the past but have been told it was normal.

I was quite surprised by my results but medichecks said to recheck in 12 months time but wanted your advice on if I should do anything sooner?

I've attached a photo of my results and would be grateful for any advice.

As you can see i have positive Thyroglobulin Antibodies which look pretty high to me! this has scared me somewhat !

My Ferritin levels really surprised me as I know for a fact I've had low ferritin for years and its normally around 4!!! highest ive seen it is 15, so I was quite pleased to see it at 28!!! GP has never. been concerned about it being 4! I've had lot of stomach issues in the past but the last 12 months ive been much better although I do struggle to lose weight these days but have put this down to peri menopause.

I've been taking a Vitamin D spray all winter.

Any help or advice would be really appreciated. I hate going to doctors as always feel like I'm wasting their time. getting my uti sorted has been a nightmare.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

are you vegetarian or any obvious reasons for terrible ferritin levels ?

Ideally even within ferritin at 28 you should have full iron panel test for anaemia by GP

Medichecks offer test too

Vitamin D pretty good

Folate needs improving, look at increasing folate rich foods

Yes high TG antibodies.

Suggest you Take/email these results to GP and request thyroid ultrasound scan, plus full iron panel test for anaemia

Frequent UTI is a hypothyroid symptom

[Dawnexe in reply to SlowDragon]

thanks for your reply. I've not eaten red meat for about 10 years so that may account for my low Ferritin I guess.? The doctor who commented on my results at medicheck wrote "thyroid antibodies are found in 1 in 10 normal people but may show you could develop thyroid symptoms in the future"

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Dawnexe]

So it’s hardly surprising your ferritin is very low

Extremely difficult to maintain good iron on plant based diet

Eating iron rich foods, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

irondisorders.org/Websites/...

Helpful post about iron supplements and testing

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Dawnexe]

Low ferritin extremely common in vegetarians

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

See Conclusion

This is especially true for premenopausal vegetarian women.

[KazLS in reply to Dawnexe]

Hi Dawnexe, I also haven't eaten meat for over 10 years and recently had my ferritin checked- result was 127 (13-150) & I don't supplement. I think a balanced vegetarian diet can be perfectly healthy and that low vitamin/mineral levels are more likely to be caused by poor absorption.

[Angel_of_the_North]

I don't think there is anything real called "health anxiety". Why wouldn't you be worried if you are not well? Sounds normal to me, especially with all those symptoms

[humanbean]

My Ferritin levels really surprised me as I know for a fact I've had low ferritin for years and its normally around 4!!! highest ive seen it is 15, so I was quite pleased to see it at 28!!! GP has never. been concerned about it being 4!

I always think that a doctor not being concerned about a dreadful test result is the sign of someone having a sadist for a doctor.

not had a period since Jan 20

This is the most likely cause for your improved ferritin (iron stores) level.

I'm a worrier and have health anxiety

Personal anecdote : Optimising my ferritin eliminated my anxiety and significantly reduced my depression. I've had low iron/ferritin since childhood that was of no concern to my doctor(s). The fact that I was weak, tired, slow, anxious and depressed had no effects on my doctors, so why should they care? Having low nutrients has consequences that doctors don't seem to know or care about. I try to maintain my ferritin at mid-range i.e. approx 85, but you really need to know more than just your ferritin, there are other iron-related levels that are important.

Regarding your other results...

Your folate would be much better being in double figures - getting up to about 15 - 20 would be worth doing.

Your B12 isn't optimal. It needs to be a minimum of over 70, but over 100 is optimal.

Vitamin D is optimal, depending on source, at 125 nmol/L or 100nmol/L - 150nmol/L.

If you are interested in optimising your nutrients then read some of SeasideSusie 's replies on the subject to others :

healthunlocked.com/user/sea...

Also pay attention to what she says on the subject of co-factors required to get the best out of supplementing vitamin D.

[Dawnexe in reply to humanbean]

thanks so much for your advice. I will look into supplements now but have already started B12.

[humanbean in reply to Dawnexe]

You might find this website of interest :

dailyiron.net/

I would guess that you might need iron supplements to raise your iron since you have a long way to go. But before even considering iron supplements there are other factors to take into account.

An iron panel contains other tests apart from ferritin :

medichecks.com/iron-tests/i...

Problems sometimes arise if people take iron supplements without knowing what they are doing :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

The above link explains some of the things that could backfire and why regular testing of iron is essential while supplementing with iron.

[DippyDame]

I suggest you ask for a trial of levothyroxine because....

FT3 and FT4 are both too low

TSH should be around 1 for good health

You appear to be hypothyroid.

Results need to be close to 75% through the range......not just in the range.

I can't eat red meat but find dried apricots (prunes too) a good source of iron...cooked and served for breakfast with Greek yoghurt (good fats are good for you!) and honey for total indulgence!!

Until my thyroid levels were improved I often had UTIs - and antibiotics. Best avoided ...they can sometimes affect the uptake of thyroid hormones as I eventually discovered.

Low estrogen can be the cause of UTIs in post menopausal women....estrogen pessaries or cream can be prescribed.

High antibodies can be a sign of Hashimotos disease.....relatively common with hypothyroidism. A gluten free diet can help.

I find Health Anxiety a strange diagnosis which is more likely to make one even more anxious.

Anxiety is a symptom of hypothyroidism as is problems with weight loss. I lost almost 3 stone once my thyroid meds became optimal.

I'm surprised you haven't also been told you have Fibromtalgia or CFS!

Best...

DD

[Dawnexe in reply to DippyDame]

thank you . In fairness insert of diagnosed myself with health anxiety due to always thinking the worst whenever I have any health symptoms!! my husband thinks I'm a hypochondriac because i do worry about everything. I am very wary of doctors in general and feel like they fob you off quite often. I tend to always do my research online so I am informed when i do go to them for help.

so even though medichecks say just retest in 12 months do you think i should see my GP about the antibodies ?

i am happy to self treat the ferritin issue and folate too. I've recently started taking B12 supplements too.

thank you for your help

[DippyDame in reply to Dawnexe]

This earlier post explains...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Medics know little about nutrients so best to take control of that ....and test

Medics are also very poorly educated when it comes to thyroid disease which is why many of us on this forum self medicate.

You will get no better thyroid advice than from experienced forum members.

[Dawnexe in reply to DippyDame]

so is hashimoto's and hypothyroidism different things ?

[DippyDame in reply to Dawnexe]

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

This might help

[B12jab]

Hi hun,I’m the same as you I had bloods done with medichecks last year the antibodies tests and my thyroglobulin come back high too like yours I did have scan and all was fine,I feel so rubbish all the time the fatigue no energy is killing me so I had thyroid checked again with medichecks and again all fine but elevated thyroglobulin! I am calling my doctor in the morning and will ask him to look into it for me and refer to a endo im so worried too I suffer with major anxiety and the Internet doesn’t always help! How are you now? X

[Dawnexe in reply to B12jab]

sorry i have only just seen your reply. I've been quite well for 3 months but now I feel rubbish again hence why I'm back on here going over the replies to my previous post. I have been burying my head in the sand for a while as I felt OK but I feel like I have crashed..got major joint pains atm and feel generally rubbish so I think I'm going to retest my bloods and talk to my.GP. arw you on meds for your high antibodies.?