Hello, I have recently started with some really strange symptoms. The main one is pins and needles in my limbs and sometimes my face, but over the past few days this has settled to mainly being in my feet. I’ve been exhausted, feeling sick, have a strange burning sensation like sunburn in random patches of skin which comes and goes. And I have this strange lump in the bottom of my throat making it hard to swallow. I’ve already posted on the pernicious anaemia board as I suspected it was that at first but B12 levels are over 500. And I’ve posted on anxiety boards cause quite frankly these symptoms have tipped me over the edge, I can barely eat! blood tests have shown. Slightly elevated TSH but no one seems concerned about this. So I have ordered private bloods for TSH, T3 and T4.
What does everyone think?
Thanks for reading.
Amy.
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Yes a lot of people are saying this to me. Then I have doctors telling me it’s all fine. Do you think it sounds like B12 deficiency? I was convinced I had it.
So even though my serum levels are over 500 I could still have the deficiency? I did actually take some high strength B12s in the four days before the test (I didn’t think) do you think this would skew the results? I asked the doctor this and he said no you’d need to be taking them for months.
So how can I tell if it is definitely B12? what further tests do I need to have? The doctors have totally written off that it’s B12 deficiency and I think I’m going to have a hard time convincing them. How long should you stop supplements before retesting the blood? I’ve been taking high levels of b12 spray for one week now and the tingling is slightly less but I’m still not right
Hi how did you managed to get them to refer you to neurology I get these symptoms too but they have always fobbed me off at the doctors. I thought it was adrenal issues and histamine intolerance. I had b12 test that looks at how much your absorbing but came back within range so just got dismissed.
I presented to A&E with my tingling and burning feelings. They were happy to send me home but referred to neurology for my peace of mind and probably to cover themselves. My GP didn’t even mention neurology when I saw him a week ago.
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 you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin D, folate and ferritin levels
Pins and needles in hands and feet suggests B12 issues
There is a high (approx 40%) prevalence of B12 deficiency in hypothyroid patients. Traditional symptoms are not a good guide to determining presence of B12 deficiency. Screening for vitamin B12 levels should be undertaken in all hypothyroid patients, irrespective of their thyroid antibody status. Replacement of B12 leads to improvement in symptoms,
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
Thank you for all the information. I have had B12 serum levels checked and they were in the normal range. Also folate was fine. Don’t think I’ve had ferritin or vitD checked. I have ordered the £29 test for thyroid so waiting for that to arrive.
This is a long shot but there’s a possibility this is COVID related. I can see from previous posts that you had a test and it was negative—but it’s not uncommon for COVID tests to be wrong, or for them not to pick up an infection if you test after the worst of it has passed. I didn’t know until today until talking to a member of my staff today (who had Covid about 2 months ago—and also had a negative test!) that a pins and needles sensation is actually a post-COVID symptom. She has that as a symptom, and so does her friend from whom she caught Covid (he did have a positive test).
I see you’ve also had the loss of sense of smell thing, plus feeling sick—and your B12 results actually came back above 500, I believe?
I’m not sure if COVID antibody tests are widely available yet so it’s going to be hard to know whether it is or it isn’t—but it’s something to keep in mind. If it is, then this should ease in time.
Hi I did have a covid type illness back in March but there wasn’t really any testing going on at the time so I was never sure if I had it. I had an antibody test through work a few weeks ago but it was negative. I was shocked cause I really thought I’d had it. I think march is too long ago for be suffering from post viral affects though?
I think if you really think you had it, you probably did. What we don’t yet know about Covid is how long you have antibodies in your system or indeed how long immunity lasts. As I said, the person I know who had it—and I had half a dozen staff in my team who caught it (we’re based in the W Mids)—had a negative test. But I’m certain she had it—I’d now recognise that cough anywhere!
According to current Covid thinking, which keeps evolving as we know, the post viral symptoms can go on for quite some time. From what I've gathered, the experts aren't yet sure how long. Some people are having considerable problems with a wide variety of post Covid issues.
So, it is possible that Jazzw is right.
By the way, I sympathise with you, the pins and needles are a pain in the ....
I shall be looking at the B12 info as well. Thanks CuriousNess.
Oh, I absolutely agree! But Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms don’t usually appear overnight. From reading the OP’s earlier posts, it seems to have been a rather sudden thing. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be worth doing the full set of B12 tests—of course it would.
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But Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms don’t usually appear overnight. From reading the OP’s earlier posts, it seems to have been a rather sudden thing. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be worth doing the full set of B12 tests—of course it would. 
Normal TSH but elevated antibodies 
Low TSH
Why Elevated TSH but normal FT4?
TSH rising inexplicably
Questions about TSH and advice on results over the past year much appreciated
