I recently had bad thyroid levels which appear to have magically fixed themselves with annual monitoring by GP hopefully I can keep this on the right side of the graph!
My concern is I'm litterally dead....
Days in bed at time napping for hours sleeping for 12 hours at night in addition. Random afflictions, always covered in bruises, resting heart rate average 99, sinus issues, aches and pains, migraines requiring a referral to neurology, severe depression and no enjoyment in life. I just can't go on like this.
Can someone help me understand of the iron is the issue now pretty please?
humanbean or SeasideSusie will hopefully pop along to help with iron and ferritin
Lots of below range results.
Strongly suggests you are anaemic
Are you vegetarian or vegan
Pretty sure GP should be prescribing iron supplements
Suggest you look at getting FULL thyroid testing once folate, iron and ferritin are improved
Testing TSH, Ft4, Ft3 and both thyroid antibodies via Medichecks or Blue horizon
As you are self injecting B12 it’s recommended also to supplement a good quality daily vitamin B complex, one with folate in (not folic acid) may be beneficial.
This can help keep all B vitamins in balance and will help improve B12 levels too
Igennus Super B is good quality and cheap vitamin B complex. Contains folate. Full dose is two tablets per day. Many/most people may only need one tablet per day. Certainly only start on one per day (or even half tablet per day for first couple of weeks)
Or Thorne Basic B is another option that contain folate, but is large capsule
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
Thank you so much for your reply, I have recently started taking dessicated liver with haemoglobin in a desperate attempt to feel like I'm not on the verge of becoming totally bed bound. I eat well, entry of veg meat and dairy. I do use an oral bit d spray and have b50 complex but find it upsets my stomach so rubbish at taking it. I'm looking at adding a brewers yeast suppliment instead. I think I more than likely need vitamin c too.
My biggest issue is that I cannot take oral iron suppliments (hence my last ditch attempt with the liver) I think thats why GP is dismissive. I have only managed to get an infusion when I was pregnant (levels were much lower then too)
I am just running out of energy to try to fix my life and need something to start to improve before it gets any worse. I have 4 children and feel awful for my poor hubby who has to pick up the slack.
and have b50 complex but find it upsets my stomach so rubbish at taking it
These B50s, B100s, etc, are unbalanced. It could well be that there is too much of one or other of the B vitamins that is upsetting your stomach. In particular we have to be careful with B6 - some B50s contain 50mg B6 (eg H&B brand) and the safe limit for regular use is recommended to be no more than 10mg daily. Stick to a recommended, balanced brand like Thorne or Igennus.
Please help me Mr Dr said no further action and that's that
Well, I disagree with your doctor.
Serum ferritin level 11 ug/L [5.0 - 204.0]
Low serum ferritin indicates iron deficiency.
The print out is already telling your GP of possibly iron deficiency. Ask him why he is ignoring this. You require an iron panel to see if you have iron deficiency. An iron panel includes Serum Iron, Transferrin Saturation %, Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) as well as Ferritin.
Also ask why the following two results are being ignored despite them being noted as below low reference limit:
Thank you, so much both of you. Having an educated opinion helps so much in me being able to ask the right questions you have pointed out and ask for further treatment! Half the time I feel like I'm just a malingerer looking for an excuse as to why I'm pathologically lazy.
Do you think my symptoms could be so severe with a deficiency at this level? I am going to ask for an appointment on Monday and try to get to the bottom of all of this.
You have no idea how much help and hope you have both given xxxx
Low ferritin can suggest iron deficiency anaemia. However, iron deficiency can be present without anaemia (called iron depletion), but may eventually lead to anaemia.
With the second article, scroll down particularly to
Symptoms related to iron deficiency
You will see:
The non-anemia patients have often been extensive examined as in- and out-patients during many years and may be unable to work because of extreme fatigue and they spend most of the day in bed, and are unable to work out or have a normal life because they have no energy i.e. their quality of life is close to zero. The associated costs are also huge (Table 2).
Check the symptoms in Table 2, if any fit print out what you need to discuss with your GP.
I have everything listed there (I'm heading off to read the other pages now 🙂) it's so lovely to feel supported like this. I need to find new ways to say thank you! I sound rather repetitive. I'm not even 40 yet and feel as bad as my nan whos 87, we are a right pair! Xx
So sorry to hear that you're having such a difficult time. You are on the right track to raise your ferratin levels with liver. I normally have palpitations but it gets worse when my ferratin levels drop below the midway point. Like you I cant take iron pills because they upset my stomach so I had to resort to eating liver. I'd eat it 4 times a week, take a week off and then eat it 4 times the following week. I do this for about 6-7 weeks and retest. My last test results jumped from 30 something to 80 something. When I got to 80 I stopped eating the liver all together because its extremely high in vitamin A and copper and can cause toxicity.
As for the b complex, could it be the fillers that are used in your particular supplement that cause the upset stomach?
Thank you, I'm blown away by the support shown here and trying to digest and reply to everyone, sorry if I'm slow another symptom forme is brain fog lol so I'm taking my time. I'm going to give one of the suggested b complexes a try from above to see if that helps.
There is a slight possibility that if you get your ferritin right up, your thyroid levels will be slightly better. You’ll certainly feel better even if it doesn’t.
Taking iron is difficult. I was taking the prescribed pills from the Gp and caused a lot of stomach issues.
There’s new research around taking one of the pills, once a day, alternating days as a hormone that rises to stop over loading in iron can rise too much thus blocking absorption. It’s also a little easier on the stomach. (See research in Switzerland.)
Always take iron 2 hours away from tea, coffee, and calcium eg milk or calcium containing drinks eg Oatley. Take it with vitamin c in lots of water, 500-1000 tablet.
Fwiw, I personally had a lot of success with two spatone sachets with vit c a good hour or more from any food and certainly caffeine and calcium. In one month I managed to go from around 50 to 80 even with two periods. (A v helpful Gp helped check.) and that had been better than with the x3 daily iron tablets. Spatone is very well absorbed and the vit c helps hugely.
But I’d discuss this with the Gp and see what they think.
Thank you, so much useful information I am making notes so that I don't miss anything. My thyroid levels appear to fluctuate without direct thyroid treatment leading me to believe that it's not actually that that is the issue? Time will tell. I'm so greatful for the advice and support here. Xxxx
They do fluctuate during the day a bit and the time of the month. And if ill etc
Always get your blood test early in the morning or as early as you can manage regularly (I have to get it at 9:15 after school run, consistency is key.)
But it’s very possible that if you get iron right up (over 100 would be ideal) your thyroid levels will improve.
Several members have said chicken livers are good too
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
My periods have been awful .... Since I was sterilised 6 years ago (wierd eh) this was also the time everything started to go to pot, thyroid levels liver results and iron all varying from each teat.
Those links are fab, thank you I'm making some notes so that I can make sure I don't forget everything. So much valuable info in one place! XXX
Make sure you are getting the rda of iodine and selenium. Not from kelp, basic mineral if taking a supplement or look at the British Iodine group for food sources and amounts. These, with iron, support thyroid function. Oxford vitality do a basic rda iodine and slightly higher selenium (can half). Or a lot of the immune / hair and nails multi vits. Too much iodine can have a similar or worse effect so don’t go bananas!
My ferritin levels were 27 at my last blood test so you must be feeling awful with levels as low as 11!
Not surprising you don't feel able to get out of bed!!
I haven't felt particularly great myself; breathlessness is terrible, even when I'm not doing anything.
Fairly dizzy for the majority of the time. Regular headaches, migraine type of thing and feel quite low. But even though I feel tired I also have insomnia? I have great difficulty trying to get to sleep.
Obviously there are other factors that could be causing these issues but it does seem to be a coincidence that we're having similar symptoms and both have low ferritin levels.
I can't stomach liver so I'm increasing eating foods that I really enjoy like lentils and chickpeas and green leafy vegetables, like spinach or kale and having orange juice to help absorption.
I've found that white beans, like butter beans and chickpeas have high levels of iron too.
Tomato paste or puree is also good as is the dried herb thyme; something that I've only found out today! I make a lot of bean and vegetable stews so I can include more tomato puree and add thyme.
Also luckily I love dark chocolate which also has good iron levels, but it has to be a high cacao content at least 45% I think to be of any help.
It's too early to tell if what I'm doing is making a difference but fingers crossed for when I get a blood test in a few months time.
Hope you get on okay with the dessicated liver and start to feel a bit better soon.
Last time I was on oral iron (even liquid ferrous glouconate) I had a Mallory Weis tear in my osopogus (sorry about spelling) as it gave me such horrendous acid, even tho they had given me a ppi (omeprazole) that it burned through my osophagus and I was in hospital vomiting blood it was awful never known anything like it thought I was going to die.
Dark chocolate, now we are talking 🤪
I'm sad to hear you are suffering too it's poop but sounds like you are on the right track to gaining control of your own health, it's so refreshing to hear from people who don't think it's all in my head or I'm just idle. No one says that too me, I'm so lucky with my family really but I feel it sometimes like I'm just crap and being a person and doing person things xxxx
That sounds like a terrible and very scary experience! Glad you got through it and have a supportive family which must really help.
Dark chocolate is not everyone's thing. Though now you've got a very good reason to eat more of it! ☺ I'm going to eat an orange or have orange juice also to hopefully increase iron absorption.
The people on this forum are always really helpful and you always end up with lots of links to follow up and read.
Good luck and hope you start to feel some improvements soon.
I can’t stop eating dark chocolate; just found ferritin is 45. Hair has started to fall out and issues in hands and feet. So think I’m craving it!
You’ve really got to be careful about what foods block iron absorption; vit c supports it. So when eating iron rich foods, or taking supplements, have oj or vit c and avoid tea, coffee and calcium stuff for 2 hours before, one hour afterwards.
Oh gosh me too! I found I like rooibos though so have one cup of tea in the morning (spaced after thyroxine) and some dark chocolate (I have a toddler; it’s medicinal).
Rooibos and oat milk thereafter. But the oat milk has calcium. I think my over consumption of milky/ calciumy drinks doesn’t help with my iron.
However, if I make sure the early afternoon is calcium free I can take iron then.
Ive just read that it’s best to take iron in the morning (if you don’t take thyroxine then); something to do with hepcidin levels (being lowest then?)
Hepcidin is a hormone that prevents iron overload. So sometimes supplementing iron can increase this too much which actually lowers absorption.
Can you tell your doctor that you want a second opinion?
Download the list of hypothyroid signs and symptoms from the ThyroidUK website; print it and fill in all that apply, then give it to your doctor when you next go.
I am going to request he either does another set or does the further testing and takes some form of action they have referred me to neurology for the migraines but it would be such a waste if I need a referral to (I don't know endocrine? Haemotologist? I don't know who lol) I think I may need Tobe more assertive as it's all just been very quick telephone called with the GP since lockdown XXX
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.
Are these results ok?
please see my latest test results 
blood results back - feeling worse than ever
Help with bloods please including iron levels. 
Need help with ferritin levels and correct iron dosage
