Can someone please check my iron bloods

[Montague54]

I wonder if someone would kindly check my bloods and seeing if you think they are ok. I have pernicious anemia and hashimoto's Thyroid. I have had anemia before and feel like I have similar symptoms again. I am experiencing shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, fatigue, dizziness and lightheadedness. Getting very out of breath walking up a hill or stairs and having a very fast pounding heart too. Waking up in my sleep feeling like I'm breathless. My Dr says the bloods are fine. I take regular B12 injections and folate every day. AI take T3 only for hashimoto's. I am also being tested for atrophic gastritis and am waiting for an endoscopy.

Ferritin 160 mg/l range (15 to 200)

Transferrin 2.50 g/l range (2 to 4 g/l)

Iron 15 umol/l range (12 to 30)

Transferrin saturation 24% range ( 25 to 50)

Thank you, your help would be most appreciated. x

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Although your Ferritin is good your serum iron and saturation % suggest possible bordering on iron deficiency. Shame on your doctor for thinking those very low levels are fine.

[Montague54 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you, SeasideSusie, I really appreciate you replying so quickly.I think my ferritin is high and is inflammation.My ferritin was 88 a couple of months ago which is strange. I went to see a naturopath doctor before the covid and she said that my ferritin was high due to inflammation. My stomach is not working properly as im not absorbing vitamins, B12, calcium etc... My sister has pernicious anemia and atrophic gastritis and has iron deficiency. She is lucky as she has amazing private healthcare in Switzerland and her care has been second to none, unlike here in Scotland.

[radd]

Montague54,

Your iron levels are too low. This is evidenced by transferrin, serum iron and T/S% which are more informative than ferritin which can act as an inflammation marker.

What's the point of your doctor performing an iron panel if he isn’t going to act on it, especially considering your medical history.

Levothyroxine requires adequate iron levels to work properly. If you don’t have enough iron, you could have adequate thyroid hormone in your blood but still feel hypothyroid.

Ask your doctor for further discussion because you feel so unwell and these results are showing iron deficiency.

[Montague54 in reply to radd]

Thank you Radd, I think you're totally on the ball, and this is what I was thinking. I am so breathless getting now and do feel almost like my T3 is not working as well. I'm on T3 only and it requires iron to work properly. A naturopath I seen a while ago said that my ferritin is too high and it is inflammation. I will speak to my Dr again but not holding out much hope. My care has been a joke so far. Dr's don't seem to have a clue unless it hits them right in the face lol 😂

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

How much folate do you take every day?

Too much can have adverse effects.

Typically, 400 micrograms a day is regarded as safe but many people would be fine on, say, 200 micrograms a day. (We have seen a number of people put on the huge dose of 5 milligrams a day by doctors - and just left there for a long time. That can cause many issues.)

[Montague54 in reply to helvella]

Hi helvella, thankyou for replying, most appreciated, any help I can get. I take 400mcg folinic acid a day and my folate blood result was 25 so its o.k. I think I have iron deficiency but its not showing up in my bloods properly. I am so breathless, very pale face and heart racing at times. I had anemia before and this is how I felt. My sister has genetic atrophic gastritis, pernicious anemia and iron deficiency. There is several members of my family who take b12 injections for PA and 2 have Atrophic gastritis. x

[Montague54]

Thank you Scrumbler, I know what you mean, nobody takes you seriously if your bloods are borderline or just a wee bit low. They only take notice once your bloods are shocking and by then you are very ill

😩