High Ferritin & more weird symptoms

[LostinHeadSpace]

Hello dear people,

A month ago I was having weird heart-ish chest pain, but the EKGs and ER bloodwork did not indicate heart problems, so I've been trying to figure out what's going on. I got two rounds of blood work. Almost everything is in range, but notably, my ferritin was high! 409 (range 15-150). I was expecting it to be *low*, because I've been tireder and more run down than I should be. When I go into the doctor tomorrow, I'll ask for a full iron panel.

My TSH is still in the basement (0.007, range 45-4.5)

Free T3 is 3.0 (range 2-4.4)

Free T4 (direct) is 0.87 (range 0.82-1.77)

My Total Cholesterol number was good, but Triglycerides were high, and HDL was low, and LDL was high.

My Vit D was barely in range at 33 (range 30-100), and I've been supplementing for ages with 5000IU of D3, so maybe it's time that I try a mouth spray since I'm not absorbing it, I guess?

In the meantime over the last month, the chest pain has almost stopped and now I'm having weird abdominal sort of pain. The web sites about high ferritin do list abdominal pain! I come from a long line of relatives with autoimmune disease, and one aunt with hypothyroid had hemochromatosis which is completely under control with blood draws and not having enriched cereals. I was SO tired that I was trying to bring my iron levels up with cooking on cast iron, eating red meat, etc.

I'm managed to slither along under the radar for years and years because I've done well on Armour thyroid and not on T4 alone, but now I'm scared that the doctor will insist I see an endocrinologist and they will not allow me to continue on it. My guess is that I could use a bit more T4 to balance out the Armour, but I hate to bring that up. My best guess of where to start is just with the full iron panel, and take it from there?

Thanks in advance for any advice on what to ask at the doctor's tomorrow!

--Lost

[LostinHeadSpace]

P.S. I did do the thyroid blood tests as recommended here, in the morning while fasting, after a week without biotin supplements.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Are you pre or post menopause

Ferritin range is higher after menopause

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

We have received further information the lab about ferritin reference ranges. They confirm that they are sex dependent up to the age of 60, then beyond the age of 60 the reference range is the same for both sexes: 

Males 16-60: 30-400 ug/L

Female's: 16-60: 30-150

Both >60: 30-650 

The lower limit of 30 ug/L is in accordance with the updated NICE guidance and the upper limits are in accordance with guidance from the Association of Clinical Biochemists. ‘

Ferritin can be raised due to inflammation

Perhaps get full iron panel to check if iron is also high

[LostinHeadSpace in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for the detailed reply! I'm post menopause, though in my early 50s, and haven't had a rough go with that.

I think I tend to be an "inflammation" type person in general. Had a tooth crown redone this year and it still has something of an ache it shouldn't, so if that were infected, it would explain a lot. I had a strep infection this spring and was on antibiotics that were rough on the gut, but have been carefully rebuilding with probiotics. I've really felt run down for weeks, my husband has commented on it.

My heart rate has been low all spring as well--like a resting heart rate in the 50s.

[arTistapple]

I have been watching for your follow up post from last time. Glad the heart stuff better but gut problems etc a nuisance. I wrote a long post to you and lost it. Probably best. Anyway been catching up on your posts. You have been through a lot. Don’t underestimate that. You could easily be under medicated. In the UK it’s unlikely we would be referred to an endo. However your system of health is different I know. If I were you I would attempt to continue “to slither under the radar” if you feel at all confident and work with the forum. I find dealing with doctors less than helpful. The stress in the build up to speaking to them is really unnecessary but as they most often can’t help, I think they feel unnecessarily stressed too. If only they were more honest and educated re: thyroid issues! Makes their behaviour appalling.

[LostinHeadSpace in reply to arTistapple]

Thanks for the kind words! We really have had a wild ride with health stuff in our family.

I ended up seeing the physician's assistant instead of the doctor, but she was quite good, and is ordering a bunch of bloodwork. She said she had an endo who understands Armour, so I agreed to go, and will do the full iron panel and CBC again first.

[arTistapple in reply to LostinHeadSpace]

That sounds like it could be good. We are tentative in our optimism! Keep us informed.