Anyone please able to help give me any idea what these results mean to me? GP fast tracked me for bloods & pelvic scan due to a cpl sml vaginal bleeds/spotting (I'm 67)
Results have only just been put on my record but GP not spoken to me regarding it. (Report says Satisfactory)
....... hands up, I do get that my having suplimented B12 probably has likely influenced/caused this. 🤔 I have/had been taking B12 500ug daily......have now removed from the pill box!
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Its not harmful to have too much b12 as any excess will just leave your body via the toilet. Its more harmful to not have enough. You could always just take your B12 supplement weekdays and skip weekends.
What have you been taking to raise your folate? Again you could just take it on weekdays as your result is now above the reference range.
If you stop a supplement then your level of that vtamin will slowly reduce to where you started which often isnt a good place. Better to reduce supplementing rather thna stop altogether.
There is no result for inflammation (Usually CRP). Sometimes if there is inflammation in the body then ferritin can be falsely raised.
Your ferritin result looks good unless you have inflammation.
He Jatdee, thanks for responding. What raises folate? Don't think I take anything specific for that, but who knows?...... cause I don't know what I'm doing half the time, to be honestThere were 3 blood reports done, this is the 2nd.
Pathology Investigations
Urea and electrolytes
Serum sodium level 135 mmol/L [133.0 - 146.0]
Serum potassium level 4.4 mmol/L [3.5 - 5.3]
Serum urea level 3.5 mmol/L [2.5 - 7.8]
Serum creatinine level 51 umol/L [45.0 - 84.0]
eGFR using creatinine (CKD-EPI) per 1.73 square metres > 90 mL/min [90.0 - 200.0]; Note that extremes of muscle mass and high protein
Igennus B complex popular option too. Nice small tablets. Most people only find they need one per day. But a few people find it’s not high enough dose
IMPORTANT......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
In week before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate folate supplement (eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg)
Post discussing how biotin can affect test results
Hi Eeyore100, sorry missed this cause it's in the middle of my thread (guess there's a way to do it Iv just not mastered it, yet) So Folic Acid is not so bad for us? I I asked google after someone said no folic acid, I think Folic Acid is synthetic form & Folate is the narural form of B9, is that right? : )
This link explains the difference 🤗some of them list folic when it is actually methylfolate 😕 but if it just state folic then that's what it is and it'll need converting into folate in your system to the usable form
I think these results are all good, are they? Is there something in I could be doing for better results? I try to research as much as my wayward brain will allow but do get bit bamboozled with a lot of it.
In many ways the biggest question is how do you feel? I'm guessing thats not great in that you're hoping to get a T4/T3 combo prescribed?
Firstly Holland & Barrett vitamins will not be the best that you can take. They tend to be the inactive form that many peoples bodies cannot utilise by converting them to the active form.
Multivitamins are not recommended in this group for a number of reasons, including being too low a dose to raise levels to optimal, including iodine which is not recommended when hypo and including iron which prevents absorption of the other vitamins and should be taken apart from other vitamins/Levo.
The multivitamin you are taking contains the cheaper form of folate so you could probably drop the multivit anyway as your result is over range.
Jaydee & SlowDragon, I can't find the words to let you know just how much it means when things are beyond you to have good 'In the know' people there, giving you their time.
I work for Holland and Barrett and we do sell B vitamins containing folate the active form…
We also sell a lot of supplements with active ingredients including drops/sprays/liquids that go straight into the bloodstream and bypass the stomach which is great for us hashi sufferers! 😁
I have had numerous people come back to my store telling me how the products I have recommended have changed there lifes!
Through learning from this group and living with hashimotos for 15 years and becoming my own health advocate I have gained the knowledge to now help people… which is why I am now an expert advisor at holland and Barrett 😊
Hi I really think that perhaps you are taking a too high dose of b12 I would have halved the dose then get retestedThere are mixed studies on B12 look them up some say not harmful others say other wise so for myself I would be cautious . Not all supplements are good. Good luck great that you are checking your results .
Yea, it is all a bit mind boggling ....what's good for us? .... What's not? Specially with a muddled mind to contend with in the first place! 😂 .....an even More Boggled mind 😨 Think I'll go with SlowDragon advice on a good B complex & ditch the B12 & Biotin.iv just had call from GP's to say dont go anywhere for 2wks, they fast tracking me for Gyny app, so may they will discover something re this - wondered if high B12 may have something to do with the spotting? Thank you : )
when my B-12 went over range I researched it and found there are three most likely causes: Taking too much B12. Genetic mutation which causes low utilization with high circulating levels (so your body is actually deficient even though blood levels are high). And third - colon tumor, which was my cause. Within days of colon surgery B-12 returned to mid range. Three large cohort studies in the Netherlands. When I asked my GI surgeon he said “oh, we all know that.”
So if not over supplementing might be good flag to get a colonoscopy.
If you are supplementing with ANY B12 I'm afraid your blood serum level is completely unreliable and doesn't inform on anything other that you have been supplementing and there is a lot of B12 floating in your blood. Whether any of it is going to the cells is unknown and it could be around 1% of what you take.
If you really want to know about your B12 and folate you need to have at least 2 weeks free of folate and at least 4 MONTHS free of B12 in any supplements, B12 fortified foods or energy drinks. Natural high folate could actually mean you are B12 deficient because they work in tandem and when one is high the other one is often low but supplementing skews it all so not a good guide to what is really going on.
Because we need all the B vitamins for the nervous system and B12 is involved in a lot of neurological processes including nerve myelination as well as in the red cells production and most workings of the body. Ideally you get it all from your diet if you eat meat, fish eggs and dairy but if it is still low despite the diet than it should be investigated why and remedied by supplementation. If malabsorption is present however, the only practically viable way of supplementing is by injection because of the very complex pathway of B12 processing through the digestive tract where things can go wrong at every stage of the process and if the normal diatery supply doesn't work than no other oral, sublingual or skin application will either to produce amounts required for the body to function well.
Thank you Samara, you have just triggered a far off memory of this, as there is family history of Ulcerative Colitis & Chrones in my family & 2 sisters had B12 injections. Think I'm getting stuck on the bit that you can have high level but it's circulating in the blood......how do they know it circulating & not going where it should?
The bottom line, it's very difficult to guess what your natural level might be if you supplement that's why you have to be off B12 for months. B12 deficiency symptoms are practically identical to hypothyroidism and low sex hormones and a few other things but if neurological symptoms are present the only way to know whether B12 helps is by having injections and usually by doing it yourself because the present stance is to take people off injections even if they need them so little hope of getting them from doctors. There are other tests to look at in conjuction with B12 to have a better picture of it. Best place to learn about it all is in the Pernicious Anaemia-B12 Deficiency Support Group on FB which is very scientifically based and can interpret test results for you.
Very intresting, thank you. think I was likely over due to the high B12 suppliment & multi vit every 2nd day & a good diet. iv ordered Igennus B Complex & see how I go. Appreciate all your help here 😊 thank you
Just bear in mind that with the B12 in your B complex your blood level will continue to be high so still cannot rely on testing. Also make sure you are not having too much B6 (less than 10 mcg) in your complex because this is the only B vitamin which can become toxic if it builds up from prolonged usage of high doses. Though a lot of people are deficient in B6 too and it has similar symptoms to low B12 you need to be careful you don't overdo this one. If you have a good diet you shouldn't really need to supplement at all unless you are vegan but hypothyroidism can make things difficult for us on a lot of fronts so worth keeping an eye on the B vitamins too. Good luck!
Where doctors get confused themselves and make erroneous statements is there is data on a high b12 reading (when there is not a high degree of supplementation causing it) *can* mean there is an underlying condition in the body not found as yet. B12 being supplemented did not cause anything. A high b12 reading can highlight it in isolation. As discussed up thread.
I will use me as an example. I need b12 shots. If my b12 is tested, which is not necessary when one is found to have an absorption issue, it would be very high. Just would. Probably way above the range. This is completely normal in my situation, with needed shots. Some doctors are sadly not educated enough in this area to know this fact. And that can cause very serious issues for people who need not to be taken off supplementation.
But a high b12 level can also be due to an underlying issue. And that becomes very clear when one has a high number but does not supplement.
That is not you re: little or no supplementation.
But you are not taking excessive amounts either. *You probably just absorb it well*. But to be safe, since you're not taking shots or excessive amounts, others have rightly explained that is a good idea to make sure it not high for other reasons. Simply to cross it off, that is all. Once again, you probably just absorb well.
I wrote what I did for anyone reading. Because taking high levels of b12, especially needed due to absorption issues, is not dangerous as mentioned here at one point. That is dangerous for those that need supplementation to hear. And there is not any clear scientific data to say otherwise, as was also mentioned. Unfortunately doctors often confuse high b12 in a lab result due to an underlying issue versus high b12 due to supplementation.
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Someone mentioned a Facebook group. Just be aware there is one that pushes some erroneous information and suggestions. Just be aware.
Thank you Litatamon, right - get what you're saying..... I think. I just find myself going round in circles sometimes - as my granny used to say 'Dont know if i'm doin right fur doin wrang' I was thinking I should start B-Complex (stopping B12 & Biotin) now not sure if I should stop everything wait to get Vit levels tested? Sorry if Im being a Numpty 😞 just don't know if I'v got this bit right.....Do we never know if our B12 levels are good? How did you find out you have absorption issues?
Most people know clearly. Clear low reading for any reason for a b12 deficiency. Whether that be absorption or diet (Vegan, vegetation, not eating enough etc.)
Most absorption issues become clear as most of the time the symptoms over time become extremely serious and serum shows low. So one would know. Me - suffered for years with over thirty symptoms & was at 102 when finally found. And pretty well bedridden.
In these distinct issues of an absorption issue and low clear readings (reasons are varied -Pernicious Anemia, celiac, h pylori, aging, Crohn's, gastric bypass, tapeworm, use of certain meds etc. etc.) usually one has b12 shots and need them to be ongoing unless the absorption issue can be helped/reversed a la getting off an affecting medication. But usually for life, ongoing.
But.....
There are cases of what is called Functional b12 deficiency. Where the labs are not showing a deficiency but the serum b12 is not getting to where it needs to go. These situations are more rare. And a boatload of symptoms would come over time as well. Again some very serious ones.
And then there are people who are low normal in range but many countries want people to be very low in range to get treatment.
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One of my sisters is in your situation. No known absorption issue. She has taken a sublingual every day for over a decade. And felt/feels great. Last month her doctor told her her numbers are too high and told her to stop. Ie. Doctor does not know there is no medical science of too much b12, unlike other vitamins. To me that is risky going into her older age because aging in itself decreases our ability to absorb.
Never ever worry about not understanding. First I am not always the best at communicating & radd (Thyroid UK member) has attempted to explain thyroid issues to me multiple times, and I am crazy slow understanding. Have brain fog still. So I get it. And it's way more than you started your thread about. I just wanted people reading to know the facts about sometimes needing continual treatment. Many people with absorption issues have been taken off supplementation with dire consequences.
That misconceptions about b12 link I left is a great read. Concise and informative.
Oh my goodness..... quite scary, you have been thru it! I just had to google 'sublingual'😮 Thank you for taking your time & being so patient & understanding it has helped me a lot. This condition makes me question myself a lot lately specially my sanity, but I joke bout it with the family cause think that sort of keeps me sane'.....ish! 🤪 so iv ordered Igennus B-Complex to arrive tomorow. 👍see how I go.
If your b12 tests high, please consider finding a good onc/Hematologist, and perhaps the b12 wake-up group on Facebook. They are primarily UK based. I'm in the states, and most doctors here I've met, save for a good blood doctor, all said my high b12 readings were nothing to be concerned about. But, that was untrue because I had cancer. Later, a great hema/onc specialist told me high b12 reading can mean your cells aren't absorbing it and so remains in the blood. But I've read reports stating it can indicate cancer.
Please do forgive. I pray you're quite well, indeed .
Also, b12 Malabsorption is part of many disorders, for example, sjogren's syndrome sufferers often have chronically low b12, because they can't absorb it. And so, this can later manifest as Parkinsons disease or other nervous system based conditions.
Thank you for sharing your journey, so lucky you found someone who knew there stuff. I will look at your links but really struggle with the ol' Brain 🐸 & processing info is nigh impossible - I get wee bits here n there n can't always remember which bit goes with which? 😞 I wish you all the very best in your continued recovery, to be well soon : )
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