My 24 year old daughter has not been well for some time now and we've had an appointment with an endo doctor. Her symptoms in her words are:
physical fatigue not just tired (I have got to the stage where I have to lie down during the day and have gone from an active person to a very sluggish person.)
I have extreme thirst and can not leave the house without water. I consume lots of water as if I don’t I get headaches.
I have 3-5 migraines a week, I have to take anadin (paracetamol, aspirin and caffeine ones) as soon as the change of vision starts and lie in a dark room for a couple of hours. I also use a cold cap. These come at random times and can really affect my life. I have had a few instances where I have had people stood next to me and my peripheral vision could not see them.
I itch all over my body. Especially my legs at night.
When I wash or brush my hair I have excessive hair loss. There are no bald patches that I can see but it’s thinning.
I suffer brain fog and bad memory.
I have heat intolerance and wilt like a flower. A recent example of this was walking to work, it’s a 10 min slow walk and when I got to work I had to sit infant of a fan and drink ice water. When it’s hot at night I sleep with a fan on and if I’m out in hot weather I can not exert myself as this causes me to drip with sweat, headaches, sluggish and have to sleep in a cold room to recover.
I get heart palpitations at least 3 times a week. These happen randomly and I feel my pulse in my neck racing.
My bloods with the eno were low in ferritin and iron, my uncle, who suffers from malabsorption of iron sent my bloods to his haematologist who messaged him back saying get me to ask GP for an urgent referral and she will urgently triage me, due to my bloods.
In the bloods from endo my cortisol and prolactin were high and I have research this in conjunction with my symptoms and I keep coming across people with pituitary adenoma. My cousin at my age had really bad migraines, like me, and she had a scan on her head/neck/base of scull and they found am aneurysm which was straddling the nerve for her peripheral vision.
She is asking for a scan as she wants to rule out Pituitary adenomas plus she is going to see a haematologist as her iron has been low for a long time now (14) and her endo just suggested taking off the shelf iron tablets. She has had thyroid bloods taken as her symptoms suggested there was a thyroid problem and they seem normal. She is really fed up with being made to feel she is a hypochondriac. She knows her own body and is convinced something (other than stress and no proper sleep routine as sugested by endo) is causing her to feel like this. Any help on where she can go next or if anyone has had similar symptoms, would be appreciated.
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WendyW1964
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My daughter wrote to the endo as he just referred to her fatigue and none of her other symptoms. He also told her to come off her contraceptive pill which she is wary of as the symptoms she suffered before taking the pill could come back on top of her current poor health. Any views on this would be appreciated.
She originally thought her thyroid was causing her symptoms. We got her bloods done and they came back with low iron/ferritin and sky high vitamin D. She has private health so we asked to be referred to an endocrinologist. He has just said take iron tablets and multi vitamins for the next 4 months and then have bloods re done. She is really upset as she feels so unwell.
Low folate, B12 and ferritin make you feel dire... did I miss read the Vit D I though it was low?
These will all effect her thyroid function as good levels are essential... my daughter had similar results and is now bouncing around again having supplemented 🤗
The Heme iron, Thorne Basic B and separate B12 spray as a loading dose for 2 months, Vit D + K2 oral spray
Still trying to find the best B12 version for her as could be higher but at least now midway, now switched her to Igennus Super B as a holding dose of one a day... can take two
Try heme iron Three Arrows is good but comes from America so rubbish timing... Iron bisglycinate is another that is easier on the stomach.... what are the chances of her eating chicken liver pate a couple of times a week?
Is she happy taking pills? If not Better You do a range of mouth sprays which many like
Thank you. Re her iron her uncle who doesn't absorb iron and has been having iron infusions for the past year has shown her bloods to his heamatologist and she said get an urgent referral and she will get it quickly triaged. The GP today has done a private referral to a heamotologist.
It's possible to have low ferritin and still have high iron so we always warn people to get a full iron panel done before supplementing... iron is funny old stuff!
hi! Sorry that you feel this way, I can’t see the images clearly but I can relate to you. I was diagnosed with a pituitary enlargement they could not find a tumor, and last year with hashimoto thyroid disease. My symptoms are similar, I do have bad insomnia that the one that makes me feel horrible. I would cut gluten right away, stop eating processed food. Look into the AIP diet I have stated to follow this diet it’s only been a month and half and I feel that my body is feeling better, now working on my sleep and is important to keep stress down. What ever it is going on the body can heal it self if you give it the right condition! Stay positive
A couple of symptoms jump out at me one being extreme thirsty, also vision, headache sweating and itching fatigue .
Doses your daughter need the toilet quite alot? (to urinate) especially through night?.
Does she feel shaky and sick?
As she had here calcium checked?
If her calcium is over her parathyroid hormone should also be checked.
Look up primary hyperparathyroidism and normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism, it can easily be ruled out with bloods.
These are the symptoms I have and were diagnosed this year, the vision loss is awful, I've always to drink water I'm constantly thirsty, have headaches, fatigued to the point I sometimes just want to sleep all day.
I don't have a thyroid now through graves disease.
But it won't harm yourself and your daughter to go down every avenue.
In normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism the calcium is at the top end.. My resting calcium was 2.25 before it started jumping up to 2.51,2.53 but because it's not over range gps and endocrinologists think you can't have a parathyroid problem, no so.If she could find out what her calcium was before she started to feel unwell that's a starting point, but to me it looks at the top end (2.51) I'd be asking for a PTH test along with calcium and vid D.
Also what gps and endocrinologists don't realise is the calcium can bounce in and out of range, so doing only one cal test would not rule it in or out, 3 consecutive tests should be done to see how the calcium and parathyroid hormone are performing.
She is not vegetarian or vegan. She enjoys cooking meals from scratch so doesn't eat much processed food. The endo said take multi vitamins, iron tablets and vitamin D for 4 months then have bloods re done. She is gutted to have to wait 4 months as she is applying for full time work and her headaches/migraines plus fatigue scare her.
With serum B12 result below 500, (Or active B12 below 70) recommended to be taking a separate B12 supplement and 10-14 days later add a separate vitamin B Complex
Then once serum B12 is over 500 (or Active B12 level has reached 70), may be able to reduce then stop the B12 and just carry on with the B Complex.
If Vegetarian or vegan likely to need ongoing separate B12 few times a week
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 stop vitamin B complex, might want to consider taking a separate folate supplement (eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg) and continue separate B12
Post discussing how biotin can affect test results
Serum ferritin level is the biochemical test, which most reliably correlates with relative total body iron stores. In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing.
It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron
Test early morning, only water to drink between waking and test. Avoid high iron rich dinner night before test
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
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
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. ‘
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New bloods
Bloods results help please
