Please advise on iron panel blood test results

[cbraffe]

Please can anyone advise if I need to take iron tablets with these results. I feel so tired. Due to see the endo on Monday but I know he might say it is in range.The blood tests are as follows:

I sent the TSH, T3and t4 in a previous email.

Folic acid 9.6 range e >2.7

B12 695 ng/L range 160-800ng/L

MCV 94.6FL range 83.5 -99.5FL

MCH 338g/L range 315-350g/L

Transferrin 2.5 range 1.7-3.4 g/L

Iron 10 umol/L range 9-30umol/L

Platelets 269x10^9/L

Range 135-400 x10^9/L

Please send me the zoom link.

Thank you.

Catherine

[cbraffe]

Please ignore the zoom link. That was a message to the endo sectrary

[pennyannie]

Hey there :

I'm sorry I don't know enough to answer you -

all results ' look to be well in the ranges ' - but for your iron which is on the bottom rung of a 21 rung range - and I mentioned folic acid / folate in a previous reply.

Hope Monday comes and goes without too much stress - take good care :

[cbraffe in reply to pennyannie]

Please can I start taking iron or both iron/folic acid. I am taking thorne B complex as recommended here. I just want to be able to get out of bed without being breathless

[pennyannie in reply to cbraffe]

Well yes, I would think so - if there was nothing untoward found on the colonoscopy and endoscopy investigations -

I found an iron bisglycinate - Gentle Iron - less harsh on my stomach and not constipating as I couldn't tolerate the NHS ferrous fumarate iron tablets :

I did ask for an iron infusion but that was refused -

so it did take me a good few months before I could stand long enough to cook myself something to eat and weed my little rockery within the same day !!

[cbraffe in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you. I have been in bed since last September. I believe the ulcer treatment has further worsened my low stomach acid. I have some will start today and, book a blood test in 4 weeks.

[pennyannie in reply to cbraffe]

I think 4 weeks is not long enough if you're looking for an improvement in iron.

Maybe in the appointment on Monday there might be an offer of a faster means to get the level up.?

[cbraffe in reply to pennyannie]

I will try.

[cbraffe in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you so much.

[Bertiepuss]

What's your ferritin value? I can't see it but maybe I'm missing it!

EDIT: Just seen it on your last post - 156ug/L - That looks like a pretty decent level unless you have raging inflammation. What's your CRP? That will give an idea of your inflammation levels so you can make a judgment about falsely raised ferritin due to inflammation.

Personally I wouldn't take supplements with a ferritin level of 156 and look to consume iron through diet. Too much iron is not a good thing and can become toxic. The serum iron value on the iron panel shows what is currently going on in the blood at one given time. It matters how you took the test. If you were fasted and/or not been consuming iron rich foods 12 or so hours before the test then you would see this value towards the bottom of the range. If you'd consumed an iron rich meal (or taken an iron supplement) then it will be higher. Ferritin is what you have in storage ready for the body to call on when it needs more iron - your stores look good unless you have inflammation.

[cbraffe in reply to Bertiepuss]

The ferritin is raised due to inflammation. The test was taken while recovering from gastritis. I do not think the took the CRP level. My ferritin is always under 50 the worst was 13 as I do not eat red meat. I started taking chicken liver but, still feel very weak can barely get out of bed. Also, my gums are sore and mouth very dry

[Bertiepuss in reply to cbraffe]

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm afraid I can't advise further as I have only dealt with low ferritin personally. I do know that iron supplements are hard on the stomach so if you have gastritis then they may well cause more problems. I had issues with ferrous fumarate (no gastritis but this type of iron began to cause it) but have done well with iron bisglycinate from Avvalabs. Has your gastritis completely resolved now?

[cbraffe in reply to Bertiepuss]

Hi Bertiepuss,Thanks for responding. I hope you are well.

I am still not fully recovered, my tummy still hurts depending on what I eat. I am really struggling. I have been having chicken liver and beetroot juice however, I am not making any progress.

[Bertiepuss in reply to cbraffe]

I think you really need to check CRP to see what levels of inflammation you actually have. Then address the gastritis, which it sounds like you are doing. The risk with taking iron supplements is they may irritate your stomach further but I'm afraid I'm not the right person to ask about this due to only really having dealt with very classic iron deficiency and anaemia caused by low ferritin and no inflammation.

In the past when I had a very bad bout of gastritis I did find the product below healed the lining over a few weeks. It's very expensive to get in the UK now due to having to import from the USA but it worked well. It was not an immediate cure and I had it in conjunction with a very bland diet but it prevented me having to take PPI's.

uk.iherb.com/pr/metagenics-...

Also stewed apples which are supposed to be healing and something I continue to eat on a regular basis. healthpath.com/gut-health/s...

I would be inclined to work on gut healing first because until your digestion is working well then supplements of any kind, and nutrients in food for that matter, are not going to be absorbed properly. That's what I would personally do for myself but of course this not medical advice.

[cbraffe in reply to Bertiepuss]

Thank you. I will order the supplements.

[cbraffe in reply to Bertiepuss]

I had to have the PPIs for 2 months as I tested positive for hpyroli. My GP put me on 6 different antibiotics in a space of 3 months which made the situation worse. They first misdiagnosed me with a different infection. After taking the antibiotics I realised it had lactose, they changed to another one which had to be taken as granules. 7 days antibiotics in a single dose, that made my gut worse. I have ordered the powder. I will try the apples too. Thank you.

[Bertiepuss in reply to cbraffe]

You're welcome, I hope it helps 🙏 No wonder you've been having problems, your poor gut has had some major assaults! ☹️ I hope the h. pylori has been killed now. Definitely gut healing needs to take place before you add something like iron - that can be revisited in a few months time. Throwing everything in at once I find doesn't work for me, it just upsets the delicate system further.

[cbraffe in reply to Bertiepuss]

Thank you. The problem is fatigue, I am not functioning at all. I was hoping to be up and about by now. I will persevere .

[cbraffe in reply to Bertiepuss]

Hpyroli was eradicated however, my tummy is still very sore due to the harsh treatment. Thank you

[Bertiepuss in reply to cbraffe]

Well that's one positive step towards healing but it will take time for the lining to rebuild and your microbiome to come back into harmony. Then hopefully the fatigue will begin to lift once your digestion works a bit better.

[cbraffe in reply to Bertiepuss]

Thank you.