Hello, I have recently had a blood test after visiting my gp with pains in my right leg (which I have had since the birth of my son 13 years ago) that had travelled and become more persistent, as well as pain and numbness in my right arm leading to a cold hand.
A full blood test has shown my folate abnormal , magnesium, kidney , liver , thyroid borderline and cholesterol had a number I don’t understand. Straight away I have been prescribed 5mg of folic acid to be taken for4 months and asked to book an appointment with the gp to discuss results . In the appointment the gp mentioned thyroid levels and perhaps going on medication . He has asked for a repeat blood test in 2 months to compare because problems with the thyroid is hard to diagnose . When I asked about the other levels , especially liver and kidney being borderline , he replied that if one thing is unbalanced , it unbalances them all .
I was just wondering if other people have had similar issues with all of their levels being out of the normal area at the beginning of their diagnosis? Did the levels for kidney and liver level out once starting medication? I am trying not to freak out but seeing the test results is worrying! I’m getting appointments made for me left right and centre and whilst I’m grateful that they are doing their best to look after me , I don’t really know what’s happening .
Also , may I ask - did anyone not respond well to the folic acid ? I could help my energy levels before by eating regularly, however , on the medication, my appetite has gone and I just feel nauseous . It’s making me feel worse than before.
Thanks for taking the time to read .
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So you can get better replies, please share your exact blood test results.
For thyroid, especially TSH, Free T4, Free T3 and vitamin D3, B12, folate and ferritin - just share any of those that you have. Also, did you have any antibody tests done?
When you share results, please include the ranges for each as well.
Hello, no antibody tests yet , I have only had a full blood count because my gp mentioned my symptoms were vague and could mean multiple things. I will be having another test in October, so presumably they will do a more in depth thyroid test.
Thank you for the information , I will book the test as early in the day as possible . I didn’t realise that the time of day can affect the results . Only a full blood test has been done so far, I’m presuming the blood test in October will investigate the thyroid more in depth to give a clearer picture.
Thorne Basic B recommended vitamin B complex that contains folate, but they are large capsules. (You can tip powder out if can’t swallow capsule) Thorne can be difficult to find at reasonable price, should be around £20-£25. iherb.com often have in stock. Or try ebay
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 5-7 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
Thank you for all the information! It’s really kind of you to take the time out of your day to post this . My test was about 915 am , I did my morning as normal and ate breakfast because it was a non-fasting blood test , I will skip the breakfast and coffee for the next one and book an early morning slot.
Is it worth booking at the same time in my menstrual cycle or does that not seem to have an effect ?
As for levels going down as we get older , I am 42 so I presume the levels are quite low for my age ? I will be looking at my diet and trying to squeeze in some more vitamin and mineral dense foods .
The more I research I do, the more this makes sense. After having my son 13 years ago , I could no longer have the contraceptive pill because no matter which I tried , I felt awful on it. Once stopping it altogether, I went back to the doctors a few times saying I felt really lethargic and didn’t feel myself. I was advised that I have ‘true pms’ get some fresh air , exercise and eat well so I’ve always blamed the weak feeling to where I am in my cycle , or that I’m coming down with something that never turns into anything, or motherhood , grief etc when it may have been the start of the thyroid struggling . Our doctors closed so the gp I saw I had never met before . It seems he is very thorough (as well as the prescription, I have had a phonecall from the doctors pharmacist to check how I am doing on the tablets) which makes me feel like he will get to the bottom of this.
A few days ago, there was a thread on the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum about folate/folic acid. And, despite being in the context of B12 injections, it might be worth a read:
I think your GP has done quite well picking up the thyroid/ folate etc, and referring you on checking that nothing is really amiss. But from experience yes once one hormone or vitamin or mineral level is out then others follow for eg improve the thyroid levels and cholesterol levels improve. Yes get the folate up as suggested above, and consider investing in a private full thyroid test with TSH, FT4, FT3 plus antibody TPO plus TgAb and important ferritin, folate, vit d and b12. I had a very raised TgAb result which is rarely tested by NHS to confirm Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Thank you . This puts my mind at rest regarding the other levels. October will come around fast and then hopefully things will start to become clearer after the second blood test .
I have received my latest test results , I thought that I was having a full blood test again but it was only the thyroid function test this time , the results are :
Thyroid function test
Serum free T4 level 15.6 pmol/L [10.0 -
22.01
Serum TSH level 5.1 mu/L |0.3 - 4.2];
Above high reference limit
The TSH has came down by 0.2 and against the test result has been written ‘satisfactory, no further action to be taken’.
I had pre booked an appointment to see the gp when booking the blood test because my symptoms are still persisting and new symptoms have started ( horrendous headaches that start from the shoulders, up the back of my neck and round to the back of my eyes , they make me nauseous and are horrible ! ) I should feel relieved that they think the results are satisfactory but I’m so upset ! I have started having to have sick days from work because I have been so poorly and I never ever take time off work usually . My other half is going to come with me to the appointment so he can help me to explain how poorly I am at times .
Has anyone been in a similar position? Is it worth going for a private blood test before the appointment ? How is this usually received the the gp ? I am so nervous that they will think I am making a fuss over nothing .
Recommend you start a new post, you can always link to this one but people can look it up in your profile. As this post is 2 months old it will struggle for attention.
Personally, I would never take folic acid, I would only take methylfolate, which is available without prescription from Amazon and other sites selling supplements.
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