FBC blood test & more, would someone kindly review?

[joey82]

Latest bloods from GP's, no thyroid panel, FBC, morning cortisol, testosterone. Would someone kindly review and let me know if there are any anomalies?

[JumpJiving]

joey82 Whilst early morning cortisol isn’t great, it is at a level where you would be discharged by most doctors. Anything above 300nmol/L is usually deemed to be ok. Please do not supplement using over-the-counter stuff again.

Vitamin D is controversial (it’s more like a parahormone or steroid, it’s not really a vitamin). Some people would say you should supplement, others would say to not supplement.

Had a quick look at other levels. Nothing jumped out as needing attention.

[joey82 in reply to JumpJiving]

Thank you Jump jiving. Don't worry I won't be doing that again, I think it's caused further issues.

I know a work colleague who got ill from working indoors and was diagnosed as having a lack of vit D. I have an office job so I take 4000iu's a day via mouth spray.

My 9am blood cortisol has hovered around the 300nmol/L for a few years now.

[JumpJiving in reply to joey82]

joey82 Do you now what your vitamin D level was before you started supplementing?

Genetics are thought to have an effect on where your vitamin D level is, with some of us needing more/less than others. About 50% down to genetics, the other 50% down to food & sunshine. I have supplemented vitamin D with various doses of supplement, and it has made almost no difference to my resulting serum level. I wonder if you have found supplementing has shifted your level much? I am going to try stopping supplementation, and instead improve diet, including eating mushrooms that have been grown in light rather than dark, so that the mushrooms provide a reasonable amount of vitamin D. The big supermarkets have mushrooms labelled to show that they have been grown in conditions that add vitamin D to them.

[joey82]

52nmol/L in May '17. The next reading I have is 73nmol/L in August '22 and beyond that I would have been supplementing with Vit D. My serum level went up after I started supplementing.

I don't think any of my supplement regimes have made any difference, but everyone I talk to and every book I read people are adamant you should keep it up. Even if you're digestive system is working ok then the food we eat is probably lacking in vitamins and minerals due to soil depletion.

The whole supplementation thing has got costly and confusing as there are so many differing opinions on what to take in the thyroid community. I am inclined just to go to a multi vit & mineral, keep the b-complex and jabs and maybe a Vit D spray or have any vit D injection.

My son is enjoying the same Vit D spray as me so I will keep that up for the moment. And it seems a common opinion vit D is good for the immune system and DNA.

Ah cool, I didn't know that, That's interesting. It's hard to get Vit D from food.

[JumpJiving in reply to joey82]

 joey82 There was no reference range given for vitamin D on your test results, but going by the range that MediChecks uses, even your lowest result back in May 2017 was (just) within their reference range.

If you have a family history of multiple sclerosis, then absolutely supplement vitamin D. If you have been diagnosed with the adult equivalent of rickets (I cannot recall the name right now), then absolutely supplement. If you have Crohn's then probably supplement. If you are dark-skinned, living in the north, on a poor diet, and indoors even during summer, probably supplement a small amount. For those of us light-skinned, living in the south, on reasonable diet, and spending time outdoors, without Crohn's and with no family history of MS, it becomes far less clear - diet and sunshine may be all that we need, despite Public Health England's advice. No simple answer I'm afraid - scientists disagreeing make it difficult.

One thing most in the thyroid group would agree on, is that typical multi-vitamins are not great. They tend to combine things where some of those things prevent absorption of some of the other things.

[joey82]

Most, if not all my Vit D results are from the GP's and they don't give a reference range. They just say 'greater than' is acceptable. 50 pmol/L I think.

There is never a simple answer to any of this haha!

Ok noted. I will steer clear of them.

I just hope and pray there is end to this. It's been one of the hardest weeks.

[JumpJiving in reply to joey82]

joey82 Hopefully, once your body gets back to it's pre-Adrenavive state, things will settle down again.

Your other question about morning sickness obviously tells us that there are other things going on in your life at the moment. If change/anxiety/stress might be contributing to how you are feeling at the moment, have you considered talking therapy? Not something I had ever considered until last year when things got a bit overwhelming. I found it very useful. It's available free on the NHS (just Google NHS talking therapy) and doesn't even need a GP referral. I had 10-12 online (video chat) sessions (cannot remember exactly), with an excellent therapist. After completing that block of sessions, if I feel I need more I can get them again apparently, and can even request the same therapist (she has her own practice, but as I can request her again free through the NHS, I'd obviously go for the free route to save some pennies).

[joey82]

Thank you JJ, I hope so too.

Yes my partner is pregnant with our 2nd, due in June. Her morning sickness has settled down now and she is doing well. We decided against another child due to my thyroid disease and associated issues. I just don't feel I have been the Dad I should have been to our son, and I missed so much of the happy times as I was so ill at times. I was there in person, but so consumed with unhappiness and my health issues.

There has been better, and some good times. He still think the world of me, and visa versa.

Before she told me she was pregnant, things seemed to going in the right direction. But then swapping more levo for less t3 and then the adrenavive has really upset things. Rash moves eh.

I am working hard to try and be in a better place physically by the time baby arrives. I don't suffer with anxiety too bad, it's more depression.

I have had counselling before for anxiety and sleep issues. This was a few years back when I wasn't so unwell with thyroid disease. I had problems at work, and the sessions really helped. I could definitely do with some more counselling and will pursue it. My self harming can be quite bad sometimes, my partner says it's scary and my son has been witness to some as well which is just so unpleasant for us all. My mental state is not great, and I still have sleep issues which I strongly believe are not linked solely to thyroid.

I am meditating every day, cold showering and at the gym as much as I can, so I am hopeful things will improve.

thank you for the heads up regarding the NHS, I will definitely look into it. As I think further counselling would really help.

Hope you are well.