Blood test results - can anyone help?

[AgentCooper]

I have been feeling like utter shite lately - exhausted, trouble sleeping, very anxious, nauseous, crampy, tingly hands and feet and aching legs, and losing quite a bit of hair when washing it. I am prone to anxiety anyway and am well aware that lockdown isn’t helping, plus my hormones are probably out of whack as I’m suddenly breastfeeding loads again due to being with DS all the time, and having periods. If anything this feels a lot like having PND on mat leave again.

I had bloods done last week and was told all were normal. I was sent a copy of the results and thought some things looked a bit low myself.

Serum B12 - 453 (range 200-883)
This was the one I was worried about but it looks ok

Serum ferritin - 37 (range 15-200)

Serum folate 5.4 (range 3.1-20)

If you were me would you be taking any action, supplementing?

Do you know if they checked thyroid function?
but yes, I would take supplements. I see an endocrinologist and he frequently tells me some people only feel good / well at the high end of the normal range for those blood tests.

Thanks @FatherBrownsBicycle they did check thyroid but haven’t sent me those results for some reason. I’ll chase them up.

My first thought was thyroid. Did they do thyroid function tests?

Ferritin and folate are on the lower end so yes, I'd probably supplement.

@employeewoes they did - I’ve just asked the receptionist to send me those results. I’m hoping thyroid is genuinely ok because I know I’ll have a battle for treatment if it’s low but ‘normal.’

What about Vit D levels?

Although your ferritin is within range, I think it is thought by some that it needs to be above 80 in order to stop feeling quite so horrible.

Mine was down to 5 and I felt dreadful, and lost loads of hair. GP put me on iron tablets which helped a lot. I was also deficient in vit D which was causing aches and pains.

@RHRA I’ve asked them to send me through the vit D results too so should hopefully see them tomorrow.

@Seeline that’s interesting about 80 being the optimal level. You must have been feeling horrible at 5!

Also - I already take a breastfeeding multivitamin. Do you reckon it’s safe to supplement in addition to that?

Your levels of everything there look fine to me. But yes, to making sure you check your vitamin D levels.

I felt pretty much exactly as you describe (was also bf a then 14 month old). I thought I was going to die. I felt awful. It was my vitamin D.

Yes, it's safe to supplement if you are deficient, but I wouldn't do anything until you know more. But then I took 4000IU of vitamin D a day. I felt much, much better in about a month.

@mindutopia I should be able to see the vit D numbers tomorrow but they did say they were normal on the phone. I take it yours we’re properly deficient?

@mindutopia I’ve just found out they didn’t test vit D so that’s my next stop. I’m going to order a test and we’ll see. I’ve been breastfeeding for 2.5 years and I’m so bloody knackered, achy and low.

My vitamin D were 50 (which is only borderline low). My GP said, well, it's only a little bit deficient and I can't see how that would make you feel so awful. But there is some evidence that above 75 is more 'normal' (and actually the cut off is higher in other countries). I got them up to nearly 100 with supplementation for several months.

Interestingly, in the spring, I started to have similar symptoms again, but not as severe as before. I had them tested (privately) and they were down to 60 again. So I think I am much more sensitive than others. I was also on a good quality breastfeeding vitamin at the time, but obviously was not enough.

I wanted to pop back to this thread and say thanks to everyone who suggested getting my vit D tested. I had just assumed it had been tested by the GP but of course it hadn’t. I ordered a private test and it’s come back as insufficient, so not clinically deficient but not adequate. Which surprised me a bit considering I’ve been taking pre-natal and then breastfeeding vitamins containing the RDA since 2017 and I’ve been outside every day for at least two hours in the middle of the day with my toddler since April, thanks to the pandemic.

I got my test through Better You so they’ll be sending me the supplement spray that they think is the best fit. Fingers crossed this will make a difference.