To think this can still be low?

[NoReaction]

So in april I went to the doctors as I has lots of weird symptoms ( been ill for years doctors dismissed me)

So I had bloods
My vitamin D and
Folic acid was low so was treated for that. vitamin B was on the higher side so all good there ( I read it can be high of low folic acid
Anyway Symptoms still persist so I looked on my NHS app to just check my ferritin levels. They are 23 the range is 15-150 so in range but is low? NICE guidelines suggest 30 is best to feel well
Should I ask for a retest or treatment? Could be be cause of my symptoms?
Serum iron levels was 8.8 range: 5.8 to 34.5
And my Transferrin saturation index:

14.2 %

Normal range:

15.0 to 45.0

Isn't that low?

Also thought I could have thyroid issues but my TSH level is 1.92
Normal range:
0.27 to 4.20
My T4 levels is 14.3
Normal range is 11.3 to 21.6

i know too many people who've been dismissed by Dr's because their blood test results are in the "normal" range but when they've seen the figures they're at the bottom end of normal, or more than one thing at the bottom end of normal can be enough to make you feel unwell.

If you’ve not been tested since April it’s reasonable to ask for another test now.

I had a test in June that showed (among other things) that folic acid was down, so they gave me a course of tablets and got the entire panel of tests re-done a month later to check that the folic acid had gone up correctly, which it had.

So asking to check again after six months (ie now) sounds like a good plan.

You can ask them to check again but bloods have limited diagnostic capacity, I would have thought. If you have some concrete symptoms it might be best to address those specifically. (i.e. if you have shortness of breath or insomnia, I wouldn't really expect to see very much in bloods).

I would absolutely check again.

My ferritin was through the floor. I sometimes had to sit down whilst I was walking the dog - literally so breathless and dizzy I had to sit on a bridleway track.

Two years later, ferritin up significantly and symptoms all gone.

Well, yes, of course. My comment was more to highlight that GPs sometimes look at bloods as if it is the only diagnostic tool available to them. And if the bloods show nothing, they assume there is nothing they need to investigate further.

@Catza thats a fair point, Apols for misunderstanding.

NICE guidelines say ferritin below 30 is deficient. You actually want to aim to get over 100 to be at an optimum level

It won't hurt to take an iron supplement & increase natural sources of iron in your diet. You don't need a prescription for it.

Assume your haemaglobin is normal (a low Hb would mean you are anaemic rather than low ferritin which is the iron storage)

Try increasing your iron for 3 months to see if it makes any difference.

I've got an illness that means I'm often significantly anaemic. I've never had symptoms from low ferritin alone (symptoms come with low Hb/anemia) but some people say they feel better with higher ferritin & there's evidence that the immune response can be compromised with low ferritin (it's needed to form antibodies) so although NHS doesn't formally recommend iron prescription in your case there is probably a benefit from eating more good quality red meat or taking a supplement