Exhausted and out of breath, anaemia? Thyroid?

[Hazelmazel]

I've been getting steadily more and more knackered over the last few weeks and am very out of breath doing anything (for example, couldn't manage to put shopping away from delivery without needing a sit down)
I've been to GP and had blood tests and an exam. Didn't find anything obvious to cause breathlessness when examined. Blood results are back and I'm in that annoying position where to me, the results look low but they are 'in range'. Ferritin level was 29, tsh was 4.2.
I'm expecting to be told that as everything is in range, it's all fine and go away essentially.
Has anyone had results like this and similar symptoms? Can lowish iron and/or highish TSH be causing this? I've previously argued with various gps over my Tsh as it's always at that sort of level but they have all been adamant it's totally fine.

Yes! About a year ago, I had stiff aching joints, breathless and very low energy.
Blood tests revealed thyroid levels were ‘borderline’ so told nothing they could do.
I still have symptoms but have now gained another 2 stone despite actively trying to lose weight.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that Witch, was there anything else looked in to or were you just written off? It's intensely frustrating.

I can't get an appointment with GP to even discuss results for 2 more weeks so I've ordered myself some ferrous fumarate anyway, will see if that makes a difference

I'm on iron supplements and my ferritin is 33. Do you feel almost like you can't quite suck in the last bit of a breath and maybe yawning would help?

Could also be mildly symptomatic covid, or long covid after mild covid.

Another here saying could it be covid? I'm in bed at the moment, had covid in august and my energy and chest never righted themselves

COVID or long COVID.

I don't know, I've had two viruses since September and they always affect my chest (had pneumonia several years ago) but both times covid test was negative.
I'm not at all breathless if I'm not doing anything, but I'm puffing if I go upstairs or walk around a lot (I mean, in the house, not even going outside for a walk!) or doing household things you know, folding a load of washing and carrying it upstairs etc. Really minor things!
@DrCoconut - did your GP suggest supplements or did you get them yourself? I'm so tired all the time.

Same Op except my breathlessness can be even if I'm sitting at my desk, and I can feel fine if I go on a hill walk. As a pp says I get the feeling I can't take a full breath and I feel I need to yawn to get a full breath... although that does not really satisfy me either.
Anyway I came on to say that I had blood tests too (been having this for 9 months on and off). My ferritin was in ok levels but borderline. 29 I think? I asked GP if that could be causing breathlessness but she said no, you have to be seriously anaemic for it to give you breathlessness. Who knows.... but that's what one GP said.

I have this and since mid 2019 and have low folate and slightly low iron and it does improve when I take ferobglobin but hospital said they suspected it would be allergic asthma. But for that there would need to be something in your house you could be allergic too. In our case I have a thatched house and indoor rabbits which appeared around then so hay and they thought it was that.

It maybe worth trying something for the low iron and seeing if its helps. When I take Feroglobin I feel a lot better. Anti-histamines stop my breathless completely.

Are you properly hydrated? Dehydration can cause breathlessness too. Chronic dehydration might fly under the radar.

Also if you're stressed you might not be breathing deeply enough (if you're tensed up and only filling the top of your lungs) and that would make you feel breathless too.

My GP has prescribed iron.

Have you had your B12 checked? B12 issues can cause "the sighs", exhaustion etc.

It's within the normal range for TSH, but on the higher end of normal.

DrCoconut I do already have pernicious anaemia so am already a bit below par with that but have been much worse than normal recently. I self inject b12 regularly and have done for years now and am generally on a pretty even keel with that.
I take antihistamines daily anyway, I get hay fever and it works best if I take it continuously.
I don't struggle with taking a full breath, I can breathe deeply no problem but I just am disproportionately out of breath with minimal exertion.
I don't feel stressed, just knackered.

I'm not meaning to be glib, as what you're feeling sounds horrible, but are you sure you're not just feeling unfit due to lockdown? It's unusual for all of us to be staying indoors so much and we're getting on for a year of restrictions now. Embarrassingly, I thought I was developing asthma because I was huffing and puffing so much getting up the stairs! Turns out I'd just never stayed indoors for a year before. Might it be something similar?

@JovialNickname

I'm not meaning to be glib, as what you're feeling sounds horrible, but are you sure you're not just feeling unfit due to lockdown? It's unusual for all of us to be staying indoors so much and we're getting on for a year of restrictions now. Embarrassingly, I thought I was developing asthma because I was huffing and puffing so much getting up the stairs! Turns out I'd just never stayed indoors for a year before. Might it be something similar?

Interesting point.

Which daily antihistamines are you taking? Some can cause drowsiness / lack of energy.

I’ve had some similar symptoms recently and put it down to a general lack of sunlight and activity over many months. Be reassured by your blood tests. But do go back and see them if it doesn’t improve. If it’s going to take 2 weeks to get a GP appt I’d be tempted to say take the appt and cancel it 48 hrs before if you’re feeling better

I have B12 injections every 4 months. I would talk again to GP and ask re: Iron tablets. The breathless going up stairs but not otherwise sounds like Anaemia to me (there is a useful anaemia group on Twitter). As to you Thyroid I would ask if your T4 levels can also be tested if your TSH are at all borderline.

Persist with your GP. My friend had sudden onset breathlessness on exertion. She had xray, blood test and an echo cardiogram. She possibly has a leaky heart valve; specialist appointment pending.

I was diagnosed with anaemia in December, the GP said my iron level was 110 when it should have been 120 so obviously a different scale used. I've been breathless a lot lately so it's interesting other people are experiencing that, I also thought it was just general unfitness from being indoor for 10 months.

It's an interesting point about lockdown but because of the pernicious anaemia I've battled over the last few years to build up any sort of fitness and over the last 18-24 months have been the best I've been for many years. I've been able to do hour-long walks with no problems until the last 4-6 weeks. I should take vitamin D more regularly though, as should we all probably.
I take loratidine antihistamines at night time and have done for a couple of years now.

Yes this time last year I was on the floor but only thing that came back from bloods was boarderline vit D. Realised after research the recommended European levels were much much higher than Uk. Started taking the higher level in line with European recommendations and now feel so much better. I used to ache walking up the stairs in the morning.!

Disclaimer : not a doctor. I used to get very breathless when exercising. I took a thriva test in September and my ferritin levels were 19 - while not officially 'low' they were 'sub optimal'. I began taking over the counter ferrous fumerate. In Jan it is now 54 - I feel so much better! I also had sub optimal vit d and folate so I have been supplementing that too therefore I can't say if it is just the higher ferritin that has made me feel better or everything. On thriva the optimal range for ferritin starts at 44 and goes up to 150 so its a big range. I think I have read elsewhere on mumsnet that 70+ is what you should aim for. But check with doc maybe first and get them prescribed as there may be more things to be careful of with your pernicious anemia and b12 issues. Hope you feel better soon!