Blood test results

[Tiddlesem]

I have posted previously about my underactive thyroid and low iron levels. I got a copy of my blood results and cant really understand them and what they mean. For context have been feeling terrible for a long time but my gp seems to think it's depression causing my low energy. Plesse can someone help me interpret these and explain exactly what it means!

Serum ferritin 17.2 [23.0-393.0]
Iron 10 [10-30]
Transferrin sat 18% [30-40]
Folate
Lymp 1.1 [1.5-3.5]
HCT 0.366 [0.370-0.460]
MCHC 34.7 [30.8-34.6]
TSH 1.75 [0.27-4.20]
Free t4 13.10 [11.9-21.6]

I can obviously see that I have low ferritin, low hematocrit (I'm not sure what that really means) I just don't know what this all means essentially. Am I anemic? Do I need iron supplements

It def needs reviewing by a specialist, potentially not just the gp as they are notorious for undertreating. Also anaemia isn’t always simple to treat. It may be that u need a simple supplement. I would also be asking for a full thyroid panel done too

@Grenola hi can I ask what kind of specialist would I need?

You def need to get your feretin up

Dya eat iron rich cereal ?

Kale ? Broccoli ?

Red meat ?

Also have u had your vit d tested ?

Are u in UK - if so dya take vit d daily ?

Also - ask 4 b12 testing

I was low in feretin - vit d and b12 - all at same time - i felt horrendous

B12 - dya take regular egg and potato in your diet ?

Vit d - i take 2000 -3000 iu a day and feel much better

Went from vit d deficient at 33
To vit d 77
Then 89
Etc

Ferritin is the protein that stores the iron, transferrin transports it and serum iron is the actual iron level. They're all too low & some others are off. Agree full thyroid panel. Speak to your GP who should speak to haematology and run further tests & refer accordingly to specialist. Full thyroid panel as previously advised. Be persistent

Just mean someone who can read blood results… and not all GPs can… they are terrible at dismissing low results if they near borderline

@worldwidetravel2017 I don't eat much cereal as I am lactose intolerance so can't stomach milk and don't like non dairy milks. I do eat red meat not as much brocolli. I could definitely be eating more green vegetables.

I think they checked my vitamin levels and everything was normal apparently. I will ask for full thyroid panel when I get my bloods done in 2 weeks time. In the meantime does anyone have any recommendations of supplements I could take to help with my really bad energy levels?

Vit d daily - you want your vit d about 100 on results

Also better you - magnesium gel / cream

Vit c daily

I recommend the wellwoman range on supplements that is relevant to your age as they also contain supplements to support good hormonal health. Plus a good probiotic tablet. Boots own ones are good
x

Nice guidelines for treatment, in my experience, seems to be acted upon based on haemoglobin levels. Do you know yours?
I have regular B12 injections because I can't absorb B12. I have my bloods taken every twelve weeks now. My ferritin and iron stores are usually single figures long before I qualify for iron infusions. Hb below 8 (or 80 depending on which scale they use) triggers iron infusions. If it gets much lower I'm given blood. The worst was early last year when Hb was 3 (ferritin 1, iron 1) and that required five units of blood immediately.

Actimel daily is good

Thanks everyone so much for the recommendations. Do the tests results suggest that I am anemic? My gp didn't say

You haven't given the result that would say if you are anaemic or not.

For iron deficiency anaemia you use up all your iron stores (the ferritin) before you are anaemic.

So it's possible you aren't anaemic but are low in iron.

We used to think ferritin just sat there, storing iron, so having a low ferritin wasn't a problem unless you are anaemic. However we now know lots of people feel terrible just from the low ferritin.

For women the commonest causes of low iron are diet and periods. Basically not eating enough iron or losing it faster than you replace it.

You can buy iron tablets at a pharmacy. They only need to be every other day.

https://patient.info/doctor/non-anaemic-iron-deficiency

• Assuming your Hb is within range, you have non-anaemic iron deficiency. The important bit on the next document is the bit that says "In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms a diagnosis of iron deficiency."

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anaemia-iron-deficiency/diagnosis/investigations/

I would be keeping an eye on your thyroid results as well, because it looks as though your TSH is too low for your level of FT4. Lots of advice on the Thyroid UK forum on healthunlocked[dot]com.

Sometimes for some people - low feretin and mean bleeding from bowel polyps

I had that

Qfit test is helpful

@NorthernDancer my haemoglobin was 12.7. Yes I really do think my thyroid medication needs to be increased because I've been on the same dose since I was diagnosed more than 10 years ago except when I got pregnant when it was increased to 50mg.

@Tiddlesem 50mcg Levothyroxine is the standard starting dose, to be titrated in 25mcg steps until well being is achieved. 25mcg is the standard starting dose for the elderly and those with heart conditions.

A calculation of 1.6mcg per kilo of body weight will tell you roughly how much you need and if you have your thyroid removed for any reason, this is how they calculate your dose. Do that calculation now and you will be able to tell how much Levo you probably need. Most people bottom out somewhere between 100 and 200 mcg.

The fact that you are chronically undermedicated will explain your symptoms. For support go talk to Thyroid UK.