Vitamin deficiency

[figgyroo]

Had some bloods done as went to the Drs as always thirsty/dry mouth and have pins/needles and numbness in my foot.

The results were:

Serum folate < 2
Ferritin 31
B12 263
Vitamin D 20.5

They’ve booked a telephone call to discuss the folate but marked the others as no action as they’re within range. They are all in the low side though, so wondered if I need to do anything?

I take medication for bile acid malabsorption following gallbladder removal which is what I assume is causing this.

I'd be upping the vitamin D. Can't remember how low mine was but I went on a loading dose for a number of weeks. My recurring illnesses went away.

Both the total B12 and the ferritin seem to fall within the indeterminate range, so a possible but not confirmed deficiency. See the NICE B12 guidelines here: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anaemia-b12-folate-deficiency/diagnosis/interpreting-investigation-results/ There should (but this might depend on the lab) be notes on the haematology report about this, even if the GP says that the results are normal. For ferritin, 15-50 ug/l is the indeterminate range and mine came with the comments "Consider iron deficiency in anaemic patients, older patients and those with inflammatory disease."

Vit D also seems low according to this: cks.nice.org.uk/topics/vitamin-d-deficiency-in-adults/

It might be worth trying OTC supplements and seeing if you notice any improvement.

You def need a vitamin D and iron supplement. I would suggest a vitamin D spray if they won't give you loading tablets.

Your B12 looks ok but your folate is sooo low that you'll have symptoms of B vitamin issues. Raise your folate and then see how you feel. If still feeling poorly, get b12 checked again :)

Thanks all, that’s really helpful.

I had terrible restless legs and pins and needles when my folate was low. You need a prescription for 5mg folic acid, probably a loading dose of vitamin D, too. But I'd also take a vitamin B complex and iron (I take ferrous fumarate once a day). Repeat bloods in 3 months.