Newbie: feel hypo but flummoxed by test results. What supplements are in order?

[Guest guest]

Hello all,sorry if this sounds like a newbies rant, but I dont't know who else

to turn to now!

The last time I felt well was 2006. I'm 37.

I think having my babies was a shock to my system. First (2000) was small at

5lb 10oz, lost 400ml blood. Second (2002)by caeserean (breech)8lb 7oz & lost

1200ml. I had my third child (8lb 10oz) in Jan 2004, awful delivery - got

shoulder stuck & I lost 700ml blood. I always lost baby-weight quickly

afterwards, I breastfed them all so was ravenous! Five weeks after having last

child I had a gallstone get stuck & an infection, seemed to have passed it by

time of hospital appointment! By Jan 2005 my periods were so heavy & lasting 13

days, I was referred to the Womens hosp. They found nothing of note internally

(small fibroid)and put me back on Contraception to control things - at 31 I was

too young for Hysterectomy. That brought the bleeding under control. I then

started feeling jittery & tearful, to such an extent that I had to resign in

July 2005 - i could not cope with running around anymore, and went from 9st 10

to 9st 4 quite quickly, despite eating for england! Things slowly started to

feel normal again & i regained my pre-preg weight by resting.

Towards the end of 2008 though I was so cold I would wrap myself up with a

blanket & sleep with my back against the radiator in the day, because I was so

cold & tired. My hair started falling out & I couldnt think straight or

remember stuff. When I developed a tight feeling across the front of my neck

(above collar bone) I went to the doctor. He did a blood test - TSH 1.1 Told

nothing wrong.

By Sept 2009 i was still feeling exhausted, cold & hair still falling out. My

periods had started to be heavy for most of the 6 days, and the female doc i saw

decided to change me to the mini-pill, to see if a change would lessen the

bleeding. My Haemaglobin was 11.2, so she put me on 200mg Ferrous Sulphate a

day. I mentioned my dad had pernicious anaemia & the test result for that was

392(?) The change in hormones seemed to help - the blood service decided I was

now ok to donate a unit, having been anaemic since 2004 - what a mistake! I

felt i'd crashed, my hair loss was so great it clogged the plug-hole when

washing it. I havent donated since.

My weight shot up so much - by May 2011 I weighed 12 stone. It pains me to haul

myself upstairs, my heels hurt, i wake in the morning feeling like the living

dead. My feet have gone up a shoe size, and a ring i've worn since i was 18 got

so tight it cut the circulation off, and i had to ice it off. Sometimes i have

to sleep for an hour in the afternoon before collecting the kids - I learnt the

hard way, sitting down with them after school to have a cuppa, i would fall

asleep until 5. Awful mother! I hate having to say I cant do stuff with them as

i'm too tired. My Hubby is brill, and will take over at the weekends & when he

comes in from work.

The lady doc i saw in May about this did some bloodwork:

Haemaglobin 12.7 (11.5-16.5)

Serum iron 15.0 (14-28)

Ferritin 56, (10-420)

Non-fasting glucose 4.3 (3.3-6)

TSH 12.7 (0.3-5)

Serum sodium 139.0 (133-146)

serum potassium 3.8 (3.5-5.3)

serum urea 4.9 (2.5-7.8)

serum creatinine 71.0 (60-120)

Platelet count 305.0 (140-400)

Basophil (flagged as above range) 0.17 (0.02-0.1)

total white blood count 5.7 (4-11)

When i got these results i asked to discuss with my doc (a chap i have never

seen as i dont go to the doc's very often). I armed myself with a list of my

symtoms, kindly taken from your website. I also took along a clump of my hair

to show him how much i was losing each time i washed it(despite still taking

200mg ferrous sulphate), and a photo of me at normal weight (9st 10lbs) from

2006 and one from last July (at 11st 7lbs) - bearing in mind I now weighed 12 st

2lbs. He seemed shocked at that, but said my symtoms were " non-specific " , and

was not able to trial me on Thyroid meds. He ordered more tests (as tsh was

within range last time the lab did no further levels).He also pointed out that

the timing of my weight gain coincided exactly with the change from Marvelon to

Micronor (mini-pill), and that it was renowned for doing so. I had also been

keeping (out of interest) a food & calorie intake diary - (app on phone with

barcode scanner - brilliant!) and pointed out to him i was averageing 1200-1500

calories a day, and was more active now than at any other time (running around

after 3 kids as opposed to desk job)

I got a copy this morning (the printout says under reason for request " query

hypothyroid - many symptoms consistent with this " ):

Serum free T4 13 (9.0-25.0)

Serum TSH 1.6 (0.03-5.0)

Thyroid peroxidase antibody level <20 (<60 = negative)

Serum free triiodothyronine 4.8 (3.5-6.5)

In my phone consult with him this morning about this, he reassured me all the

levels were normal, and wished me all the best. He did seem rushed but

apologetic.

I have no idea what is wrong with me now. I suppose i am still anaemic? I

would appreciate any advice as to what supplements could help get me back to

health - i note that you have arranged a big discount with Nutri Ltd - would

anything they offer help? I would say i am tearing my hair out, but having been

on iron tablets for 18 months it's finally growing back in places!

Your website is a wonderful resource, many thanks in anticipation.