Blood test results... do they come in stages? HBA1C missing from full blood count result.

[AndBreathe]

I honestly found that the best treatment for GERD/gastritis is a bland diet.

Mine never used to manifest much as acid reflux, only when it was REALLY bad. I mainly get false hunger pains and my stomach swells so bad I look pregnant. Sometimes right after eating my stomach would feel empty and like it needs to growl but wouldn't. And it was awful and so uncomfortable. I would also get pain in my upper abdomen when standing up top long.

I got some test results back today and my vitamin D is low at 36. Everything else is OK but for some reason the B12 and ferritin they need to test again. The results were invalid apparently. Apparently low D can cause hair loss and feeling like death so I've started supplementing. I've also been taking iron and B12 Floradix tablets as I remember feeling better 2 years ago when I felt a bit hazy and had dry, light sensitive eyes.

Doctors have mentioned my issues could be the following but not sure:
Auto immune B12 and unable to absorb it
Long covid and diabetes
Poor posture causing a neck injury leading to vertigo and weakness and may need physical therapy.

I've tried neck and posture exercises over the last 2 weeks and have seen no improvement. But the headache I have is definitely radiating from the base of my skull. It feels like half of my head has fallen asleep like your arm does when you lay on it.

My next push is going to be an MRI I think.

If you are vitamin defficient, your GP should prescribe a loading dose of Vitamin D. That is a very high dose for a number of weeks, then you carry on with over the counter stuff.

If you are being left to work it out for yourself, please ensure you are taking Vitamin D3, and also take Vitamin K2 and Magnesium. The K2 and Magnesium are co-factors, so help get the best bang from your Vitamin D buck.

I take 4000iu D3 and 250ug K2 MK7 daily, and that just keeps me ticking over with a good level.

It's important to achieve a decent level, well up the ranges or you could just effectively be trying to fill a lake from a watering can. There's great information on the VitD Society (used to be the Vit D Council): https://www.vitamindsociety.org/

 

[Leadinglights]

Often to correct various deficiencies the dose needs to be higher than in the medications you can buy over the counter. So worth getting a prescription from the GP if needed.
My OH has to have B12 injections and was low on ferritin and vitamin D so had high dose ones prescribed and I had low folate and had a high dose short course prescribed.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear how poorly you have been feeling @Catsymoo

Hope all your results come through speedily, and the results help you get to the bottom of what’s wrong, so that you can get it sorted.

 

[Catsymoo]

Thank you for the kind words and good advice everyone.

I have some vitamin D supplements in the cupboard that are 4000iu. I stopped taking them over the winter so I have started them again. I will look into the K2 and magnesium as well. My magnesium levels on my test were good. I am not surprised I am low in vitamin D. I absolutely hate daylight because it gives me headaches and makes my eyes feel weird, and I avoid the sun where possible. I hate summer and I do not leave the house much, I also use blackout curtains and stay locked in a dark room a lot of the time. Even looking at the white background on the screen right now as I type makes my eyes feel strange and I cannot focus properly. I have to use blue light glasses and eye drops every day. My eye tests are all good, my vision actually improved over 2 years lol and no signs of diabetic retinopathy. The dryness has also improved since my last test but I still get the ''out of it'' feeling when I look at a white background or bright daylight.

Looking at my blood test - it appears my serum folate test haemolyzed so they were unable to read the result. They reported my B12 as 846 which is outside range, but I think that is inaccurate due to the fact they have requested another test for B12 and scrubbed the test off as invalid. They haven't actually notified me of this, I saw it on my records and they have added serum folate, ferritin and B12 to my second blood test on Friday.

I want to try and ween off my PPIs because I am really sure they are the culprit here.