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Questions about Vitamin E, Magnesium (RBC), and other things

Hello. I am a 47-year-old male, and I have autoimmune hypothyroidism.


For the past year, I have taken the following:
Synthroid 137 (1 day per week), Synthroid 125 (6 days per week).

Also, for the past 3.5 years, I have taken 1000-mcg Vitamin B12 methylcobalamin lozenges (alternating between 3 times per week and 4 times per week).


In November 2020, I got a new thyroid doctor.


In January 2021, a gastroenterologist said that I have neck arthritis that is pushing into my esophagus. He said that the arthritis is due to aging. He said that I also have arthritis in the center of my chest, just below my ribcage. Furthermore, in the past couple of weeks, I have felt sharp pain in my right shoulder and on the right side of my head, and I have felt some pain in my lower back and in the kidney area.

In December 2020, I had some kidney-related blood tests. Even though my BUN was 25 (normal range = 6 - 20), the doctor said that my kidney function was normal.


Given all of this arthritis (neck, chest) and this pain (shoulder, back, etc.), I thought that my hypothyroidism had gotten worse and that my thyroid levels had fallen.


About a week ago, my new thyroid doctor ordered (TSH, Free T4, and Free T3) tests and other blood tests. I would be having my first (TSH, Free T4, and Free T3) tests since September 2020. I expected to see lower thyroid levels.


Well, here are the results of my tests:

FT4 = 1.53 (normal range = 0.82 - 1.77)       (September 2020 value = 1.4)

FT3 = 3.5 (normal range = 2.0 - 4.4)          (September 2020 value = 3.3)

TSH = 0.037 (normal range = 0.450 - 4.500)    (September 2020 value = 0.077)


TPO antibodies =  < 9    (normal range = 0 - 34)

Thyroglobulin antibodies =   3.0)


Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) = 6.3 (normal range = 7.0 - 25.1)

Vitamin E (Gamme Tocopherol) = 0.5 (normal range = 0.5 - 5.5)


Selenium (serum/plasma) = 154 (normal range = 93 - 198)


Copper (serum) = 106 (normal range = 69 - 132)

Zinc (serum or plasma) = 66 (normal range = 44 - 115)


Magnesium (RBC) = 7.3 (normal range = 4.2 - 6.8)

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy = 17.2 (normal range = 30.0 - 100.0)


Hemoglobin A1c = 5.1 (normal range = 4.8 - 5.6)


Well, that's a lot of tests, isn't it? :)



My thyroid levels have increased. My Free T4 is almost in the upper 25% of normal range, and my Free T3 is almost in the upper one-third of normal range. I'm going to guess that increasing my Synthroid dosage would not be a good idea.

My thyroid-related antibodies are within the normal ranges, but I am still not sure whether these antibodies are currently attacking my thyroid.

I try to keep my Vitamin B12 level in the 700s or the 800s. So, my Vitamin B12 level is normal. My Folate level is normal as well.



My Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) is below normal, and my Vitamin E (Gamma Tocopherol) is just barely normal. It appears that I may need Vitamin E supplements.

However, there are some problems with Vitamin E supplements.

1) A person who has a below-normal platelet count (as I have had for the last 10 years), is prone to bleeding. Vitamin E supplements can disrupt some aspects of the blood-clotting process, thereby making a person with a below-normal platelet count even more prone to bleeding.

2) Some Vitamin E products contain soy and/or gelatin. Soy interferes with the absorption of synthetic thyroid hormone, and gelatin can cause heartburn and belching. In the last few months of 2019, I took a Vitamin D product that contained bovine gelatin. I experienced various issues (difficulty in swallowing food, heartburn, and
belching).

So, I may need to eat food that contains Vitamin E. I'm thinking about adding avocados to my diet.


Incidentally, I've read that supplements that contain chlorophyll (such as chlorella, spirulina, and parsley) may increase a person's platelet count. Unfortunately, these supplements also cause a person's skin to be sensitive to the sun.





My Magnesium (RBC) seems to be above normal.

I've had two previous Magnesium (RBC) tests.

    August 2011 - 6.8 (normal range = 4.2 - 6.8)
    
    NOTE: Plasma NOT separated from cells; may falsely decrease RBC Magnesium levels.
    So, the true August 2011 value may have been higher than 6.8.

  

    October 2012 - 4.8 (normal range = 4.0 - 6.4)


The blood draw for the October 2012 test was done at a hospital's blood-test center, and the blood sample was presumably analyzed at the hospital itself. However, the blood samples for the other two tests were analyzed at LabCorp.


I have read, that the normal range for the Magnesium RBC test has been dropping over the years because more and more people have become deficient in Magnesium. So, perhaps my 7.3 result is normal. Or, maybe the 7.3 result is, indeed, too high.





So, here are my questions:

1) Why am I experiencing the arthritis and the pains that I mentioned above? My thyroid levels are higher than I thought they would be, but are they still too low?

2) Should I take Vitamin E supplements? Or are they too dangerous for me due to my below-normal platelet count and the presence of soy and/or gelatin in the supplements?

3) Will avocados increase my Vitamin E levels?

4) Should I take chlorophyll supplements to increase my platelet count?

5) If my 7.3 Magnesium (RBC) result is too high, then what does that result mean for my health and how do I decrease my Magnesium (RBC) level?



Thank you.


2 Responses
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Avatar universal
ATTENTION:

Please disregard this discussion thread. I put some some mathematical symbols into my initial post, in order to indicate blood-test results. However, the presence of these symbols screwed up my post.

I will correct my post and start a new thread. I have asked that this thread be deleted.

Thank you.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Apparently, there was a glitch in the above post.


Between the lines

TPO antibodies =  < 9    (normal range = 0 - 34)

and

Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) = 6.3 (normal range = 7.0 - 25.1)

the following should appear:


Thyroglobulin antibodies =   3.0)



I have no idea why this glitch happened, and I apologize for any inconvenience.

Helpful - 0
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