Low Ferritin, Breathlessness And Racing Heart

Sol Invictus

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Does anyone know what a good ferritin level is?

I am a male 5' 9", 190lbs, 37. My ferritin was 20 ug/L (lab scale 24 - 336). I have been using T3 and Progesterone to raise my metabolism. My temp and pulse are good, and I do not uirinate frequently during the day (4 to 6 times total). My blood work showed that the pCO2 in my veins was 59 mm Hg (way past the high end of the lab normal of 52). My bicarbonate and total CO2 where also higher than lab norms. I am attributing this to T3, Progest-e, and a lot of calcium.

My problem is that ever since I did this I have been experiencing symptoms of breathlessness and racing heart when I move around (at rest I am okay). I also have cold skin and this coldness circulates around my body throughout the day. I can have one cold hand and the other is warm. I also developed nail ridges that I did not have before, and my nails grow really fast. Also my skin has become dry and it wasn't before. Taking anything that increases metabolism and generates more CO2 seems to make things worse.

I am wondering if my low ferritin can be interfering with oxygen metabolism and the proper functioning of thyroid?
 

supernature

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Nov 7, 2015
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Hey Ray
yes your ferritin looks a bit low: 20mkg/l, heres some lab ranges for comparison:
M. 20-280 and F. 10-140.
My ferritin is 165 currently and as looking at both gender ranges i think 130-150mkg/l will be good as maintain level.
Keep in mind those are recommended to be checked as well: serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation.

You say you've been taking progesterone and T3, what was the values of progesterone and reverse T3 before start taking them as supplements, do you know?

As for abgs from what you share it seems you are in primary alkalosis, compensated with respiratory acidosis, you should post your abgs values i guess(lab ranges as well).
Do you have any clue what might those values looked like before you applied the mentioned supplements?
It could even turn out your actual metabolic rate is different from what it looks like right now.

From my abgs (4 for the last 3 years) i see im in primary metabolic alkalosis and the values are quite the same no matter what the eating regimes have been.
 

tara

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My blood work showed that the pCO2 in my veins was 59 mm Hg (way past the high end of the lab normal of 52). My bicarbonate and total CO2 where also higher than lab norms. I am attributing this to T3, Progest-e, and a lot of calcium.
Have you been supplementing calcium? What form? I am not expert in this, but if so, my hunch would be to back off on the calcium for a bit. Have you read the threads about milk-alkali syndrome?

How much T3 have you been taking?
What/how much are you eating?

I recommend that if you find something you are doing gives you clear negative effects, you not persist with it for very long.
 
OP
Sol Invictus

Sol Invictus

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I forgot to mention that my vitamin d-25 test was also high at 128.8 nmol/L (lab range is 23-113). Also I have not been taking so much T3 (only 3-to 6 mcg per day). On the other hand, I have been taking way too much Progesterone (up to 9 drops a day at first). I got kind of addicted to it because of the relaxed feeling it gives.

My calcium intake is 2000 mg to 3000 mg. This is in balance with phosphorus. I also take mag glycinate and k2. I don't think its the calcium intake causing problems. I am thinking that the high vitamin d3 and progesterone intake are to blame for my low ferritin. I might be absorbing calcium too easily (caused by high vit.d3) and this might be blocking iron. As well, my progesterone intake can be too high for my estrogen. I know Ray Peat said that estrogen is a factor in iron absorption. Maybe the progesterone is also interfering with iron absorption.

I only experimented with progesterone for hair loss, although I think I should have only been taking 1 or 2 drops and with 5 to 10 mg of DHEA. I am thinking that cortisol is more to blame for my diffuse thinning than estrogen.

I have stopped the progesterone and vitamin d3, and one month in with iron supplemention at 10 mg a day my symptoms have improved. Nail ridges and dryness have improved. My cold skin has also gotten better.

In trying to fix one problem I caused others. How foolish.
 

tara

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If you wanted, you could monitor UpH. Ideally averaging 6.2-6.8. My guess from your decription is that you may be running a bit on the alkaline side. In which case, my hunch would be to reduce calcium and stop vit-D for now. I don't know what effect progesterone has on this.
 

whit

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I've found liver to be a great source of iron and many cofactors that help regulate it namely ceruloplasmin.
That's if you can find a good clean source and can handle the flavor. Some prefer to take it in pill form.
 

tara

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I've found liver to be a great source of iron and many cofactors that help regulate it namely serrulaplasm.
:)
 

whit

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Sorry all I misspelled ceruloplasmin.
That's better. Thanks for your patience.
 

golder

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I forgot to mention that my vitamin d-25 test was also high at 128.8 nmol/L (lab range is 23-113). Also I have not been taking so much T3 (only 3-to 6 mcg per day). On the other hand, I have been taking way too much Progesterone (up to 9 drops a day at first). I got kind of addicted to it because of the relaxed feeling it gives.

My calcium intake is 2000 mg to 3000 mg. This is in balance with phosphorus. I also take mag glycinate and k2. I don't think its the calcium intake causing problems. I am thinking that the high vitamin d3 and progesterone intake are to blame for my low ferritin. I might be absorbing calcium too easily (caused by high vit.d3) and this might be blocking iron. As well, my progesterone intake can be too high for my estrogen. I know Ray Peat said that estrogen is a factor in iron absorption. Maybe the progesterone is also interfering with iron absorption.

I only experimented with progesterone for hair loss, although I think I should have only been taking 1 or 2 drops and with 5 to 10 mg of DHEA. I am thinking that cortisol is more to blame for my diffuse thinning than estrogen.

I have stopped the progesterone and vitamin d3, and one month in with iron supplemention at 10 mg a day my symptoms have improved. Nail ridges and dryness have improved. My cold skin has also gotten better.

In trying to fix one problem I caused others. How foolish.
Did you manage to fix your low ferritin mate? I'm also on 20 ug/L the same as you and wonder if my fatigue is related?
 

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