help - Immune Disorders Message Board

KJ29 · 03-25-2004, 10:37 PM

I am a 30YO male, who has been generally feeling like crap for a while now. I have hypothyroid levels, and have been trying to treat them for a year. My TSH levels are normal and I still feel like garbage. I recently found out my blood ammonia level is 52. The upper limit was 38 I believe. My Red Blood cell count is also a tad high, 6.02 (upper limit is 5.80) and my MCV count is a tad low 78.5 (lower limit is 80). My protien level was high 8.5 (upper limit of 8) and my b12 level was 1180 (upper limit of 900). I also have borderline low ferritin and testosterone in addition to the thyroid condition. My dr. says it's a genetic disorder of b12 metabolism, so I am taking betaine, folinic acid as well as weekly b12 shots. My liver tests are normal. I tested positive for the Epstien Barr Virus, have constant fatigue, dizziness, lethargy and weight gain. Anybody have any idea what this could be ?? All opinions welcome. Thanks.

peregrine · 03-26-2004, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJ29

I am a 30YO male, who has been generally feeling like crap for a while now. I have hypothyroid levels, and have been trying to treat them for a year. My TSH levels are normal and I still feel like garbage. I recently found out my blood ammonia level is 52. The upper limit was 38 I believe. My Red Blood cell count is also a tad high, 6.02 (upper limit is 5.80) and my MCV count is a tad low 78.5 (lower limit is 80). My protien level was high 8.5 (upper limit of 8) and my b12 level was 1180 (upper limit of 900). I also have borderline low ferritin and testosterone in addition to the thyroid condition. My dr. says it's a genetic disorder of b12 metabolism, so I am taking betaine, folinic acid as well as weekly b12 shots. My liver tests are normal. I tested positive for the Epstien Barr Virus, have constant fatigue, dizziness, lethargy and weight gain. Anybody have any idea what this could be ?? All opinions welcome. Thanks.

I would definitely check out CFIDS. B-12 deficiency as well as Thyroid disorders are common accompaniements to CFIDS. You can go to the Chronic Fatigue board here and also visit the CFIDS Foundation Homepage. which can be found through doing a search on google, for a list of symptoms necessary for diagnosis as well as other information.

All the best,

Peregrine

fudd · 03-27-2004, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJ29

I am a 30YO male, who has been generally feeling like crap for a while now. I have hypothyroid levels, and have been trying to treat them for a year. My TSH levels are normal and I still feel like garbage. I recently found out my blood ammonia level is 52. The upper limit was 38 I believe. My Red Blood cell count is also a tad high, 6.02 (upper limit is 5.80) and my MCV count is a tad low 78.5 (lower limit is 80). My protien level was high 8.5 (upper limit of 8) and my b12 level was 1180 (upper limit of 900). I also have borderline low ferritin and testosterone in addition to the thyroid condition. My dr. says it's a genetic disorder of b12 metabolism, so I am taking betaine, folinic acid as well as weekly b12 shots. My liver tests are normal. I tested positive for the Epstien Barr Virus, have constant fatigue, dizziness, lethargy and weight gain. Anybody have any idea what this could be ?? All opinions welcome. Thanks.

There are some things I'm not understanding here. Low MCV would not indicate a B12 deficiency - in fact, it's high MCV that tips you off to a B12 or folate deficiency anemia. Secondly, even if you had a high MCV, you had a HIGH B12 count - which I agree sounds like a problem with B12 metabolism. So why are you getting weekly B12 shots??

Sounds like it could be an anemia, especially with the slightly low MCV (which almost always means iron deficiency or chronic disease), but the high RBC count might suggest otherwise. As for the EBV, many people test positive for IgG against the virus via asymptomatic exposure - if you tested positive for IgM (i.e. an acute infection that is causing your symptoms), your doc would have made the diagnosis.

KJ29 · 03-27-2004, 05:14 PM

My b12 was high while my MCV was low - my ferritin was also low too, but my doctor said it can't be anemia since my hgb and hct were near the high limit of normal. It's frustrating because I don't even think the doctors know what the hell they are doing. What would high ammonia indicate ?

Marimac · 03-28-2004, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJ29

My b12 was high while my MCV was low - my ferritin was also low too, but my doctor said it can't be anemia since my hgb and hct were near the high limit of normal. It's frustrating because I don't even think the doctors know what the hell they are doing. What would high ammonia indicate ?

Get a kidney function work up. High levels of ammonia indicate that your kidneys are not removing all the toxins from your body. Or that something in your immediate environment could be poisoning you: water, paints, some people who use rock cocaine, methamphetamine(bath Tub rock) will have high ammonia levels,(not a good thing) I am not diagnosing you, just suggesting areas to look at.