Low MCHC

[hayley3]

So for years I've had a low MCHC, but the doctors never mentioned it.

It was not super low (just out of range) so I'm figuring that is why.....but it bothers me that no one ever questioned it, especially when I had low WBC, and low Vit D.  I take vitamins which I guess also disguised some issues.  I had cracked lip corners so I took a B complex.  I take calcium, magnesium and salt pills to stop the cramps.

You wait for a clue to help the doctors but then it seems they ignore the labs when they are out of range.  So just wondering what lab values they classify as anemia.

[hayley3]

After doing a bit of research, the MCHC is meaningless, so not sure why it's on the lab work.

[Scott Adams]

Anemia is a condition characterized by a decreased number of red blood cells or a decreased amount of hemoglobin in the blood, leading to a reduced oxygen-carrying capacity. The MCHC level is just one of the parameters that can be assessed to determine if anemia is present.

The typical blood test results that indicate anemia include:

Low Hemoglobin (Hb) Levels: Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Low hemoglobin levels are a key indicator of anemia.

Low Hematocrit (Hct) Levels: Hematocrit is the proportion of blood that is occupied by red blood cells. A decrease in hematocrit can suggest anemia.

Low Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count: A reduced number of red blood cells can contribute to anemia.

Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV): MCV measures the average volume of a red blood cell. Certain types of anemia may be associated with changes in MCV.

[frieze]

  On 1/30/2024 at 7:14 PM, hayley3 said:

After doing a bit of research, the MCHC is meaningless, so not sure why it's on the lab work.

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Actually may tie in with celiac.  What is your ferritin level?

[hayley3]

  On 1/31/2024 at 12:53 AM, frieze said:

Actually may tie in with celiac.  What is your ferritin level?

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I've never seen a ferritin test in the labs done.  My Vitamin D was 4 so I ask to have that one monitored.

[hayley3]

  On 1/31/2024 at 12:12 AM, Scott Adams said:

 

The typical blood test results that indicate anemia include:

Low Hemoglobin (Hb) Levels: Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Low hemoglobin levels are a key indicator of anemia.

Low Hematocrit (Hct) Levels: Hematocrit is the proportion of blood that is occupied by red blood cells. A decrease in hematocrit can suggest anemia.

Low Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count: A reduced number of red blood cells can contribute to anemia.

Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV): MCV measures the average volume of a red blood cell. Certain types of anemia may be associated with changes in MCV.

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All those are fine, thanks.

[knitty kitty]

@hayley3,

Didn't your doctor recommend supplementing Vitamin D in order to correct your very low Vitamin D level?  

Low Vitamin D can cause an increased risk of fractures and falls.  Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, muscle weakness and parathesia.  Low Vitamin D is also associated with anemia and infertility.  

Vitamin D is instrumental in regulating and lowering inflammation.  Vitamin D helps maintain intestinal mucosal integrity (repairing leaky gut).  

Have you talked to a nutritionist?  

[hayley3]

  On 1/31/2024 at 9:37 AM, knitty kitty said:

@hayley3,

Didn't your doctor recommend supplementing Vitamin D in order to correct your very low Vitamin D level?  

Low Vitamin D can cause an increased risk of fractures and falls.  Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, muscle weakness and parathesia.  Low Vitamin D is also associated with anemia and infertility.  

Vitamin D is instrumental in regulating and lowering inflammation.  Vitamin D helps maintain intestinal mucosal integrity (repairing leaky gut).  

Have you talked to a nutritionist?  

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The Endocrinologist gave me 50,000 iu for 2 weeks and that was it.  So I started taking it on my own which finally helped it to rise.  I took it a full year before it got to 50 and that helped me a lot.  No nutritionists at the VA.  But I still have a lot of muscle weakness and my ana is 1:640 which means my autoimmune stuff is active.   Derm clinic has offered to give me the celiac test today because my dermatitis herpetiformis biopsy was positive, but she said there's only one test at the VA, when I asked for the Celiac panel.

[knitty kitty]

I like to keep my Vitamin D level above 80 because at that level Vitamin D can act like a hormone and regulate the immune system better and reduce inflammation.  

Have you considered supplementing the eight essential B vitamins?  These are important because our body cannot make them, so we need to get them every day from our diet.  Since malabsorption is a problem of Celiac Disease, boosting the B vitamins by taking supplements can improve your health, too.  

Does the VA have a nutritionist available?  A nutritionist can guide you to a nutritionally dense diet.  

Checking for and correcting nutritional deficiencies is part of proper follow up care for Celiacs.

[hayley3]

  On 1/31/2024 at 2:04 PM, knitty kitty said:

I like to keep my Vitamin D level above 80 because at that level Vitamin D can act like a hormone and regulate the immune system better and reduce inflammation.  

Have you considered supplementing the eight essential B vitamins?  These are important because our body cannot make them, so we need to get them every day from our diet.  Since malabsorption is a problem of Celiac Disease, boosting the B vitamins by taking supplements can improve your health, too.  

Does the VA have a nutritionist available?  A nutritionist can guide you to a nutritionally dense diet.  

Checking for and correcting nutritional deficiencies is part of proper follow up care for Celiacs.

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I read that too, that it needs to be at least in the middle of the range so when I saw that my level was only raised to 21, I started buying my own Vitamin D from Amazon.  When I got cracks in the corners of my mouth, I was taking Vitamin B complex but something in there has a horrible smell with a horrible burp aftertaste.   I need to find a different one.   VA hospitals do not have nutritionists.

[knitty kitty]

That's sad the VA has no nutritionists available.  

I like the brand Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex, also available from there.

Yes, there are some vitamins that are smelly due to the sulfur content in a few of them. I take mine as I sit down to a meal.  With food behind it, there's less burping. 

Are you taking Vitamin D 3?  Vitamin D 2, which doctors prescribe, are synthetic and don't work as well as the natural form D 3.  I felt much better switching to D 3.

P. S. Have you tried a low histamine diet to lower your inflammation level? 

Edited January 31, 2024 by knitty kitty
Added post script

[hayley3]

@knitty kitty  Thanks and yes, I"m taking a Dr Berg Vit D3 with K2.  My house is full of vitamin bottles, taking all of them may have delayed my diagnosis , in addition to doing water fasting to heal my SIBO.

I'll check the Life Extension Brand out..I currently take Solaray.  The smell actually turns my stomach, I"m not sure what it is about these B vitamins. LOL

I can't eat anything really.  Meat, chicken and some pork with simple veggies, such as broccoli, lettuce, peas, and green beans.  If I'm not allergic to it, it makes me sick, so really I am on a low histamine diet. 

[knitty kitty]

@hayley3,

I've tried that brand, but didn't like it.  It's got whole rice flour listed as an ingredient, including the rice bran.  Mine smelled like the bran had gone rancid.  

I couldn't eat iceberg lettuce without a lot of gastrointestinal distress.  I switched to Romaine lettuce.  Romaine is a veggie that has thiamine!  

When I was down to just green beans and lamb (easily digested), I started taking Tryptophan.  I also took an amino acid, Theanine, and Benfotiamine.  All of these help calm and heal the intestines.  And Zinc helps, too.  Zinc is a mineral we are commonly low in.  

What are you allergic to?  Is it a medically diagnosed allergy?  Is the pork in the form of ham, or bacon, salted, aged, as in high histamine?  

[hayley3]

  On 2/1/2024 at 2:39 AM, knitty kitty said:

@hayley3,

I've tried that brand, but didn't like it.  It's got whole rice flour listed as an ingredient, including the rice bran.  Mine smelled like the bran had gone rancid.  

I couldn't eat iceberg lettuce without a lot of gastrointestinal distress.  I switched to Romaine lettuce.  Romaine is a veggie that has thiamine!  

When I was down to just green beans and lamb (easily digested), I started taking Tryptophan.  I also took an amino acid, Theanine, and Benfotiamine.  All of these help calm and heal the intestines.  And Zinc helps, too.  Zinc is a mineral we are commonly low in.  

What are you allergic to?  Is it a medically diagnosed allergy?  Is the pork in the form of ham, or bacon, salted, aged, as in high histamine?  

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It's a tyramine buildup.  I lack the enzymes on my lining to digest the tyramine.

[knitty kitty]

I can't tolerate phenylalanine which results in tyramine excess.  I avoid tyramine foods, too.  

So don't take Tryptophan.  Take the Benfotiamine and Theanine.