Posts by Robin Scott9

Hey,

here’s a bit of solidarity for you 🙂

I’ve been dealing with digestive issues for ages—honestly, it sounds like the exact same story as yours, just stretched out over a few extra years. It was the usual suspects: gastritis, IBS, the whole works. Digestion was a mess, and my stools were always pale and loose. I’d say I saw quite a few gastroenterologists, but none of them really seemed to grasp what was actually going on. Eventually, I did some digging online, figured out what might be happening, and paid for a private test that showed high hydrogen levels.

I went through two rounds of antibiotics, about a year apart. After the meds, I stuck to a low FODMAP diet for a month. To be honest, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm "healthy" yet, though it does feel like things have improved slightly. The biggest headache with treating this is just trying to pinpoint the actual cause. A lot of the research points toward low stomach acid, which is something most doctors here almost never consider—if you show up with symptoms, they immediately throw an PPI at you. It’s a massive bummer that we don't have easy access to a Heidelberg test that could actually tell if you're dealing with too much or too little acid. Since the treatment for those two scenarios is polar opposite, it leaves you kind of stuck...

Hey there,

Does anyone have a recommendation for an endocrinologist in Washington, D.C.? I’ve been suspecting subclinical hypothyroidism—my TSH usually hovers around 5-5.5—so I’m looking for a specialist who might be open to trying a lower dose of medication first. I want to see if we can get things back on track without jumping straight into heavy treatment. Thanks!

Andrew Jones12 As specified by Robin Scott9:
You should get your ferritin levels checked. Your TSH indicates subclinical hypothyroidism, which just needs annual monitoring, but I’d definitely push to have anti-TPO tested as well. As for that leukocytosis, it could just be from smoking, though given the eosinophilia and basophilia, it’s almost certainly tied to skin atopy. I'd suggest sticking to an anti-lipid diet for at least three weeks; I'd also recommend supplementing with an omega-3 ester that has a high EPA content. Honestly, the changes in bowel movements and the rash immediately made me wonder if we were looking at celiac disease rather than dermatitis herpetiformis—though I see that has been ruled out. I really hope they ran the tissue transglutaminase antibody tests, since a definitive celiac diagnosis usually requires a duodenal biopsy and a pathology report to be certain.

Thanks for helping me piece this diagnosis together. 👍

My ferritin levels look fine—sitting at 194 (on a scale of 21-274) according to an old lab report I dug up from 2019. My thyroid antibodies are also coming back normal, so the only thyroid-related metric that occasionally acts up is my TSH. I don't smoke, and I’m pretty convinced my high white blood cell count is just linked to my skin allergies. I'll pick up some omega-3s soon.

Regarding the celiac stuff, I’ve had the anti-tTG IgA and anti-DGP-IgG antibody tests done twice now, and both times they came back negative. I'm attaching a screenshot of the actual lab results here—I had the blood drawn just about a month ago. https://prnt.sc/vl5c5z

Even though my antibody tests came back negative, my gastroenterologist was still suspicious enough about celiac disease to order a gastroscopy. The results from the first one were basically a wash—the doctor noted that the sample wasn't clear enough to draw any real conclusions, though one little note mentioned an increased number of CD3 lymphocytes. So, the GI decided to go back in for a second look and took more samples himself this time. Once again, the results were inconclusive. However, since the lymphocyte count was under 30 this round, he felt confident enough to rule out celiac disease entirely, given the combination of those antibodies and the lower lymphocyte numbers. To top it all off, my dermatologist suggested I get a specific wheat IgE test just to be safe. That came back at 0.13 KU/l, so that’s another negative for the books.

I forgot to mention that since my digestive issues kicked off right after a round of antibiotics—and I started dealing with this white coating on my tongue—I had two stool tests done specifically for Candida. The results were pretty vague; they just noted that "yeast was present." By the third test, the lab indicated there was a smaller amount of Candida, along with a disclaimer that Candida is actually a standard part of the gut flora. I also went a step further and had two tongue swabs checked for fungal infections. One came back positive for Candida, though that was shortly after I had my tonsils removed, so I'm wondering if that might have skewed the result. My most recent swab, however, came back completely clear. To wrap things up, I ran serum antibody tests for Candida—IgG, IgM, and IgA—and all three came back negative.

Personally, I suspect the root issue lies somewhere in my digestive system, though getting a clear diagnosis has been an uphill battle. Given that I’ve been dealing with pale stools, I can't help but wonder if there's a bile deficiency at play or perhaps some influence from SIBO. If SIBO is indeed the culprit, what's actually triggering it? From what I've read, it often crops up when stomach acid levels are too low. There's also research suggesting that long-term exposure to H. pylori can lead to that same lack of acidity. Whether that happened to me, I honestly don't know. What I do know for certain is that during every single one of my four gastroscopies, gastritis was present. Of course, that doesn't automatically mean the gastritis is caused by excess acid. There is a specific diagnostic tool called the Heidelberg test that can pinpoint whether you're dealing with too much or too little acid, but unfortunately, that isn't something they offer here in the States. I really believe that test would shed some light on my situation, but that's more of a gastroenterology question than a matter for blood work.

Aside from everything else, I’m a bit thrown by one low blood sugar reading I got—everything else looked pretty standard, though. Also, my creatinine levels have been hovering right at the upper limit for a while now, and last time, I actually pushed past it.

*edit—I was looking back through my other labs and stumbled upon something interesting that somehow slipped under my radar. It turns out the ASTA test my ENT ordered (to check for a staph infection) came back positive— https://prnt.sc/vl5z2o

I recently had a skin swab done for some flaky patches on my skin, and it confirmed a Staphylococcus aureus infection— https://prnt.sc/vl60i5

Keith Gonzalez said:Based on my DKS results, I’d say this is all stemming from the eczema. It feels like it’s pushing toward something chronic, and honestly, the flare-ups might be driven by those elevated white blood cell counts. I might need to bump up my iron intake a bit, though it's not strictly necessary. 😁

I've been dealing with eczema for about seven years now. It’s a bit of a seasonal cycle—it stays pretty quiet during the summer, but once winter hits, it absolutely goes wild.

Maria Fisher46 said:Hi there,

Regarding the deviations in your lab results, they definitely exist, but the real question is how much weight we should actually give them. You mentioned having some issues with urination, but I don't see the actual urinalysis report here.

Your triglyceride levels suggest moderate to high hypertriglyceridemia. Did you actually stick to the fasting instructions—meaning no food at all for 12 hours before the draw, and avoiding anything heavy or greasy for the 24 hours leading up to it?

A TSH level in that range—up to 6 mIU/L—is definitely sitting in that gray area. If you follow the current guidelines from the American Thyroid Association regarding rational diagnosis for thyroid dysfunction, the standard move is to test your fT4 (T4) and antibody levels next. Depending on what those results show, you’d typically just monitor your fT4 and TSH every 6 to 12 months to stay on top of things.

Seeing low iron levels in a man of this age is pretty unusual. You’re in your prime, so your numbers really should be rock solid. Are you doing any intense training or playing sports lately? Also, have you started taking any specific supplements?

What kind of issues are you all actually dealing with that require checking your lab results this frequently?

As for my urine tests, they’ve mostly come back normal. Every once in a while, there’s a note about some mucus or bacteria, but nothing major.

As far as triglycerides go, I'll admit I didn't stick to that rule—though, in my defense, nobody actually told me to.

I've run my thyroid labs a few times now. Everything comes back looking pretty solid, except for that TSH level—it keeps drifting just slightly into the "high" zone.

When it comes to iron, I’ve been dealing with this headache for probably 10 or 15 years now. The first time it was actually serious—if I remember correctly, my levels were down to a 3, and nobody bothered to dig any deeper into why. So, I end up on an iron supplement regimen for a while, then I stop, then I start again... just a constant loop. On top of that, my Vitamin D is pretty low; it clocked in at 29 during my first test, when it really should be north of 75. I’ve been supplementing for a bit, so I’m planning to head back in for some follow-up blood work in the next few days.

As for working out—mostly, yeah. I wouldn't call myself an elite athlete by any stretch, but I hit the basketball court and get to the gym three or four times a week. I do have those stretches where I’ll take a few months off entirely before getting back into the swing of things. I also supplement with protein.

As far as symptoms go, everything was perfectly normal until about six or seven years ago, aside from my low iron levels. That’s when I had to go on a round of antibiotics for H. pylori, and that’s exactly when my digestive issues kicked in—specifically pale, constipated stools. Honestly, I’ve been dealing with that almost every day since. Around that same time—likely a domino effect from the infection—my skin started acting up right as the weather turned cold. I started getting the redness, itching, stinging, and peeling I mentioned in my last post. It follows a predictable cycle: it flares up all through the winter months and finally settles down during the summer. As a result (or at least, that’s my theory), I’ve also been dealing with swollen lymph nodes in my neck.

Regarding digestive issues, I've had a few endoscopies done, and celiac disease has been ruled out. However, a breath test confirmed SIBO. We tried tackling it twice with antibiotics, but the real headache is that we haven't actually identified the underlying cause, so it just keeps coming back.

On top of all that, I'm dealing with pretty significant fatigue and a total lack of energy.

Respect, first off, I want to give a shout-out to Nicholas Myers for everything he does here. Great work. 🙏

Can anyone help me make sense of these blood results? (Male, 28 years old, 6'2", 176 lbs). As you can see from the screenshots, the numbers aren't wildly out of range, but it’s starting to feel a bit weird. My doctor keeps telling me everything looks fine, yet half my results are flagged with an H or an L.

A little context: my lymphocyte levels have been elevated during my last few check-ups over the past couple of years. My TSH fluctuates between 4 and 6 (my endocrinologist says I don't need medication yet). Also, my urine sometimes looks cloudy in the evenings—almost like I spilled a splash of milk in there—and there’s a slight stinging sensation when I go (though my urine culture came back sterile). On top of that, my creatinine has been hovering right at the upper limit for about two years now. My glucose has always been normal in previous tests. As for other symptoms, I’ve got this eczema on my face that’s pretty itchy, stinging, and peeling. Thanks!

https://prnt.sc/vhhacm
https://prnt.sc/vhhaud