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Sinus pain, headaches, and fatigue. Should I test for vitamins and minerals?

joe12

Senior Member
Messages
114
I have been reading about b12 and am wondering how should I determine if I should test for vitamins by interpreting some tests and history I already have. Then if so, how to do it best, and if not, then what else to do?

The main reason for my concern are symptoms like weakness, fatigue, difficulty with concentration and memory, general discomfort, and pain, specially headaches and sinus pain. Actually sinus pain has been my main problem, been suffering from this for about five years, no drainage, no signs of infection, maybe not even inflammation, just lots of frontal sinus pain that doesn't go away. The pain also goes into my jaw, eyes, and neck, mostly in the form of tension.

I have also been wondering about toxicity but don't know yet how to determine these accurately. I am specially concerned about lead and mercury since I had been exposed to lead from my job to about three times the permissible levels for a couple of years and mercury because I had about eleven amalgams, only four now.

I am trying to figure what to do about this but also taking into consideration some potential metabolic problems that could contribute to retention and/or some other problems related to neurological and endocrine metabolic problems.

First I would like to say that I have hashimotos, low factor viii (low coagulation), and low mitochondria function (low pyruvic acid).

My amino acid, organic acids, and acylcarnitine profile tests show normal levels, which to me it seems to mean that the whole infrastructure to work with enzymes, proteins, and nutrients is there and ok, but I really cannot be sure, don't even know if these tests are covering everything or how these compounds work with other important things.

Most cbc levels are normal except:
RDW which is low but doesn't look like a problem,
HDL Cholesterol has been low
BUN has been low
Creatinine IDMS low
Creatinine Urine high

On one liver profile I got high AST (SGOT), high ALT (SGPT), high triglycerides but then on others made before and after they are normal.

My HCT levels vary but have been below range several times and actually just noticed this since I just found it could indicate anemia.

Albumin/globulin ratio has been low but also within range.

It is difficult for me to make sense and create context for this but I was hoping I could get help and that there could be clues in these results when put together with what I have. I haven't found a medical doctor that has helped me make sense of my problems so far.

Maybe there are other things I could find if I look carefully in the bunch of tests results I have but I think these are the main ones right now.

I recently tried using dmsa with supplementation and for some reason I got a lot of energy for about two weeks, then painful restless legs at nigh, so I stopped, felt a little crash, and now am pretty much the same, which made me think about what could have caused this while knowing that it wasn't safe to do. I really felt a lot of strength, energy, and memory for those short weeks. However I am not convinced that I am really toxic, just thinking that if my glutathione system so to speak is impaired, how to determine this, and how this could be connected to things like hashimotos, low mitochondria function, low factor eight, and varying cbc and liver tests. If this is connected and I have low excretion then I could be quite toxic.

I am looking for ideas to create potential hypothesis as to what might be going on. What I have been thinking is to know about my vitamins and minerals like the different forms of b12, if deficient supplement, and then try some chelation again but in a different way. But then, in my mind, I don't have enough basis to justify testing for nutrients, and even if I did wouldn't know how.

@Freddd , @ahmo , @Valentijn
 
Last edited:

redaxe

Senior Member
Messages
230
Hi. I'll try and answer some of your questions.

Regarding vitamin deficiencies you can get tested for them but take the results with a grain of salt. I say this because the acceptance ranges for many standard blood tests is so large that you could still pass AND be deficient - they are often aimed at pulling out the lowest 5% in the population, so just because you don't fall in that range doesn't mean there aren't problems. Same goes for hormone levels too, the standard adrenal test for instance is intended to flag addisons disease which is when your adrenal glands are basically not working (in which case it is an advanced condition), it won't pick up low level adrenal insufficiency.

Different countries also have different definitions of a deficiency. For B12 supplement with hydroxycobalamin or methylcobalamin (don't use cyanocobalamin - check the labels) until your serum levels are over 500pg/ml (many doctors will say 200pg/ml is fine which is crazy, you can ask doctors for B12 injections - they have helped improve my symptoms in the past to a point)

If you have sinus issues that could possibly be the core of your problem. If you head over to this thread here (it's quite long) but we are discussing emerging evidence for mold and biofilm staphylococcus in causing sinus infections and systemic immune dysfunction and fatigue. It appears that at least 90% of the CFS community may have mycotoxins (which are fungal poisons) in their urine. So far these have not been detected in controls.
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/detection-of-mycotoxins-in-patients-with-cfs.22743/

If you have been exposed to mold (e.g. living or working in a moldy building) the theory is that when a person inhales these spores they colonize the nasal/sinus cavities and start producing mycotoxins such as trichothecenes which are direct neurotoxins, immuno-suppressors & inhibitors of detoxification. Mold will cause Vitamin B12 deficiency which is significant as it has a central role to play in neurological health. It will also suppress glutathione synthesis and increase oxidative & inflammatory damage which is thought to be linked to mitochondrial health.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17982599
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942754/

You may find it valuable to get your urine tested by RealTimeLabs for mycotoxins - if that is positive than it suggests you are either inhaling mold spores and mycotoxins in your current environment OR there is a hidden reservoir of mold in the body (possibly gut, lungs or sinuses) that is producing mycotoxins (possibly Aspergillus, Fusarium or Trichoderma although there are probably other fungal species too).

If you can get your sinuses swabbed and cultured and Staph comes up positive than this treatment here could help you
http://www.woodlandhillspharmacy.com/beg_nasal_spray.html

Good Luck