ongoing nutrition and skin problems online blood test kit

I buy high dose Vit D supplements (now brand 5000iu) from Iherb as the ones you buy in UK much lower dose.  

Hello Carolyn,

Your post makes interesting reading. I'm going to send off for one of these test kits, see what mine says. 

For years I have had fairly normal skin, hardly any outbreaks, etc - although, I have always had 'high colouring' as my Mom likes to call it - I call it 'broken veins'.

For the last two years or so the skin on my face has been changing (coincidently similar length of time my consultant thinks I'd 'had' BC - before 'it's' removal yahhy).

Over the last few weeks my skin as continued to get a lot worse, I get daily dry scaly patches to each side of my nose, with the addition of it happening near/on my eyebrows (I hardly had any eyebrows since in my twenties). 

The worse thing that has now started to happen, its like my skin is 'very thin' if I was to scratch my face (only lightly) my skin wants to 'rub off/come off' - I really look terrible, to the point that I've now got a name of a dermatologist that I was planing on going to see in the New Year - as I can't keep on like this.  Over the last few days, I have been using of all things 'Nivea' and it is helping!  
I started Letrozole back in September, I don't think this is the cause as I was having problems before this.  I'm going to send off for one of these test kits. 

xxx

hi What Happened

my skin has always been okay, dry to normal and occasionally very dry in the past, usually around winter and seasonal changes, chapped lips etc

but this was ridiculous, it was almost like sunburn, my skin was peeling off in strips

now this could have been down the extreme change in climate from Dubai in September, an attempt to get some sunshine but clearly backfired with me suffering the extreme reaction when I got back to cold, wind and rain and a complete lack of sunshine.

The GP said 'rosacea' and it would take months of creams, lotions and potions to fix and at my age it was unlikely to get any better.

So I took matter into my own hands ... again

The skin around my mouth was particularly bad and I did wonder about the new ingredients in toothpaste and my extra sensitivity since the chemotherapy.

But 6 weeks of the skin, hair and nails seems to have worked.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-skin-hair-nails-formula-caplets-60007580

obviously the test kit has revealed the low levels of zinc, magnesium and vitamin D but I can't help but wonder how low they were before

I've sent a friend request because I have a voucher you can use to get a discount

Carolyn

xx

WhatHappened

Hi folks... can I be a bit of a party pooper and state the obvious?

I personally would be very cautious with home testing kits...I recall  a quick investigation which showed different kits tested on one person that revealed different 'results' and the accuracy and usefulness of the results were deemed questionable. 

I am sure you have taken this into account and don't need me to mention checking that any vitamins or other over he counter bits  or changes to diet and routine won't be counterproductive.

Hmmmm my nails are shocking right now...I need to look at my diet (I am post gastrectomy) to see if I need to add in some vitamins.

As of course...its only my nails that are stopping me looking drop dead gorgeous.... not : )

Cheers, take care

hi 

the test I used was a blood test that you post off,  so essentially the same as any other blood test except you get your results posted to your online portal

so not actually a 'home testing kit' per se, although I do take your point about home testing kits generally requiring caution 

I opted for the most in depth analysis but I had a voucher making it the same price as the basic one. 

I could have gone to my GP for the same set of tests but chose to pay for a variety of reasons. 

First and foremost I guess because I keep getting letters chasing me for a 'fasting sugar test'

In my humble opinion the fasting sugar test is from the dark ages and should be dispensed with.

If you know you are at risk, which I do, because we have diabetes in our family and I had gestational diabetes, then I realise I should eat sugars in moderation and refined sugars with caution. A fasting sugar test will tell me nothing I don't already know. 

I did have a kit, obtainable from Boots and not expensive, which I could do a simple finger prick blood test which would reveal my blood sugar level within a couple of minutes and once or twice a day over a week would give me a really good indication of how the foods I typically eat affect my blood sugar.

It's an excellent way of training yourself into good habits. 

a second reason is that I had a variety of professional scans on the NHS which revealed nothing and then private screenings revealed cancer, so no test is 100%

and you can't sue the NHS for a routine mammogram missing cancer 

I would much rather rely on natural sunshine exposure, diet and exercise to remedy my skin symptoms but it wasn't working and this approach has helped me, and may therefore help others, or at least open the discussion.  I was feeling very down about my skin having to look at it each morning and attempt to repair it sufficiently to face people at work.  My male GP said it was my age and there wasn't a lot he could do ... sigh

I'm going to stop the skin, hair and nail supplement now I know it's only zinc and magnesium I'm lacking because  my pee was dayglo yellow, which was freaky, but is down to riboflavin in the supplement, my B vitamins are all okay, so extra is unnecessary although I'm not sure if it's actually detrimental. 

a quick google reveals it may be but I will have to have a more in depth look now

...

Carolyn

xx

Hi again...sorry if I sounded critical....I did think you had probably explored this option before going ahead...I was just mindful of others who may be looking at this too. 

 The kits I saw on TV varied..some were blood that was sent off. It wasn't a scientific test...just a handful of available test kits, and a lab looking at the results that came back.

I think it is hard for us when we are looking for answers and may not be listened to, or things are taking a long time, tests are inconclusive or you can't get something checked that you firmly believe needs checking if only to rule it out. 

I am sorry that your initial NHS scans didn't find your cancer. My mother had problems that affected her breathing and degenerated into extreme hacking coughing spasms during which she couldn't catch her breath.

She had to really press her GP to get a chest x-ray but her chest was pronounced clear, further appointments brought no further investigation. To shorten the story, eventually her health plummeted over a couple of days. several emergency hospital admissions, lots of tests, huge lung biopsy..lots of people on her case... until she was told that very unusally, although none of the tests showed cancer,  it was present. Unfortunately, she was too poorly for treatment.

So whether it is incompetence, falabilty or limitations of tests, I do understand wanting to be proactive cross checking and grabbing every bit of reassurance and monitoring we can get our hands on.  

I personally, didn't suspect I had a tumour...this was discovered in investigations following a collapse. Now I know I have to have lifelong B12 injections after my gastrectomy... but it is me rather than my GP making sure I am scheduled for these and again me flagging up that I need my ferritin levels checked etc. Confusingly, noticeable hairloss is a symptom of both too low and too high levels!

I used to take magnesium as there was some evidence it was helpful for Fibromyalgia that I have ( exhaustion, pain, brain fog) but it stopped being sold where I bought it and at the time other sources were more expensive,  however, you have reminded me that I need to look at this again, thanks.

Take care

Your GP is out of date.  You do not need a fasting test for Blood Glucose/diabetes.  You have a hb1ac test which tells  you your average blood glucose over the last 8-12 weeks.  This will tell you if you are diabetic/pre diabetic etc.

I have zero family history, and I have a large family as Grandmother was eldest of 21 children, of diabetes.  Only 1 I found as a great Aunt who also had breast cancer - been NEDDY over 20 years.  Neither of my parents or any of my 3 siblings (all older) even prediabetic yet here I am type 2 and diagnosed 12 months ago with a very high blood glucose.  My BG is now normal with minimum medication (500mg metformin daily).  I've achieved this not through avoiding sweets/sugar but avoiding carbs.  I aim to be below 30g of carbs per meal.  All carbs turn to sugar so I can have a chocolate bar with 10g of sugar or a slice of nimble bread with 10g of carbs!!!

All uk vitamin supplement are very low dosage due to regulations so research if you are better off buying from US.  Of course check interaction with any prescription meds.

My blood test included the HbA1c and it was normal, I'm going to presume this combination of letters and numbers is the same one you are referring to, I had to copy and paste it after 3 go's at trying to recite it, even though yours sounds better

Brain failure is my current 'normal'

of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most

: (

I knew I was paying for a modern equivalent of the glucose tolerance test, I guess that is some consolation 

it will soon be Christmas 

xx

Yes it is!!  So if that's normal then you are not diabetic.  You are looking for a figure of 42 or less!! Mine was 117 so no doubt!!  Now I reside at about 42/3!!!  

I don't think we have "lost" our mind I think we have just misplaced while we focus ( okay stress) about other things!!

32

hurrah

probably a little higher than I'd like but 'normal' is all I've ever aspired to

I guess there's still a chance ...

misplaced is my new favourite word