Help me interpret my Blood tests (Symptoms after meals, panic attacks & more)

[Can]

Hello there lovely people,

as I mentioned in my first post on this forum, for about three years I have been having some symptoms that at times have been quite severe. At first my symptoms were simply and only skin issues on my hands, ankles and feet for about two years. Since I didn't get to the root of things back then, problems got worse. Since October of the last year, I have been having occasional panic attacks, episodes of feeling very nervous, uneasy, unwell, jittery - some of these acute attacks/episodes felt so severe and absolutely life-threatening, that I even got hospitalized once when I thought I was having a stroke, and visited the emergency station of my nearest hospital multiple times when I just generally felt like something wrong could happen.

These symptoms are sometimes accompanied with fluctuations in blood pressure, fast heart rate, subjectively feeling hyperglycemic after high carb meals, pressure or burning sensations in heart, just feeling weird and very uncomfortable, having perceptual changes as if I took drugs, feeling individual organs like my thyroid very clearly and strongly, and more. I also sometimes have symptoms like bloating, air in stomach, heart burn - symptoms that point to my digestive system. Note that many of these symptoms also most often occur, if they occur, about 30 minutes to an hour after meals, although not always (it is complicated as I had symptoms completely unrelated to eating and not directly after meals as well).

In an effort to understand my symptoms and what my body is trying to tell me, I went to multiple doctors and made different blood tests / tests in general. I will also be getting a gastroscopy in the near future. Anyways, that is for another time and place. In this thread, I simply wanted to ask for help in interpreting the blood work that has been done in the time since October. I was not able to specifically ask for the markers that were measured, the doctors decided on their own. I compiled all the blood tests and made them into one pdf, in chronological order. The doctors so far all said that the test results were normal, and I don't really know how to interpret these tests, what to look for, or what these results mean to a large degree. Is there anything that is noteworthy among these markers? Anything that is not normal and that could help me figuring out the root cause? And are there any markers you think would make sense to get tested, that weren't part of any of the tests?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

p.s. The test results are all in German but hopefully most of the terms are similar enough for you to be able to make out the most important markers regardless. If not, I can translate. Some terms that are quite different in German are Natrium = Sodium, Kalium = Potassium, Eiweiß = Protein, Gesamteiweiß = Total Protein. I also attached the same pages that I put into the pdf as individual jpg-files, in case you don't like opening pdfs.

 

[Peatness]

I'm not medically trained so this is not medical advice. Why gastroscopy? They are not safe. Your tsh is high and your vitamin D is low.

 

[Can]

I'm not medically trained so this is not medical advice. Why gastroscopy? They are not safe. Your tsh is high and your vitamin D is low.

Because I need to get to the root cause of these symptoms, and many point to my stomach/digestive organs. How are gastroscopies not safe? I already cancelled an MRT appointment because of the radiation (and reading how the digestive organs are specifically vulnerable to radiation on this forum), but I somehow need to figure out what is causing these symptoms and something like this could bring clarity.

Do you mean the TSH of 4.83 on page 3? The TSH S / TSHb on the latter tests are more in the normal ranges though, aren't they - or are they something quite different? Like I said, I have little to no experience regarding these terms and what they mean, I only vaguely know that TSH is related to thyroid function. My doctor didn't think the deviation was big enough to mention it explicitly.

Regarding the vitamin D, the test that found a vitamin D deficiency is a bit old and I have been supplementing with 1000 - 2000 ius for some time (with week-long breaks because there are mixed opinions on supplementing it) and more importantly, getting plenty of sunlight since then. If I get it tested again, the vitamin D could very well be more in the normal ranges.

 

[Peatness]

I will tag @yerrag because he has a better understanding of blood work than I do.

 

[Can]

I will tag @yerrag because he has a better understanding of blood work than I do.

Okay, thanks! I could really use some help here.

 

[InChristAlone]

I don't know your diet, lifestyle and other factors but I was having panic attacks after meals and I am pretty much concluding I have histamine intolerance. An antihistamine cyproheptadine minimizes all of the symptoms and I feel more like a normal person who can eat without feeling horrible after. Now solving the histamine intolerance is more complicated. SIBO could be a factor. Serotonin could be a factor.

 

[For Peat's Sake]

I haven't looked at your blood work but you sound like you were or are in a very similar situation to where I was 2-3 years ago and I agree with the majority of @sugarbabe suggestion. That was a definite part of what was going on in the background for me and I have since resolved many issues. The answers I found are going to take a much longer conversation and could still of course be wrong but feel free to get in touch if you would like to know more. Looking at bloods alone from my own personal experience will leave you coming up against a brick wall with standard doctors.

 

[ecstatichamster]

I recommend you get a continuous glucose monitor and monitor things for 2 weeks, while you see what's going on and run some experiments. That can be very very helpful.

 

[Can]

I don't know your diet, lifestyle and other factors but I was having panic attacks after meals and I am pretty much concluding I have histamine intolerance. An antihistamine cyproheptadine minimizes all of the symptoms and I feel more like a normal person who can eat without feeling horrible after. Now solving the histamine intolerance is more complicated. SIBO could be a factor. Serotonin could be a factor.

I wonder if it's that. Like mentioned in the post, I've had some symptoms that were very very similar to or the very same as those after meals, completely unrelated to eating. For example, I seem to have muscular tension (I hope that's the right phrase) in my chest and neck muscles (probably trough prolonged, biased movement patterns), and stretching those muscles created exactly the same feeling of uneasiness, shift in awareness and chets pain I have experienced in panic attacks after meals or other instances (although the feeling and symptoms of panic attacks also have varied quite noticeably over time as well) - this didn't make sense to me for the most part because 99% of the time, the attacks occur after meals which brings my attention to my digestive organs, but something has to connect these..

I also had one scary experience where I was on a walk and heard a crack in my cervical spine, and after that, in a few minutes, my consciousness began to change profoundly and I began to partially loose control over my legs and the feeling of my whole body began to change. I also ate blue mold Roquefort cheese that evening though (high histamine food) but a few hours earlier, and first attributed this experience to that cheese, although I have eaten that kind of cheese in the past with no problems... What I am getting at, is that my symptoms at times have been very confusing to me. How are my digestive system, my nervous system, my musculature etc connected so that completely different activities can cause similar or the same symptoms?

A histamine intolerance could help make sense of this. As far as my knowledge goes, histamine is a neurotransmitter that is connected to and works through the nervous system, as well as being absorbed through the digestive tract. This would provide a link between the digestive system and the nervous system that could explain the shifts in perception, panic, different feeling of body and these kinds of symptoms. Writing this now, I wonder why I haven't come to the conclusion earlier - but the thing is my situation has been so complex that I can't blame me. I shifted through so many possible explanations. I really hope I can figure out the actual cause of these attacks soon, that would immediately help me deal with my situation tremendously. To go one step further, if my panic attacks are in fact caused by histamine, like you said, I would need to find the cause for the histamine intolerance itself - and I would immediately want to investigate my digestive organs for that. Like I said, my entire situation began with skin problems about three years ago (which weirdly have mostly dissappeared since a few weeks), but that point to my digestive organs as far as I can tell as well, besides all the bloating, heart burn symptoms, etc.

Sorry for my long-winded kind of writing btw, I am trying to work my way through this entire situation which is quite complex, and I am not an experienced writer .

So how did you come to the conclusion that out you have histamine intolerance, and could you find (and possibly cure) the cause yet? Are you still using antihistamines? And can you eat histamine-containing/-liberating foods again?

 

[Can]

I haven't looked at your blood work but you sound like you were or are in a very similar situation to where I was 2-3 years ago and I agree with the majority of @sugarbabe suggestion. That was a definite part of what was going on in the background for me and I have since resolved many issues. The answers I found are going to take a much longer conversation and could still of course be wrong but feel free to get in touch if you would like to know more. Looking at bloods alone from my own personal experience will leave you coming up against a brick wall with standard doctors.

Thanks for the suggestion, I am definetly interested!

And a bit off-topic, but regarding standart doctors: With all the respect I have had for medical professionals, I have been quite disappointed by them so far. Due to the blood work and the other tests so far seeming fine, I have been told over and over again by multiple different doctors now, that my panic attacks are likely psychosomatic and that I need to see a psychologist more than anything else - despite all my numerous symptoms, including the skin rashes, heart burn, bloating, even air in the stomach (which a doctor noticed with ultrasound). I don't deny that psychological stress can contribute and influence how such an episode / panic attack goes, but the fact that so many of the doctors I went to, tried to reduce everything to that and ignore all the physical symptoms, has been quite absurd and frustrating to me.

 

[Can]

I recommend you get a continuous glucose monitor and monitor things for 2 weeks, while you see what's going on and run some experiments. That can be very very helpful.

I experimented with a blood glucose meter but not a continuous one. I'll consider it, as blood sugar was one of the things I had in sight and wondered about as well.

 

[For Peat's Sake]

Thanks for the suggestion, I am definetly interested!

And a bit off-topic, but regarding standart doctors: With all the respect I have had for medical professionals, I have been quite disappointed by them so far. Due to the blood work and the other tests so far seeming fine, I have been told over and over again by multiple different doctors now, that my panic attacks are likely psychosomatic and that I need to see a psychologist more than anything else - despite all my numerous symptoms, including the skin rashes, heart burn, bloating, even air in the stomach (which a doctor noticed with ultrasound). I don't deny that psychological stress can contribute and influence how such an episode / panic attack goes, but the fact that so many of the doctors I went to, tried to reduce everything to that and ignore all the physical symptoms, has been quite absurd and frustrating to me.

I was told the same. It's not in your head, it's a knock on effect yes. You're only human and feeling the way you have been will naturally make you more sensitive/vigilant becaause you are living in fear of feeling like that. That's what they don't have the knowledge to tackle though, and you'll get offered relaxants which also conveniently double up as antidepressants or repeatedly told it's behavioural etc. Rest assured it is not in your head, it's imbalance.

 

[Blossom]

I noticed your lovely avatar. May I ask if you follow the fasts of the Orthodox Church strictly? If so you may want to get a blessing from your priest to include animal foods for health reasons until you get this sorted out. If not please ignore this suggestion.

How is your breathing? Your blood gas is slightly abnormal and creatine kinase is elevated which could indicate some type of mild cardiopulmonary issue. I would definitely speak to your doctor about this in particular.
Do you smoke?
Edit: the slightly low oxygen and co2 could definitely make you feel panicked. It’s completely normal to feel this way because our brain sends out alarm signals when those gasses are imbalanced. You could try bag breathing for help with this situation. It should have a calming effect.
As an aside your lactate is also elevated. Hopefully that will come back in line with improving your blood gases and heath issues in general.
Our digestion is virtually shut down when under this type of stress so that in itself could contribute to the digestive complaints.
I hope you get continued input and are able to resolve the situation.

 

[Jam]

Your Creatine Kinase MB is elevated, I would have your heart checked by a cardiologist. Did you get jabbed?
Lactate seems elevated and CO2 low-ish, indicating issues with metabolism. What is your diet like?

Edit: I see Blossom already addressed these (I started posting before her post).

 

[ecstatichamster]

I experimented with a blood glucose meter but not a continuous one. I'll consider it, as blood sugar was one of the things I had in sight and wondered about as well.

You have no idea how much blood sugar affects how you feel. I posted this before but it deserves being posted here. I have no diabetes diagnosis and a low HgA1C, but i was going hypoglycemic for several hours a day and had no idea. Each episode causes a cascade of stress hormones that can take days to recover from.

 

[Blossom]

You have no idea how much blood sugar affects how you feel. I posted this before but it deserves being posted here. I have no diabetes diagnosis and a low HgA1C, but i was going hypoglycemic for several hours a day and had no idea. Each episode causes a cascade of stress hormones that can take days to recover from.

View attachment 40220

I think this is an important key for many people.

 

[InChristAlone]

I wonder if it's that. Like mentioned in the post, I've had some symptoms that were very very similar to or the very same as those after meals, completely unrelated to eating. For example, I seem to have muscular tension (I hope that's the right phrase) in my chest and neck muscles (probably trough prolonged, biased movement patterns), and stretching those muscles created exactly the same feeling of uneasiness, shift in awareness and chets pain I have experienced in panic attacks after meals or other instances (although the feeling and symptoms of panic attacks also have varied quite noticeably over time as well) - this didn't make sense to me for the most part because 99% of the time, the attacks occur after meals which brings my attention to my digestive organs, but something has to connect these..

I also had one scary experience where I was on a walk and heard a crack in my cervical spine, and after that, in a few minutes, my consciousness began to change profoundly and I began to partially loose control over my legs and the feeling of my whole body began to change. I also ate blue mold Roquefort cheese that evening though (high histamine food) but a few hours earlier, and first attributed this experience to that cheese, although I have eaten that kind of cheese in the past with no problems... What I am getting at, is that my symptoms at times have been very confusing to me. How are my digestive system, my nervous system, my musculature etc connected so that completely different activities can cause similar or the same symptoms?

A histamine intolerance could help make sense of this. As far as my knowledge goes, histamine is a neurotransmitter that is connected to and works through the nervous system, as well as being absorbed through the digestive tract. This would provide a link between the digestive system and the nervous system that could explain the shifts in perception, panic, different feeling of body and these kinds of symptoms. Writing this now, I wonder why I haven't come to the conclusion earlier - but the thing is my situation has been so complex that I can't blame me. I shifted through so many possible explanations. I really hope I can figure out the actual cause of these attacks soon, that would immediately help me deal with my situation tremendously. To go one step further, if my panic attacks are in fact caused by histamine, like you said, I would need to find the cause for the histamine intolerance itself - and I would immediately want to investigate my digestive organs for that. Like I said, my entire situation began with skin problems about three years ago (which weirdly have mostly dissappeared since a few weeks), but that point to my digestive organs as far as I can tell as well, besides all the bloating, heart burn symptoms, etc.

Sorry for my long-winded kind of writing btw, I am trying to work my way through this entire situation which is quite complex, and I am not an experienced writer .

So how did you come to the conclusion that out you have histamine intolerance, and could you find (and possibly cure) the cause yet? Are you still using antihistamines? And can you eat histamine-containing/-liberating foods again?

It's really hard to figure out. I've gone through it since 2014, with a big break after being on cypro for 1.5 yrs and basically going off any kind of diet eating whatever I wanted and getting out of a moldy house. I had a major break from panic attacks for about 3 yrs, then because of chronic stress they came back full force. I just had an adrenaline rush yesterday and I'm fairly certain it was from hypoglycemia, not histamine, but I go back and forth constantly. It absolutely could have been histamine but it absolutely could have been going too long without eating then when I finally do eat, blood sugar drops rapidly. But I've never been able to catch a real low on the finger stick. I am considering getting the continuous monitor to see last and for all if that's what I have or not. Digestive stuff can be a factor, and of course if it is reactive hypoglycemia the constant release of adrenaline can really block thyroid which shuts down digestive organs.

 

[HeyThere]

A food list of what triggers this would help as well.

I deal with Salicyate Sensitivity which raises histamine. Rashes, panic, brain fog, stiff muscles, all of it and more.

 

[youngsinatra]

Low CO2 / high lactate. Poor pyruvate dehydrogenase functioning probably, which gets primarily stimulated by B1 + magnesium.

I’d try a high dose thiamine HCL + magnesium-malate or -glycinate with it. Like 1000mg B1 + 400-500mg magnesium.

If the cell is stuck in this anaerobic glycolysis, it can present in all types of weird symptoms (due to low ATP output, affecting all systems) but panic, anxiety, breathlessness and lack of oxygenation are some serious indications.

Check out:
Hormones Mattter for more info on this subject.

 

[InChristAlone]

A panic attack always involves hyperventilation which explains the breathlessness, which causes more panic. There is nothing seriously wrong with someone going through a panic attack. Remember that @Can, panic attacks are not dangerous. Someone with a propensity to panic has elevated fear levels and forums can be really bad for someone like that. I don't mention it all the time as people are looking for nutritional help on this forum but one of the most effective ways to overcome fear of fear is the DARE program. Many many people have overcome this just by changing how they deal with adrenaline when it comes on. When we tense up and think something is really wrong it causes the panic to come on. That's not to say don't solve the underlying cause of adrenaline, but that adrenaline is not dangerous, it's there to protect you. Even when I say it could be histamine intolerance that's also stress activated. Going through panic attacks can be extremely stressful. The famous low histamine chef changed her mind that diet was everything, she focused more on meditation when she realized she could get through the histamine reaction just by meditating. She wasn't in extreme danger. That is essential for someone with fear of fear to understand. Good luck, don't get too wrapped up in nutritional therapy. Whenever I do I have panic attacks lol.