Help with my results and how to proceed.

[welsh_munchkin]

Hello All,

I am posting here from a suggestion in my ThyroidUK post.

I have been poorly for the last 10 years, and slowly getting worse. I have been researching, and thought that an under-active Thyroid was the problem. I then went to the Medichecks website and ordered blood tests for thyroid and vitamin levels.

I now have the results and would very much appreciate your thoughts as I am at my wits end about what to do.

THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE 2.51 mIU/L (0.27

- 4.20)

FREE THYROXINE 15.16 pmol/L (12.00

- 22.00 )

TOTAL THYROXINE(T4) 86.9 nmol/L (59.00

- 154.00)

FREE T3 4.79 pmol/L (3.10

- 6.80 )

REVERSE T3 14 ng

/dL (10.00 - 24.00 )

REVERSE T3 RATIO 22.27 (15.01

- 75.00)

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY 10.760 IU/mL (0.00 - 115.00 )

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 29.08 IU/mL (0.00

- 34.00)

VITAMIN B12 283.2 pmol/L (140.00 - 724.00)

FOLATE (SERUM) *2.48 ug/L (2.91

- 50.00)

25 OH VITAMIN D *32.87 nmol/L (50.00

- 200.00)

Medichecks said that the Thyroid is all within the normal range. My CRP and ferritin levels are all ok.

But:

"You have low serum folate. I recommend checking your red cell folate to assess whether this is significant.

Your vitamin D levels show that you have vitamin D insufficiency. This may progress to vitamin D deficiency if you don’t take steps to increase your vitamin D levels.

We recommend supplementing with 20-50 mcg (800 -2000 iu) of vitamin D per day for twelve weeks. It is important to test your vitamin D levels regularly - most people in the UK are insufficient or deficient in this vital vitamin. We suggest that you repeat your vitamin D test in 8-12 weeks to ensure that your levels have returned to normal. Once your levels have returned to normal then you can decrease your vitamin D supplementation to 10 mcg (400 iu) per day.

So Amy while your thyroid is looking quite healthy, and that in itself is really good, many of your symptoms may be attributable to the insufficient vitamin D levels. Addressing this and repeating the test in 3 months would be a great place to start."

Can you please share your thoughts. My TSH being above 2.5 and the lower levels of T3 and T4 make me think my thyroid is not functioning properly, and on my ThyroidUK post people are saying that VitD is extremely important, but that my B12 is also low along with my folate and this is concerning. I am a complete novice at understanding what this means.

My list of symptoms are as long as my arm. I'm only 28 years old, and can't bear the though of living with low level pain everyday for the rest of my life!

I have recently lost a lot of weight on slimming world (only fresh foods), nearly 5 stone over 18 months, but have been struggling to lose anymore since then.

Thank you in advance,

Amy

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Your B12 is actually unlikely to be deficient - though not impossible. It is well into the normal range

Serum B12 isn't a gold standard test and will miss 25% of people who are B12 deficient but also pick up 5% who are if used as a single measure.

Evaluating on symptoms is difficult - and as you have a folate deficiency which would caus macrocytosis - one of the symptoms of B12 - and the symptoms overlap a lot. They also overlap with thyroid and vitamin D deficiency.

Suggest that you try for an MMA test - this will be elevated if your cells don't have enough B12 - homocysteine is another possibility but that would be raised by the low folate so MMA would be better.