Understanding blood results before doc has looked at them

[Evangelinesmum]

Hi everyone, hope its ok to post here, I havnt been diagnosed hypothyroid but I just paid for my bloods to be taken privately. I don't see the doctor for another week (to discuss the results) but the receptionist forwarded me on them today, so I'm left wondering what they mean until then. I'm the least patient person known to man and just wondered if anyone could shed some light before then? Results were as follows:

Free t4 - 14.26 normal range is 12-22

Free t3 - 3.88. Normal range is (3.1 - 6.8)

TSH 2.0. Normal range 0.27 - 4.20

Antibodies - 6.8. Normal range is under 34

My tsh always comes out ok but I didn't know if it meant anything that my T3 and T4 were on the low end of normal?

Many thanks for any advice or guidance.

Evesmum

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

You look like you are in the classic situation of being dismissed with, at worst, mild sub-clinical hypothyroidism. No treatment. Next!

In my own case TSH rose slowly over some time, and as soon as it went over our local rage, GP prescribed. But he had clearly not been in a hurry to do so. I think in the end I had five consecutive, rising TSH tests.

I too was negative for antibodies. My FT4 was by the end towards bottom end (though it was not tested more than once or twice) but not out of range.

I took pretty well to levothyroxine and seem fine on 100 micrograms a day - taken at bed-time.

My prediction will be "wait and see". That might not be entirely wrong - it is possible to have transiently raised TSH/low thyroid hormone which then recover. To be honest, though, I doubt it.

Rod

[Evangelinesmum in reply to helvella]

Hi Rod

Thanks very much for your reply, I have been feeling rubbish since I got pregnant in 2011, my daughters now 19 months old and getting through every day is a chore - tiredness wise along with a whole host of other problems. I had a glucose tolerance test and I'm insulin resistant but the metformin they have given me hasn't helped its weight loss, tiredness or brain fog as of yet (2 months in) so I wanted them to check for another cause. Do you think my low levels of t3 and t4 could cause hypothyroid symptoms if my tsh is ok?

Many thanks again.

Holly

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Evangelinesmum]

I think they could - as I say, my own FT4 was not out of range when diagnosed.

However, I do caution that metformin is funny - and I can't remember a single thing I have read about it! But I have a feeling that it needs to be properly thought about.

Mind, you would not be the first person to find sugar-related issues improve with improved thyroid levels.

I really don't think your TSH matters at all - it is only the thyroid hormones that matter. (Your doctor might disagree!)

Rod

[Evangelinesmum in reply to helvella]

Thanks Rod that's been really helpful. I'm going to do a bit more digging about metformin.

Holly