Test results please.....

[Jan49]

I have some results I would like opinions on please. Under Dr S I have been taking 150 mcg Levo and one and a half grains of Armour. I have been feeling better than I have for years and was even losing weight. I have had a full Thyroid test from Genova and these are the results:

Total thyroxine 237 (58-154 nmol/L)

TSH. 0.005. (0.4-4)

FT4. 40.4. (10-22)

FT3. 9.55. (2.8-6.5)

FT4/FT3 ratio. 4.2. (2.0-4.5)

rT3. 0.86. (0.14-0.54 pmol/L)

Thyroglobulin. 52.7. (0-40)

Peroxidase. 13.5. (0-35)

I am in the process of putting together a letter to Dr S but would welcome your thoughts in the meantime. In the last few days I have felt very tired, no tremors or other hypo symptoms but I feel quite down mentally and my right arm and hand are painful. My temperature has not moved from 36.3 and waking pulse is around 77. I would be grateful for any insight, particularly about the rT3 result which is marked as high. Thanks, Jan49

[Clarebear]

Hi Jan49 - I think your rT3 is likely to be high due to your high level of fT4 - I don't think this is necessarily a problem though - I think the rT3/T3 ratio is probably more important - but I'm afraid I have forgotten how to calculate it

Were you feeling well when the blood was taken, and how long after your last dose was the blood draw? xx

[Jan49 in reply to Clarebear]

Hi Clarebear, thanks for replying. Yes I felt quite good, although in the fortnight since I had the test I have begun to feel less so. The blood was taken about 12.00 and I'd had nothing for about 36 hours.

[Jan49 in reply to Clarebear]

Just worked out the ft3/rt3 ratio on STTM and it's 1110.5. Can't be right surely?!

[Blake]

First off, I think you are wrong. You wrote rT3. 0.86. (0.14-0.54 pmol/L) The range is around .15 -.61 nmol/l, not pmol/l

Secondly, her calculator don't always work right.

Anyway if your FT3. is 9.55. (2.8-6.5)...I assume that's pmol/l, that is high, but not necessarily bad. The calculation is Ft3 pmol/l divided by Rt3 nmol/l gives you the ratio. So your RT3 is probably .86 nmol/l. That is too high, you got a pooling problem. So that means you divide 9.55 by .89, you get 10.7:1. That's your ratio.

I don't know why it's all over the net that the ft3 and the rt3 have to be in the same measurements, they don't. Even in the STTP book they say they have to be the same, but then on page 175 it says if both are in pmol/l, multiply ft3 by 1000 first. Then it says if rt3 is in nmol/l and ft3 is in pmol/l. then divide ft3 by rt3. That is correct, but as you can see, that contradicts the statements that they both need to be in the same measurements.

There you go Jan. It confused the shit out of me and it took me 3 days to figure it out.

Incidentally, my rt3 was in ng/ml, so I had to convert it to ng/dl, then multiply that times .0154 to give me nmol/l. Because that converts the old measurement into the new measurement The formula is rt3 ng/dl x .0154 = rt3 nmol/l. I hope that helps someone. Blake

[Jan49 in reply to Blake]

Hi Blake,

thanks for the input. I have rechecked the Genova Diagnostics printout and and the rT3 was in pmo/L as I wrote previously. FT4,FT3,rT3 all in pmol/L. Only T4 in nmol/L. I have other results which are in the same measurements. How do I calculate if both are in pmol/L? Jan

[Blake]

Hmm..Well, what I've read all over the net is that the range for rt3 is around .15 -.61 nmol/l, not pmol/l. And you stated that yours was "rT3. 0.86. (0.14-0.54 pmol/L)" So what I mean is either your lab mis-stated, or what I've read is wrong. My rt3 is .200 nmol/l after I converted it from ng/dl and when I finally figured it out my ratio was 17 to one. So hopefully your lab is wrong because the division makes sense on yours if it's nmol/l and gives you your 10 to one ratio. Other than that, I'm at a loss.

I spent allot of time and kept coming up with the same thing and also, to answer your question, on page 175 in STTP it says if both are in pmol/l, multiply ft3 by 1000 first. So if you took your 9.5 and multiplied that by 1000, you get 9500. Then divide in the ft3, that's 11,000 to one which is obviously wrong. I think I got that right, someone please correct me if I don't. And please let me know what you come up with Jan.

Thanks, Blake

[Jan49]

Will keep digging but on the presumption that my ratio is high, what is the next step? I have gone from 100mcg Levo plus 2 grains Armour to 3 grains Armour but I want a few months under my belt before I get another test. I want to get a saliva test first and maybe address adrenals but there's so much to take in that I'm a bit overwhelmed. Anyway, Christmas first then back to the fray. I take it you also have a problem with rT3?