some one help with these results please

[lola1956]

hi underactive diagnosed few months but borderline 2009, the surgery today have once again cocked up this time insufficient bloo,d taken so no results but in june it was 0.27-4.2 what does this mean, thank you for any help you can give as i am so wore down by it all

[nostoneunturned]

Could you please quote all your results including the ranges, printed just after an item's results.

What you have told us is very incomplete and makes comment impossible.

You have a right to have a copy of any blood test carried out once the GP has seen them. Just ask him or her, post the results here and someone will help you.

[lola1956 in reply to nostoneunturned]

serum ts level 9.38mu/l is that it

[lola1956 in reply to lola1956]

i must have put the wrong results up as no replys

[tegz in reply to lola1956]

If that is TSH then you are Hypo and will need treating.

Not borderline at this level.

If this test was really suspect- another one is needed before you can move forward.

TSH figures are mostly what the NHS go on,even though this approach is inadequate for many.

[nostoneunturned in reply to lola1956]

No, I am sure I have worked it out, see my starter reply below, looking forward to your answer.

[nostoneunturned]

This must mean that you have a TSH (not "ts") of 9.38mU/l, range being 0.7 - 4.2. It is no wonder you have been feeling worn down by it all, that is a high TSH level and no doubt you will have symptoms and should be on medication.

As the blood was inefficiently drawn for your recent test please make sure that you have another test done ASAP .

Please get copies of the test and post here for help, you will get plenty.

Meantime, are you on any medication for your thyroid, if so, how much do you take daily and for how long have you been taking it?

[lola1956 in reply to nostoneunturned]

hi thank you for your reply i am on 50 levothyroxine, have been for two months but getting worse , my ankles and legs swollen , all over really, and so tierd and depressed xx

[lola1956 in reply to lola1956]

what is hypo?

[lola1956 in reply to lola1956]

this probably sounds quite silly but even with the hot weather we have had my feet and hands are frozen and i wear sox in bed

[tegz in reply to lola1956]

Typical of underactive thyroid ,Lola-

That's 'Hypothyroid'- your Dr should have explained this to you when starting treatment!

Levo is standard treatment for this and it takes a bit of getting right, dose wise- so I would explain your ongoing progress, or lack of it, to your GP- as it's still early days.

[lola1956 in reply to tegz]

hello tegz please excuse my ignorance,this is all quite new to me and my doctors are useless and explain nothing as i sink further in to depression with my brain forgetting everything including at times my own name! i do thank you for reply though and i read all your replys as you seem to understand all "this" fully

[tegz in reply to lola1956]

No worries, Lola - many fellow sufferers, on here! Sometimes you can see contentious figures and think- Maybe the Dr could be doubtful etc, but in your case it looks obvious.

In the state of play for thyroid problems in the UK it's sadly not unusual to see every shade of doubt cast over the struggling patient.

So, it's not you -and in time you will get the fuller picture and push for the treatment you need.

Just the way it is, sadly.

If you have a choice of Drs it may be worth switching to a more supportive one -as it is quite a long journey to 'get it right'..

[lola1956 in reply to tegz]

morning, thank you, going to get an appointment today see what doctor will say this time

[tegz in reply to lola1956]

Good luck- keep us posted

[nostoneunturned in reply to lola1956]

Hypo is just an abbreviation of the word "hypothyroid", meaning someone with an underactive thyroid, as yours is.

Was there not also an FT4 result plus range? There should have been, doctors should not be judging treatment solely by the TSH. 50mcg is just a starting dose and you have been left on it for too long, you should have had an increase after about 5 weeks. All the symptoms you quote are those of hypothyroidism, it enrages me to think your GP can see what is happening to you yet he does nothing.

Please buy "Understanding Thyroid disorders" by Dr Anthony Toft, British Medical Association publication, Dr Toft past head of the British Thyroid Association.

Page, so your GP cannot argue with such an authority. Book available from chemists/Amazon, only about £5.

On Page 41 Dr T sets out the initial stages of the progression of treatment until the optimal dosage is reached. You are not being treated in accordance with his advice.

On Page 88 he sets out advice on "Judging the correct dose of thyroxine". The ranges he quotes are based on the ranges he gives on P87 for the different thyroid items. Please be aware that different laboratories have different ranges, and it is where your result falls in the range that matters, that is why we always ask for the relevant ranges. It is very important that your GP should be aware of a fact he makes clear on P88: that HYPERthyroidism (over active thyroid) is dependent on the level of T3 in the blood: Quoting Dr T: "...it is essential that the T3 level in the blood is unequivocally normal in order to avoid HYPERthyroidism.

Page 46 has a brief but useful reference to T3 being added to treatment.

Dr Toft also has more information in his Pulse article; you can get this by e-mailing

[e-mail]

You will find lots of excellent information on all thyroid related matters on the main site

thyroiduk.org

It is very well worth your while to read on the main site. I suspect you have a GP who knows very little about thyroid matters and your knowledge will be power. I had exactly your experience way back, left on 50mcg far too long, went downhill like you, OK now, so I know exactly how you feel.

You might, eventually, having given the thyroxine a chance, turn out to be one of those patients Dr T refers to on Page 46 who need the addition of T3, (I was) but that is for the future if you prove not to be converting your T4 to T3, this lack of conversion will be apparent from the results of your blood test. T4 is the storage and inactive form of thyroid hormone, T3 is the active form.

You should also be tested for folate, B12, iron/ferritin, Vitamin D

When you have been tested for these, please do get copies of all the blood tests, if you do not already, this ensures accurate posting of results and ranges on this site for advice.

You will get better, truly, hang on to that, and please keep in touch.

[lola1956]

hi nostoneunturned yes serum free t4 level 10 pmol/l does that help?

[nostoneunturned]

What is the FT4 range quoted. please? It is very important always to give the range for any particular item tested as labs differ, without the ranges it cannot be deduced completely accurately just where in the range your result falls.

[lola1956 in reply to nostoneunturned]

sorry new to this ft4 is 10pmol/l(10/24) thank you

[nostoneunturned]

No need for "sorry", lola, you are doing just fine. Your FT4 is quite low being just above the bottom of the range and this is reflected in your TSH being at 9.38, well above the normal range, and way above the level of TSH of 1 or under for which your doctor should be aiming. Your above range TSH shows more TSH is being produced by the pituitary in an attempt to flog the thyroid into producing more T4, but of course as your thyroid is underactive any extra T4 can only be supplied by the dose of levothyroxine, but you have been left for two months without any increase on the starting dose of 50mcg and this is completely wrong. A low level of T4 (storage hormone) means there is little T4 to be converted into T3 (active hormone) The fact that you have been left on 50mcg starting dose, shows that your GP does not seem to understand how to treat thyroid problems, if he does not improve can you go to some other GP in the practice as tegz suggested? Most practices, patients can go to whatever doctor

they like.

Is the failed blood test being run again? It should be, and should definitely lead to an increase in levothyroxine. You should not take your morning dose of levothyroxine on that day, take it after the blood draw.

Please let us know what the results with ranges of this blood test are, which should assess at least the TSH and the FT4. Buy Dr T's book and perhaps one for your GP? How can he get touchy? Dr Toft is one of the medical establishment's own people so a GP should never feel he can argue with the principles of increasing treatment and how to judge the correct dose of thyroxine set out concisely in this little book.