I'm new here and I feel very confused with what is happening to me. My doctor ran some tests and says all is fine. I had suggested that perhaps it was my thyroid. A friend of mine had suggested it because my symptoms sound like her mother's. Doctor says no but has offered anti depressants. My symptoms come and go. I will feel really bad for a few weeks and then I will be better.This has been going on for years as I remember being like this in my early twenties (now mid 30s)
My symptoms are:
cold hands and feet all year around,rarely warm up
feeling cold most of the time,but occasionally I get overheated without a reason
sometimes I start sweating loads again for no reason
feeling tired with no energy
my legs have patches that have completely lost hair, losing a lot of pubic hair too!
my heart races from time to time again for no reason (not anxious or anything)
mood swings, feel angry again for no reason or feeling low and depressed
ringing in my ears
pain in joints and muscles that come out of nowhere
memory problems or can't remember words, can't keep up in conversations,can't concentrate
tsh was 3.2 (0.35-5.5)
ft4 was 11.5 (8 to 22)
tpo was 85 (0-34)
vitamin d 36 (needs to be overy 25)
ferratin 9 (10-291)
folate 4.2( needs to be over 6)
I asked about ferratin being under and she said it was barely under but i could take a daily pill to increase it. Same for the folate.
I don't know what to do. Are my symptoms all due to depression and the ferritin and folate being a bit low? I've been feeling so unwell for so many years but it always comes and goes and only recently decided to go and have it checked out but I feel like it has all been dismissed...like it's in my head.
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hypro
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There are people here with a lot more knowledge than me, but my TSH is the same as yours although my T4 is slightly higher & I feel awful, so no I don't think it is depression. X
I dont think I would be going down the depression route but I would certainly be trying to get my iron and folate levels up by taking supplements. Your doctor is very off handed with her comment of "its only a little bit under" as my ferritin levels were like yours and I felt awful.
Go to the chemist and buy some ferrous sulphate 200mg suppelments (£1.40 pk) and take one daily with food (taking them without food can damage the lining of the gut) and a good source of vitc. My doctor recommended fresh orange juice but I chose to buy a good vitc supplement as without vitc your body will be unable to absorb the iron. You could take two a day but I would start off with one incase they cause constipation. This is the supplements I took (a small amount on a teaspoon in made up orange squash).
It wont be a quick fix as it has taken me months to raise my levels but I now feel so much better. You should be aiming to get your ferritin level to about 70 and your friend was right in a way as low ferritin (iron that your body has stored in reserve) can mimic thyroid symptom.
Also buy some folic acid and ask your pharmacist how best to take this as I know nothing about folic acid.
Your anti bodies are high so you may well be heading for thyroid troubles but until your TSH goes higher then your GP is unlikely to be of much help. Take a look at this link regarding the anti body test your doctor did as it explains what it means.
Thank you both for replying to me. I tried the last link moggi but it took me to the vitamin c site. I will buy what you suggested. I will try anything to stop feeling like this. When you say it mimics do you mean that my doctor is correct in saying my thyroid is healthy? I found some blood results from my pregnancy a few years ago and tsh only was tested and it was 1.6(0.5-5.5). Why has it changed so much, shouldn't it be around the same all the time? My friend did say to go for blood tests early in the morning. It was 9 am and I just checked to see the one from years ago was at 10.10. Sorry if these are stupid questions, am just so confused by it all and upset to be told to take antidepressants.
i getting told i should see a psychologist as results ok,but i told him dont feel ok and cant get to sleep. Hair thinning, absolutely no energy. Told by a private doc i am borderline and should be getting some treatment.
Hello hypro. As well as the excellent advise given above I would consider whether you might also have adrenal issues. There's a good questionnaire here adrenalfatigue.org/take-the...
Have a good read around the Stop The Thyroid Madness website stopthethyroidmadness.com/ and maybe buy Dr Peatfield's book "Your Thyroid And How To Keep It Healthy". These should start you on your journey to improvement.
Why doctors cannot, will not or simply do not acknowledge that patients with symptoms need treatment is beyond me and possibly always will be.
Your Vit D doesn't look that great to me. When I had my own tested I was given this info for the reference range :
<25 nmol/L : Severe Vitamin D deficiency
25 – 75 nmol/L : Borderline ranging to insufficiency
75 – 200 nmol/L : Optimally replete
>250 nmol/L : Possible toxicity, if sustained
So your level of 36 is not that great and should be supplemented. If you search for vitamin D (using the search box top right of the page), you will find lots of stuff about it, and why it should be at optimal levels. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about vit D, so I hope someone else will chip in with some advice. Vitamin D3 is a better and quicker way to supplement than using vitamin D2. If the supplement doesn't specify which kind of vitamin D it is, don't buy it! And supermarket supplements are cheap, with some unhelpful fillers and binders and are not the most absorbable (so please avoid them!), so please ask for recommendations from people about brands to buy.
Your iron/ferritin looks desperately bad, so no wonder you feel awful. Your folate is also appalling and should be supplemented. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you have low vitamin B12 as well, and I think you should get that tested before you start supplementing with anything. There was a long discussion about iron, vitamin B12 and folate levels and how they interact just in the last couple of days on this thread, which I think you will find very helpful and it is well worth a read :
I agree with the others, ferritin way too low (needs to be over 70), folate too low, vitamin D too low, did she test vitamin B12? No? I'd put money on that being too low as well and it really needs to be tested. In my view TSH too high (should be around 1) and FT4 way too low (should be in the top quartile of the range).
However, what really stood out in your list is this : tpo was 85 (0-34). I don't know what the others think, but that looks to me like positive antibodies, leading to a diagnosis of auto-immune thyroid disease and, if you have positive antibodies, you should be treated.
You are most certainly not fine and you may need to find a GP who can interpret test results.
Been thinking about your question and need to explain what your positive anti body tests means (TPO test). It means that your body is making antibodies that are attacking your thyroid BUT it is not a constant attack, it does it in fits and starts which would explain your description of feeling well one minute and ill the next. This illness is called Hashimoto's and every time you have an attack it kills a litlle bit more of your thyroid function so, in the end, your GP will have to put you on medication.
Next time you feel really ill go back to your GP's and ask for another test explaining that you tested positive for antibodies so you know your thyroid function is impaired. Your friend is right about having the test done as early in the day as possible as your TSH is higher the earlier you have it done.
Unfortunately for you your blood results are not bad enough for your GP to have to treat you BUT if she was listening to your symptoms and taking note of your antibody test then she should have put you on medication.
Getting your iron sorted out will make you feel lot better but it will not cure the autoimmune illness you have (Hashimoto's is classed as an autoimmune illness as your immune system is attacking your own body).
The link I sent you was for vitc and the other one explains all about the TPO test and what the high result means.
Hope this is now a bit clearer for you - any more questions just shout.
My TSH is 3.5 and FT4 11.3 and I have had symptoms of hypothyroidism for some time and being told my results are normal. I am currently trying to get a diagnosis with very helpful advice being given on this forum and information given on thyroid uk. Keep pushing for diagnosis and treatment if you are feeling unwell and good luck.
I can't believe that your GP said that your ferratin were barely under, under much more and you won't have any!! Your TPO was 8f, so quite a way over the 34 and also your folate levels. Do you have another doctor in your practice?
Hi,I got same symptoms as you plus I lost my appetite and my sex drive,I went to so many doctors but everyone is telln me Iam stressed,I know 100% Iam not stressed,I been like that for almost 3 years,and it’s getting worse every day,I feel my life is not even going to last for 6 more month.can any one tell me wt to do urgently please please please please?
Your doctor is an idiot. Can you see someone else? You have hashis and with a TSH if 3.2 it looks as if your thyroid is struggling. More obviously though your ferritin and folate are deficient. I had a ferritin level of 8 at one point and felt absolutely horrendous. You need ferrous fumerate and folate supplements. Your vitamin d could be better too. Ideally around 100. Did you have b12 tested?
“It is of special interest that some patients with severe biochemical hypothyroidism had only mild clinical signs, whereas other patients with minor biochemical changes had quite severe clinical manifestations. Thus, we assume that tissue hypothyroidism at the peripheral target organs must be different in the individual patient.”
What’s the point of such doctors if all they do is look at a computer screen and judge symptoms based on numbers they do not understand? Your antibodies are indicative of Hashimotos, your TSH is higher than 95% of the population who is <2.50, and your FT4 is in the bottom quarter of range.
Your TSH has dropped from what it was a few years ago, suggesting that your TSH and more importantly FT4 is not normal for you. Antibodies are simply the nail in the coffin. Keep fighting, I wish you the very best towards diagnosis and treatment.
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