First visit to endo, results finally back after 5 week wait, please can someone have a look and give me their opinion, many thanks.

[Cookielass]

I'm on no meds, had hemithyroidectmy last year (benign lump) feel awful most of the time. All symptoms pointed to hypothyroidism but endo says I'm all normal! He did walking straight test, which I wobbled at and Achilles reflex test ( no reflex on left side at all) but right worked ok.

Hgb 152

WBC 5.3

Plt 216

B12 246

Serum folate 5.1

Alt 15

Bilirubins 12

Alkaline phosphatase 61

Albumin 41

Calcium 2.40

Calcium (corrected) 2.38

Creatine kinase 83

TSH 1.85

Free thyroxine 14.6

Ferritin 27

Thyroid antibodies result not back but he said this would not alter conclusion.

Sorry no ranges will have to contact them to provide them.

Any thoughts very much appreciated

[PinkNinja]

Hi.

It would be very helpful if you could post the reference ranges when you get them as they vary from lab to lab. It is a pain that they haven't supplied them.

I can, however, tell you what I have noticed so far:

Your B12 is much too low! It might be contributing to the wobble and lack of reflexes. Although it may technically be in range, it is much too low to be healthy. Experts believe a value of 400/500 should be the minimum (depending on range). I would be supplementing with methyl B12 with a result like this, and also a B vitamin complex. In fact, that is what I am currently doing I noticed quite an improvement in symptoms, especially the neurological ones.

Folate is also too low (I seem to remember 12 being stated by someone as a good number to aim to be above). Folate is another B vitamin and it works together with B12 for healthy red blood cells and healthy nerves etc. Supplementing would be a good idea. There may be adequate in a quality B vitamin complex but you may need to take a separate one as methyl folate.

Your ferritin (stored iron) is also too low. Again, it is probably in range but it really needs to be around 70-90 for most people to feel well. For some reference ranges, it may need to be higher. This is one reason why it is important to know the reference ranges, which is why it annoys me so much when doctors provide results but won't provide the ranges! You will need to supplement with iron if you want to raise your ferritin level. Taking vitamin C at the same time, and the B complex once a day too, will help with absorption and storage of the iron. Low ferritin can make you feel very tired and depressed, among other things, as can low B12 and folate.

Your TSH seems ok but it might not be ok for you. You don't say if you are taking any thyroid medication. If you are, your TSH may need to be significantly lower for you to feel well. If you are not, you may find you benefit from thyroid medication, although getting a prescription would be hard as your TSH is in range.

As for free thyroxine, the lab ranges can vary quite dramatically from lab to lab. For instance, the range at the lab my bloods go to is 7.8 - 14.4. Other, more common, ranges are something like 12-25. By my range, your thyroxine is at the top of the range. By the other range, it is near the bottom of the range. I am guessing your range is nearer the second one and your free thyroxine is low in range. This could also be contributing to your symptoms. It may be that the remaining half of your thyroid is not able to make quite enough thyroid hormone to keep you feeling well.

Sorry I couldn't be more specific but I hope that gives you a few ideas about what to do next

Carolyn x

[Cookielass in reply to PinkNinja]

Thank you so much for this info it's great to hear I'm not going mad (yet) !!! I'm not on any thyroid med as everyone insists I'm fine and other half will pick up slack. Recent scan showed more nodules on remaining side but they not worried.

[PinkNinja in reply to Cookielass]

If you get the b12, folate and ferritin sorted out and you still feel bad, it is likely your half thyroid is not quite picking up the slack. Hopefully you will feel some improvement. Do come back to us if you are still not well though. You may be able to find a doctor that will help you. Thyroid UK have a list of private doctors should you ever need one.

Take care

Carolyn x

[Cookielass]

I'm not on any Levo , totally agree, wonder how they would cope !! Thank you for reply