I requested all if my notes but nurse handed me over to the receptionist who said she could only print a 6 month analysis out. There are loads of results on my bloods that I had done this month. I don't know exactly what results you need but I am going to show you some results I wrote down in an earlier appointment vs the results I was given today.
September 2013: TSH was 3.68
T4 was 16.9
Antibody test: negative
August 2015 first antibody test was negative with a result of 24.0
Second antibody test a week later was negative with a result of 31.0
Free T4 was 18 pmol/L
TSH level is 5.53
Do I need to post any others such as liver function, B12, blood count etc?
I don't know what my results actually mean as I'm being told they are all fine.
Thanks again for your helpful replies
Meg
Reply
Written by
Meg26
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
TSH of 5.5 definitely isn't fine if you are having symptoms, which I presume you are. There's no FT3 results there (what a surprise, not). Ask for a trial of thyroxine to see if it helps you.
Also make sure that you have had Vit D, B12, iron, folate and ferritin measured.
When I asked to see my notes my doctor said "that's an awful lot of photocopying" and then offered me the opportunity to use a free room to view my notes. I took along my camera and photographed the bits I wanted and there was no charge.
Thanks for replying. My symptoms are horrendous. Especially the last 6 months. My doctor has tried telling me that I am just unlucky. Then I was told my results were fine. Then a letter for a referral to an endocryinologist landed on my door! It's so confusing! What is FT3 and what is it measuring? They haven't done mine. Can I request that it's done?
My Vit D wasn't done. My serum vitamin B12 measures 233 ng
My RBC is 4.5
I can't see that my iron was done. (There are so many medical names that I don't know if it's named as something else)
My folate is 14.7
My ferritin is 20
I have no idea what these mean!
Also I begged for a trial of levothyroxine and she flatly refused saying it went against everything she was taught as a GP. I came out of there in tears! I'm only 27 and feel about 100
Meg, your GP should be treating you with a TSH of 5.5 and clinical symptoms but at least she's referred you to an endocrinologist. If your endo consultation is a long way off you might see if another GP at the practice would be prepared to trial you on Levothyroxine while you wait for your appt.
TSH rises in response to the body's demand for T3. T4 is an inactive prohormone which converts in the liver and other organs to T3 which is the active hormone our bodies need. Labs rarely test FT3 unless TSH is suppressed <0.04.
Your B12 is low but your folate is fine. Supplement methylcobalamin B12 1-2,000mcg sublingual lozenges, sprays or patches.
Ferritin is low and should be around 79-90. Supplement iron and take 500mg-1,000mg vitamin C with each tablet to aid absorption and mitigate constipation.
You need the ranges for those results as you need to know if they are below range, bottom or well in range. Get into the habit of always asking for a print out of results, with ranges. It's the first step to taking responsibility for your own diagnosis and treatment. It also "encourages" your GP to rethink their idea of "normal" - in my experience.
A quick, potted,lesson in thyroid hormones:
TSH is produced by the pituitary. It stimulates the thyroid to produce T4 and T3 (plus T2, T1 and calcitonin). T4 is a proto-hormone. It's inactive and is converted by the body into T3. T3 is the active hormone used by every cell in the body. It is lack of T3 that makes you hypo. The only use for the TSH test is to determine whether your hypothyroidism is primary (your TSH is high and your FT3 are low as the pituitary is trying hard to stimulate the thyroid) or secondary (your TSH is low and your FT3 is low because the pituitary isn't working properly).
Most labs try to refuse to do the FT3 test, yet this is the vital test that tells you if you are hypo. Insist that it is done. My doctor had to phone the lab and request it.
I was put on thyroxine 18 months ago because I was so ill and so depressed I just lost it in the surgery. He put me on thyroxine to shut me up.
I'd love to know what your "GP" was taught. Clearly it wasn't how to diagnose and manage hypothyroidism.
If all else fails, you could consider trying Nutri Thyroid. I take that too. It's a weaker form of Natural Dessicated Thyroid and is available to purchase as a health supplement in the UK. No prescription needed and no need to import.
In my non-medical opinion your B12 is seriously LOW. In Japan the range STARTS at 500 and goes up to 1300. Also only 20% - yes 20% - of what shows in the blood is available at a cellular level where it is needed. So you have so very little. The following link will tell you all you need to know about B12 and its importance. Take a look at the Films too - on the left of the page....
Hope you soon feel better - from someone who had her terminal ileum removed over 40 years ago and yet was never told injections for B12 would be required The Terminal Ileum is where most of the B12 is absorbed. So we cannot rely on Docs for our wellbeing. I have now started weekly B12 injections at 68 ! I think Liver and Onions and a good B Complex for most of my life has probably saved me from Dementia
I so agree with the other posts - FT3 is such an important part of the diagnosis. Ferritin - stored iron in the liver is also too low....as others have mentioned.
Thank you all so much for replying to me. I am going to print all of this off and take it to my doctors and complain that I have continually been told that my blood group is perfectly fine! I really appreciate the help
Meg, even if you take all the tea in china to the GP it won't change his view on how to treat hypothyroidism. They have never been taught about clinical symptoms and follow the dreadful guidelines laid down by the British Thyroid Association. It's no wonder we get so unwell.
They tell us not to look on the internet as we will get rubbish info but it's either read and learn for ourselves our get other more serious diseases as we are either undiagnosed or undertreated due to their reliance on the TSH alone for adjusting doses. They pay no attention or know nothing about clinical symptoms. So instead of an optimum dose of medication to feel well, we get prescribed drugs for the symptoms, i.e. pain, depressed, palpitations etc etc.
For instance if we get overstimulated we reduce dose slightly. The GPs willy-nilly adjust doses to try to keep the TSH at a certain point (considering it varies throughout the day) pay no attention to the patient usually.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
The Terminal Ileum is where most of the B12 is absorbed. So we cannot rely on Docs for our wellbeing. I have now started weekly B12 injections at 68 ! I think Liver and Onions and a good B Complex for most of my life has probably saved me from Dementia 
Help
TTC Hashimotos, no help :(
Hello and results help please!
help!
