The accompanying letter says all normal which is good, although I do have several symptoms of hypo thyroid (and I'm a CFS sufferer). I'm doing an adrenal test next.
Is the letter with my results accurate - all normal ? Sorry if that sounds like a stupid question but I admit I don't really understand all the readings especially the one with the < symbol!
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Polly64
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The NHS will always tell you everything is normal, regardless.
Your ferritin is low - it needs to be min 90 for good thyroid health. Your tsh is high - when mine was that high i felt ill. NHS likes to keep it high but many people do not feel well unless it is low or suppressed.
Your T3 is low and that is of concern - it is the active hormone and the most important. I am no expert but would say you are undermedicated.
How do you feel? I bet you feel hypo. Like others, i believe CFS is down to badly managed hypoT. If you were properly medicated and got your tsh down and t3 up, I would bet money your CFS would disappear
I am so grateful for your reply! For what it's worth, this was not an NHS test - I paid for it and it was through Blue Horizons, who I found via a link from this website.
I was assuming the numbers in brackets were the so-called normal range, in which case it looks like I'm easily within the normal range wouldn't you say?
I have had CFS for years, starting from age 17 or 18 (I'm now 50)! It's nowhere near as bad as it used to be but it still gets quite bad. Having looked at the symptoms, yes I do feel hypo. I am not taking any medication, I wouldn't know where to start. My GP won't give me anything I'm sure - as even the private test says I'm "normal."
I am very interested in the idea of my CFS being badly managed hypoT.
Could you or anyone give any further advice please? Or point me in the direction of any similar threads, if I am just asking something that lots of other people ask? (I've had a bit of a search but get flummoxed by all the test results quoted, numbers for THS this and that etc).
Well your T3 is clearly out of range. Most people need it to be at the high end to feel good and tsh at low end. Don't let your gp hold you hostage - how high does your tsh have to go before they will treat you?
You can buy NDT online without script. PM me for more info. Otherwise, if you can afford it, i can recommend a private London GP who will prescribe it - if he saw your results and heard your symptoms I am certain he would prescribe it.
There is plenty of debate about CFS being no more than badly managed hypoT. On this forum there have been posts about it and probably elsewhere too if you search on google. You have nothing to lose with a trial of ndt. I am willing to bet money you will feel 1000 times better. In fact your t4 is low too; my view is you clearly need medication.
I hope others who are smarter than me will post too with more advice
Polly, it's not just a question of being 'in range', that's not the same as 'optimal', and 'optimal' is when you feel good. TSH should be around one for a thyroid-healthy person, yours is too high. FT4 should be over mid-range (17) and FT3 should be up near the top of the range - and even over for some people. You don't have any antibodies according to that list but, bear in mind that levels vary, and on a second test could be positive. Also, there are two antibody tests - TPO and Tg - and they only did one. Your B12 is OK, but could do with being higher.
What you have to remember is that the ranges are bogus - not everybody tested to constitute those ranges was healthy! And with an FT3 that low, I'm not surprised you have symptoms that got you diagnosed with CFS - another bogus medical invention.
CFS - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - a syndrome, not a disease - syndrome = a bunch of symptoms - those symptoms have to be caused by something, and in your case I would say they were caused by low T3. You say you've had the symptoms since you were 17, well, you've probably had low T3 since you were 17 - or even before, because it takes a while for the symptoms to develope.
So, what you need to do now is get the Tg tested, along with serum iron, folate and vit D. And start supplementing any deficiencies and the B12. Your doctor won't treat you with thyroid hormone replacement with your TSH (even though it is too high, he do'sn't know that) but the 'good news' is that it will probably go higher in time. So, you can either wait until your TSH goes higher - or until you start showing signs of myxoedema, whichever comes first - or find a doctor who is thyroid-literate and realises that that low FT3 is a problem, or you can start self-treating. If you decide on the last option, there are plenty of people here can help you. So don't worry!
Having read your reply now, Grey Goose (better late than never)! I can see that the inaccurate free T3 result I originally quoted probably won't really change your advice... as I said, all the other results are right. They still have my blood for another week if I want to have it used for any further tests., Shall I ask for Tg, serum iron, folate, Vitamin D? (I already supplement with Vit D). I was anaemic as a child and in pregnancies.
what's your D3? do you know? if you press your breast bone does it hurt? you could be short of vitamin D which is very similar to and actually interacts with thyroid issues. Your T3 is a little suppressed but this could be for lots of reasons, time of day, recovering from a virus etc... So do the adrenal quiz and get your D3 tested would be my next plan... and start taking lots of vitamin C
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