Help with blood results please.

[Shon]

Hi.

Help required please. I have for the first time in years been feeling much better, my pain has reduced by 70 percent and I don't feel half as tiered. my stamina is still low and muscle power low. I have recieved a call from my doctor to see her over my present bloods. I would be grateful for your help. I think she will tell me to reduce my tablets, so I would like to go in with an argument for her, as my T3s are low. Below are the results

t4 above level 20.3 pmol

T3 below 0.12 mu

What is your opinion on this. I am afraid if she wants me to drop my dose that my T3 levels will drop.

They have already refused me T3 tablets. But I am going back to thailand to visit family soon, and I am thinking of buying some. I am very grateful to all of you for your help now and over the past five years.

Shon

[Clutter]

Shon, TSH is below range but not suppressed and the amount your FT4 is above range is insignificant. Neither indicate overmedication particularly as your FT3 is only half way through range and, as you say, reducing dose is likely to cause FT3 drop and cause worsening symptoms. Tell your GP how much better you feel on this current dose and resist firmly any attempt to get you to accept a reduced dose.

Dr. A.Toft's comments to Pulse Online in the link below may be relevant re some patients needing low/suppressed TSH and over range FT4 to feel well. Email [e-mail] if you want a copy of the full article to show your GP.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

[Shon in reply to Clutter]

Thanks for your reply. What do you think the solution is to the T3 level being to low. I am presuming that taking more T4 would put me at risk. But bring up my T3 level.

[Clutter in reply to Shon]

Shon, Low TSH and high FT4 with low FT3 indicate suboptimal conversion of T4 to T3. Inceasing T4 won't put you at risk and might improve FT3 but reducing Levothyroxine by 25mcg and adding 10mcg T3 would be a better option.

Have you had vitD levels tested? Good levels of vitamin D aid T4 to T3 conversion.

[Shon in reply to Clutter]

Yes apparently I do show vitD insoficiant. I begged for t3 tablets but both the doctor and endo refused, saying that there was no proof of dual treatment being of benefit.

[Clutter in reply to Shon]

Shon, what is your last vitD result?

I had a heated debate with my endo about T4+T3 combination after I had been self medicating for 6 months. Despite his belief that evidence based research was lacking he couldn't ignore the improvement in my health and agreed to prescribe rather than have me buy on the internet.

[Shon in reply to Clutter]

I don't have my last vitD results at the moment. But I remember her saying not bad just insoficiant and put me on a low vitD dose.

I know what you mean about heated debates. My doctor doesn't like me very much. After she kept telling me to up my trauma doll, when I was in so much pain and exhausted, thanks to people like your self guiding me, I upped my T4 does and very quickly made leaps and bounds. This last six months I have been doing ok.

I even argued with her about diabetese. She tells me I am border line diabetic 2. I argued that I believed it was the increase in T4 that was making me present. I still believe that and now I don't have any effects of it.

Please excuse my spelling.

[Clutter in reply to Shon]

Shon, there are no spelling police here

There's an awful lot of hot air spouted about patient/doctor partnership and patient participation in management of their conditions but I'm afraid I shan't believe it until patients are given the opportunity to take doses which mean they feel well even if their bloods are outside of normal ranges. Patients should be informed of potential future health risks if they take higher doses but they should have the opportunity to decide whether to feel well today even if it compromises future health.

[Shon in reply to Clutter]

I personnely be very grateful to this site, and the people who guided me in the past, otherwise I would have carried on believing my doctor.