Rare blood test help please

[thelady2003uk]

Hi, My Endo has sent me a blood test form to take to the GP. On the form he is asking for an l131 blood test. I have searched online but cannot find out what it's for can anyone help me with this please? Thanks to all and take care!

[humanbean]

The endo is asking your GP to arrange an iodine test.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

Having low iodine levels is one cause of hypothyroidism. Also, I think that low iodine is a common cause of developing a goitre.

[thelady2003uk in reply to humanbean]

Hi Humanbean, I thought that might be the case when I searched Google but I got confused because I could only find it on Thyroid cancer sites where it says that you take l131 as a pill; so I think I am correct in assuming that they give it to you prior to scanning for thyroid cancer to make the scan pictures clearer. It's good that my Endo wants to check iodine at least he is doing a thorough job instead of the bog standard TSH/T4 and T3 (if you are lucky). Thanks a lot for taking the time to help me. Take care

[Clutter in reply to thelady2003uk]

thelady2003uk, I can only assume your GP has ordered an iodine blood test.

I-131 is radioactive iodine delivered in a capsule for uptake by thyroid and thyroid cancer cells which then shows up on a gamma scan any thyroid/thyCa cells in the body. There isn't subsequently blood work to check iodine or radiation levels.

[thelady2003uk in reply to Clutter]

Thanks a lot for your reply, I understand now thanks to you guys help. Thanks again!

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

Sorry about this, but I've just thought of something else. I'm pretty sure that the most reliable way of testing iodine levels is actually with a loading test and urine sample, but I think it is a bit long-winded. Urine gets tested for baseline iodine levels. Then a measured dose of iodine is given. Then urine is collected over a number of hours to see how much iodine is found in the urine.

I really don't know the specifics of how this particular test works. But I bet the NHS don't do it this way anyway - it would be too expensive. They almost certainly test in some much cheaper way - a single urine test or a single blood test.

[thelady2003uk in reply to humanbean]

I didn't know the NHS tested for iodine at all until now. In July 2014 I thought I may have low iodine levels so I did a test through Nordic Laboratories it was a urine sample on a test strip, result was 287.30ug/g Ref range 100 - 1100 (100-300 optimal) I have just been reading it properly and there is a note on the bottom that I was taking Armour at the time, I could only tolerate it for a couple of weeks and I haven't been on anything since, so perhaps the armour might have caused a false reading. Good job that I'm getting one done again and at least this time I don't have to pay for it!