My Doctor DID listen to me and gave me all I asked for + more with 22 test results - not all Thyroid related, so I'll just stick to those here unless someone asks if I have something else relevant I can add.
Thyroid Results from blood test 04/03/16. Prev result /date both on 112.5
TSH - u s 0.17 mUl/l (0.55-4.78) 0.38 15/01/16
Free T3 3.6 ngl (2.3-4.2) 2.5 14/12/15
Free T4 16.3 ngl (8.9-17.6) 8.7 14/12/15
Folate seriques 12.64ng/ml (>5.40) 23.43 14/12/15
Ferritin 110 ng/ml (10-290) 72.00 14/12/15
Vitamin B12 919 pg/ml (200-900) 772 14/12/15
For the March blood test - I also have under Blood Biochemistrŷ 'electrophoresis Proteins seriques' tests which looked at Albumine, Alpha & Beta 1&2 globulins + Gamma globulins. Albumin* and Gamma* are both above range. At back of the page there is a graph which looks like a mountain range but to be honest nothing they have written or figures they have out make any sense to me.
The whole blood test covers Thyroid, Cholesterol, Blood Disorder and Liver.
There are 10 results marked * of which..........
Thyroid has 1 only - TSH! The doctors emailed comment on whole blood test was everything was basically OK but for the Thyroid he wrote "reduce Levothyroxin to 100 from 112.5per day" !
Cholesterol has 1 - result - it's too low!
The others relate to Blood disorder or the Liver. My platelet count is rising - that I put down to taking the ArkoRoyal which contains Honey, Gingseng, Royal Jelly & Ginger.
I took it for 2 months only from mid December - mid February. I tried a different but similiar product but that was too strong. So only it took for a few days. The Arko definitely improved my mental stability. The only other prescribed med I have continued taking daily from September till now is the Levothyroxin. I don't get headaches so do not take themor antidepressant pills. My appetite is still terrible, my hair falls out a lot now, more than last year when I experimented with Levo dosages. My skin is very dry and flaky again now which it wasn't then. I think the Mold spores are definitely also affecting my whole endocrine system, especially with the neural effects - I find it very difficult to stay focused on what I'm doing, vision despite 2 successful cataract operations, and hearing have both become worse.
I have neither nor know of any UK Thyroid blood test results from May 2000 to end 2007, when simply told I was Hypothyroid. So I presume antibodies were never tested for either.
I moved here Jan 2008. Between 3/Sep 08 after returning from UK with a UTI, when TSH 3rd generation, was 22.33,in October 08 it was 1.08 (0.47-4.64) also Oct Free T4 1.22 ng/100ml (0.71-1.85). it was always TSH and Free T4 only tested. T4 always in range - no T3 testing.
I also had frequent Cholesterol testing where results showed nothing alarming, but a lab warning to look for signs of Type 2 Diabetes when or if Total went up or down but stayed in range. Yes I was overweight and tubby - not metabolising my Thyroxine properly? 09/10 may be when I was put on Metformin and that definitely had an effect on me, taken with Levo. Muscle and strength loss, more fatigue, vision, hearing deteriorating much more quickly than over previous years. Even rapid moods swings and became aggressive. My spleen eventually became swollen, the start of my Blood disorder as not producing enough white blood cells and eventually my red cells also compromised. A lot to take in and consider but I do think there is a correlation between Thyroiditis and Type 2 diabetes medications - where one type destroys effects of the other and leads to more immune conditions. Bearing in mind I'd started life with a gland removal!
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Well, your FT3 is way too low - no Wonder you're losing your hair! - and you're not converting. If they want to reduce your Levo to 100, let them, but insist on some T3 to replace it. It's much easier to get T3 from a doctor in France than it is in England, and it's cheap. If he won't give it to you, change your doctor. That's easier to do in France, as well.
Thanks a lot GG. Just Shows how little the doctor knows about Thyroid. ill phone tomorrow and make an appointment, hopefully for Wednesday, same day as I hope the Neck face profil can be and I can take to show doctor. I'll find the TUK info on T3/T4 copy it and email to him before then also. have a good evening. Would it be the autoimmunity stopping me from converting or should I be looking at or for RT3/4 given the autoimmunity and or missing gland!
The only way to find out what's stopping you converting is to try things and see if it improves. But, in the meantime, you need T3 or you're going to stay ill.
It could be the Hashi's. Lots of Hashi's people are bad convertors. It could be nutritional deficiencies. Your B12 looks OK, actually, as are your folate and ferritin. But if the D3 is low, it could be that. Also, we need good levels of zinc and selenium.
Or it could be adrenal fatigue/low cortisol. But, all you'll get tested for that is an 8.0 am blood test.
You won't get rT4 tested in France (there is no rT4). And I've no idea how to go about getting private tests. So, for the moment, at least, forget about rT3. I Don't even think that's helpful at the moment, with your FT3 that low.
I agree there's room for improvement and a dose increase, not decrease, as your FT3 isn't quite into the upper quartile of the range (unusual range that). More levo, rather than less would be in order - up to 125mcg.
Or some T3, but we all know that can be a struggle to get!
Thanks jazz, T3 not difficult to have prescribed in France I'm told. It's a question now of whether my Doctor is aware of T3 or not - judging from his email to me I'd say not!
Even if he doesn't know what it is - and most of them Don't - he could still prescribe it. Depends on his mood, probably. Or go and see an endo. You Don't need to be referred in France. Just ring the endo of your choice and make an appointment.
I'm due to see the Endo re liver in April anyway, just waiting for the rdv to arrive in post. She's the one who told me end September to go and find a holistic medic when I'd asked her about looking st my whole health history and endocrine system. She also had suggested I was Perhaps looking for another illness?
They do have a separate Endo at hospital who ....oh yes I saw a Thyroid Consult ?August, told her also about the TB gland being removed - she took no notice just said to keep having only TSH tested. I think I put that on TUK at the time!
But surely doctors must be able to see what's missing, can't they? Or maybe your family interpreted 'gland' rather losely. Could have been a saliva gland, or something. It obviously wasn't your thyroid, you've still got that. And I Don't know what other glands there are in the neck... Have you had a thyroid scan?
yes I saw the thyroid on the scan and after looking up about the thyroid, I'd thought parathyroid myself. if one was missing I don't know that would mean in terms of the pituitory gland and my metabolic system, T3 release etc. and can't remember what I read now.
Saw Dr yesterday he refuses to prescribe the Lio med T3 and says he wont test for T3/4 again either only TSH - so looks like that's me stuffed!
he said to go and see the Haematologist that was after p I started telling him about T4 converting or not to T3 and the effects on the endocrine system. he's not interested just told me to go back down to 112.5mg from the 125 he put me back up to when he home visited 2/3 weeks ago and I then had the blood test results, which I posted here.
think that's why his final comment was have I moved yet - he won't write a letter for Lawyer to confirm my health status (re the house) said she must write and ask him! he probably wants to have me classified as insane so I'll go and he can change his patient instead! I offered to change to another doctor! I'm not goi g back unless I really have to. I think I said that last week after the X-ray when my Doc wasn't there, I'd asked to see a doctor - the secretary said no that's why I had to wait a week to see mine yesterday at 9.30.
I've went back to the pharmacy yesterday and have bought more Arko Royale,,been off it 2 months and it's only when I was on that that my Dec and January test results had improved and I'd felt much better than I do now. so I'm sticking to what I know works in making me NOT feel so unwell.
anyway I'm going to eat something now make a cup of tea, also take the Arko.
Not sure what your comment above means GG - below is a copy and pasted reply came in from you 2 hours ago it says ---- complete with your Goose photo and Greygoose name.
"Well, your FT3 is way too low - no Wonder you're losing your hair! - and you're not converting. If they want to reduce your Levo to 100, let them, but insist on some T3 to replace it. It's much easier to get T3 from a doctor in France than it is in England, and it's cheap. If he won't give it to you, change your doctor. That's easier to do in France, as well. :)"
So hope we are not at crossed purposes over something ...oops if we are
Well, we are a bit. lol That was a reply to Jazzw, when she said T3 was so difficult to get hold of. I just can't get used to this system of replying - you never know where a reply is going to fall! Very confusing, sometimes. I know I should put the persons name on the reply so there's no confusion, but a) I forget, and b) it hampers my artistic flow! lol
Except that a lot of things that are said - if they're not too private - can help other people that just read and learn. But, certainly, it is confusing they way the messages just pop up all over the page.
Well... there are, of course, a lot of disadvantages to living here - the buraucracy for one thing! Not as bad as it was, but still a lot of form-filling goes on. And I do miss my fish and chips!!! But, if all you want out of life is a packet of T3 with no hassle, then this is the place for you! lol
Oh yes! Me too!!! Indian food in France just doesn't cut it - not even in Paris. Plus Indian restaurants are very thin on the ground. And you can't get a decent paratha anywhere! Not like I used to get in the Old Kent Road! lol
...there you again.....we stopped there in OKR once only coming back from Waterloo car parking to Sidcup, had a fantastic, probably best ever, curry, said we must remember that restaurant and stop there again - I think we took as as a takeaway actually because it didn't take that long on a Sunday evening going out of London rather than into it to get home again and probably just reheated quickly in microwave. So long ago now don't remember which - ate to took away. But there are several 'foreign' restaurants in OKR aren't there, Indian, Chinese, Italian, I do remember seeing lots of Indian ones tho! I used to love the nanbread.
I've never really been that adventurous with my eating - like to know WHAT I'm eating- lol so usually stuck to chicken tikka, (because I always eat meat dry) but loved the assortment of vegetable dishes that go with, it that's where the spices and milder flavours were for me. I threw up my first curry - the mildest one of all Korma? It had loads of coconut in it I think - whatever it was it didn't agree with me, took me a long time to get back into trying again. ex loved the hot ones! We started making our own in the Herault once a larger choice of spices became available he could have hot I had milder. chicken tikka Marsalla is now one of my favourites. There is an Indian restaurant in Le mans, same street as HSBC, but of course evening is best time to sit, relax and eat a curry. I'm not a good midday eater, never have been because a sandwich is sufficient. my appetite has totally disappeared - no gastric juices flowing.
Re the selenium, my dad was talking about that and said I should take it, a couple of years before he died. Oh how I wish he'd talked to me back then. We used to spend 2/3 hours on the phone on a Saturday afternoon (he lived W coast Scotland we lived in Essex - we were going through a recession and I only saw him once a year). I might have learnt a lot about his health but he always wanted to keep things non personal re himself, although ready to advise me and criticise Mick. I saŵ him 6 hrs after he'd died - I was already on my way to the airport that morning, my flight had been booked several weeks earlier, instinct again, that all was not good with him. Then he suddenly went into hospital, no one told me how serious he was, just said he was confused, no mention of a specific illness or disease. His neighbour, as I later found out, had got worried because he wasn't seeing my dad as regularly as he used to, phoned me I phoned dads doc and said look I'm coming up next week anyway, if he needs hospital phone me from his home, I spoke to dad when doc was there said go, they look after you there, feed you and I'll bring you home and look after you when I get there. Sadly it never worked out like that! I did find lots of supplements on his kitchen table, but didn't know why he was taking them. Having seen him dead, I suspect he wasn't eating, he was sooooo thin, no flesh and bone, perhaps he had a thyroid condition and didn't know. although he always said on the phone he was. He lived in a ground floor maisonette, I know there was a leak from above one year when he was down on holiday with us. He ended up with council doing a lot of work to his kitchen when he returned. He was then paranoid about always turning his water stop cock off when he left for any length of time after that. Perhaps there was even damp and Mold in the fabric of his place afterwards that no one knew about. I tried to get hold of his Scottish health record last year but he died too long ago 1998 - all destroyed. It's what's on his death certificate that got me thinking about it all, relative to me, more recently.
As I say my circumstances of health, and home are almost identical to my dad's - he had given smoking donkeys years earlier and didn't drink, except occasionally in company, when he liked a beer, but there were a few opened bottles of whiskey and brandy (digestifs) we brought back, so perhaps it's all preordained.
There was one little Indian restaurant in the OKR we used to go to, like a working man's café, with oil cloth on the tables. I had a lobster curry, there. It was heaven! Lobster curry and the best paratha ever.
My eldest had his first curry there, when he was six months old! Well, he didn't really eat curry, the waiters were so delighted to see him, they gave him ice cream. lol Wonderful place. Doubt it's still there.
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