I posted the other day re my blood results but no one responded about my thyroid results. I'm sorry to post again but desperate for a bit of help and some opinions from people that know more than me! I had bloods done by my gp but she missed half of them so I immediately had some private ones done, and my follow up appointment with my gp is today. on the thing I got back with my private blood results the Dr notes said my b12 and my t4 were low, and while I know it's unlikely she'll help I wondered if I should be asking for treatment or if my results don't need it.
these are my results
CRP 4.9 (<5.0)
free T4 11.53 (12-22)
free T3 4.18 (3.1-6.8)
TSH 1.62 (0.27-4.20)
T4 Total 94.6 (64.5-142.0)
anti thyroid peroxidase abs 28.4 (<34)
anti thyroglobulin abs 16.1 (<115)
I'd really appreciate some help with this, thanks in advance x
Written by
mlig
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I am sorry you didn't get a satisfactory feedback on your last post re your results.
If your doctor only goes by the TSH she will say you've no problems with your thyroid gland.
However your Free T4 and Free T3 are too low for you to feel well and you are symptomatic.
I shall give you a link to Thyroiduk which gives a very good explanation and maybe discuss it with your doctor. Some doctors would give you a trial and some will stick rigidly to the TSH. What's good about not having sufficient T4/T3. T3 is required in all of our receptor cells and if we haven't enough T4 there isn't enough to convert to T3 the active hormone required in all of our receptor cells.
Wait and see what she says re your print-outs and tick off your clinical symptoms. Although she wont want to read/digest them in a consultation you could offer to come back once she's read them (and maybe discussed with other doctors in the surgery)
She might offer to refer you to an Endocrinologist. If she does you can put up a post asking if anyone has a suggestion of an Endo in your area and to send you a Private Message. You can then give her the name of someone you might prefer.
If she understands anything about thyroid hormones ie FT4 and FT3 she might well offer you a prescrip.
You could also say that Thyroiduk.org.uk is an NHS Choices for info. (but it doesn't go along with the BTA guidelines (thankfully).
she was really bad and only interested in prescribing me orlistat until I went back and said that no one believes a word I say and what could I do to get some one to believe me and to listen me, I went in with a list of blood tests and asked for then to be done and she looked sorry and agreed to then all. when I'd had them done she hadn't done any more than the tsh for the thyroid ones. I do think that was her lack of knowledge though. so I really don't know how she'll go with this but I think she may consider medicating me if there's something to back me up. she also said if the blood results were OK she would refer me to an endo.
so would I be better to wait for an endo or ask for medication?
just the week before however this was only 70. I am currently being treated for low feritin though so have been iron on prescription since October.
vitamin b12 206
serum folate 19.97 (10.2-42.4)
my b12 the week before was 340. I'd stopped mossupplements I was taking for my first blood tests except fish oils which I've since read comments tain some b12 so I don't know if that's why the difference.
just spoken with my gp, it was a telephone appointment. She was shocked about the private testing but isn't concerned about any of my results as they all fall within their ranges, she only acknowledged that vitamin d was low on the range but said she still wasn't concerned with that either. the low t4 she said wasn't a worry and won't consider medicating me. She has however referred me to an endo.
ferritin is 81.7 (20-50) The 50 figure isn't believable. Can you check it, please.
vitamin b12 206 If you have an official NHS print out of your results you should be able to find out which laboratory your testing was carried out at. If you google the lab you may be able to find their reference ranges for vitamin B12. The alternative is to phone your surgery and ask which lab does the surgery blood testing.
serum folate 19.97 (10.2-42.4)
vitamin d 51.8 (50 - 75) If you can find reference ranges for the lab, check the ranges for vitamin D as well. This range isn't standard for many labs.
the ferritin I missed a 1 off, sorry it should be 150.
the b12 I have the references, I don't know why I didn't type them, the range says
Deficient <140,
insufficient 140 - 250,
consider reducing dose >725
this one was the blue horizon home testing but I do have an NHS one too from the week before, the result on that one is 343 with a range of 180-2000
The vitamin d for some reason I didn't get a print out of that from the Drs, unless it's called something else because there's loads of tests they did they must have missed it off but the Dr has just told me that it was in the lower end, so I asked her what it was and what the range was. she said 50-75, and ideally you'd be over 75.
Your anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies and the anti-thyroglobulin antibodies are both negative, so officially you don't have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (autoimmune hypothyroidism). The first one however is not far off being positive, and I would say is too high to be truly negative. Antibody numbers fluctuate all the time. You might have Hashimoto's or you might not. A positive result is always positive, but a negative result cannot be relied upon because of the fluctuations in antibody numbers. Some people have all the signs of having Hashi's but never get positive antibody results.
Read the website & Facebook page of Izabella Wentz, who is a Hashi's sufferer herself :
One of the biggest factors in successfully managing Hashi's, hypothyroidism, and the thyroid in general is looking after the gut properly. Many people with thyroid problems go gluten-free and benefit from it. I have hypothyroidism, have never had a positive antibody test, but I went gluten free and my health improved enormously. It must be done ruthlessly, it can't be done just part of the time.
Your CRP (C-Reactive Protein) is high in range. CRP rises in response to inflammation. The problem is it gives no clue where that inflammation is. Read the various tabs on the following link :
Gut problems are endemic amongst people with thyroid problems. Inflammation in the gut is common and might be the cause of your high in range CRP. But this (from wikipedia) might put your CRP into perspective :
"CRP rises within two hours of the onset of inflammation, up to a 50,000-fold, and peaks at 48 hours."
Your CRP may be high in range but it isn't very high. If you were to try going gluten-free (for example) you might lower your CRP and keep the antibodies at bay.
As for your TSH, Free T4 and Free T3, I'm assuming you don't take thyroid meds. If so, then your below range FT4, and FT3 less than a third of the way through the range, are too low. I'm not surprised you feel unwell. I would have expected a higher TSH with your FT4 and FT3 figures. TSH is produced by the pituitary. There is no way of knowing for certain (without a lot more testing) whether your pituitary is capable of producing enough TSH for your needs. But on the basis of the results it doesn't look like it, and I would think you have a degree of secondary hypothyroidism. Sadly, your TSH is neither high enough or low enough to trigger further investigations by your doctor, nor is it likely you will be treated until your Free T4 and Free T3 are lower than they are. Your TSH may rise further, but it could take a week, a month or 10 years. Or it may not rise any further at all.
First of all I would suggest working on your gut health and your vitamin and mineral levels. Then, see if your cortisol levels are okay or not. Then, depending on the outcome of all that, treat yourself with either levo, NDT or T3. You will have to source your own meds I think. There is also the question of whether or not you have Hashi's. If you do then your numbers may still fluctuate no matter what you do.
Please be aware I have no medical training, and you follow my suggestions at your own risk. I'm just another thyroid patient.
thank you so much for your help, this is really interesting to read and really helpful too.
regarding the gluten, I am gluten intolerant,an was gluten free for quite a while then the gluten crept back in when I was pregnant. I went gluten free again some months ago but I read that being gluten free can skew some test results so I purposefully started eating it again in a bid to get the worst but most accurate blood results if that makes sense. I have come off gluten again yesterday and I've also realised I'm sensitive to dairy so have started coming off that as well. I know that after about a week off gluten my gut starts to feel loads better, but I had no idea that could be linked to thyroid.
I've just glanced at those links and they look really useful and I'll readthem properly when I get my kids in bed tonight.
I know I have health problems, I dobelieve they're thyroid related, but my ideal answer is to be able to heal them without medicating, and from what you've said and the bits I've red on those links it looks like I may be able to do that with my results as they are
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Help with blood results
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