Blood results

[Sgill80]

Hi it looks as though my dr has only tested for TSH grrrr but my antibodies result he wants to see me about

TSH 1.9 (0.3-5.5) so is that normal??

Antibody 143.6 (0.0-60.0)

Can anyone please shed some light??

Thank you

[puncturedbicycle]

You have Hashimoto's. If you're lucky your gp will monitor this closely and treat when your tsh shows above 5 but they may just say your tsh is 'normal' (within range) so they won't want to trial you on meds. But it's a good sign that they want to talk to you. When is your appt?

[Sgill80 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Thanks for your reply, It's on Tuesday. Should I request any more tests??

[Sgill80 in reply to Sgill80]

I have vitiligo too so would he possibly treat because I have that too??

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Sgill80]

Well it depends on how your gp plans to proceed. If they will not be swayed by results other than tsh then t3, t4 etc may not help you. Ideally in light of your history, symptoms etc they'd trial you on a low dose of levo but that is unlikely. I think a reasonable way forward is to test you again in three months.

It's never a bad idea to have your vit d, b12, iron, ferritin and folate done if they will do it. You can see how they are and if anything is low you can work on that. Have you had a cholesterol test? Your heart rate is shocking, and I wonder if combined w high cholesterol (both symptoms of hypothyroidism) your gp might take notice and not put you on the back burner.

Others may advocate further testing. I feel like it's always worth working with your gp if you can (it will make your life easier). If there's no possibility of that then self-treatment is an option.

I have no idea what your gp is like, but I'd be surprised if vitiligo will influence their decision to treat. My impression is that their hands are tied if your tsh isn't at least high in the range. I assume you're in the UK?

[Sgill80 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Yes I'm in the uk. I havnt had my cholesterol checked so I will get that checked out. He tested ferritin it was 81 (12.0-300.0).

Also he did a full blood count and on that is neutrophil count stated above range at 7.6 (2.0-7.5) is this anything to be concerned about?

Thank you for your help xx

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Sgill80]

No worries. Wish I could help more.

Maybe you had an infection so your white blood cells are a tiny bit high. I wouldn't worry.

I forget where ferritin should be but 81 seems low. I'd start supplements. If you do a search here you should be able to find out more re iron.

I think it's best to keep your expectations realistic and I'm not the sort of person who would go twelve rounds with the gp. I think if you or the gp exhaust each other's good will you're better off trying another gp or quietly self-treating. So that's just where I'm coming from.

xx

[Sgill80 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

You've been a great help 😄 I have had a bit of a cold recently so that migh explain that.

If I neede to self medicate how would I go about that? I mean how do I get trusted sources and how much to take?? Sorry for all the questions x

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Sgill80]

We all have a lot of questions at the beginning.

Some self-medicating folk here buy online and can pm you with the sources they use and trust (it's against the guidelines to post sources). But I think it's early days and it's worth hearing what the gp says first.

I only mentioned self-medicating as a plan b, so you don't feel hemmed in by whatever the gp says. You will feel better, but you don't yet know what route you'll take to get there.

Do a lot of reading, here and elsewhere, and go into your appt well-informed so you are able to register what is being said and it isn't all a blur. It may be as simple as having a repeat test and the results may be high enough for your gp to treat you. Tsh can flucuate a lot. xx

[Sgill80 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

I definitely will go with my dr and follow his advice. I've got lots of learning to do! Self medicating scares me so it will be an absolute last resort for me

Thanks so much for the advice you've been fab 👌👌😊

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Sgill80]

I remember when I was diagnosed and I thought I'd never be treated properly and I felt trapped by my lack of options, so I really only mention it to let you know you won't be out of options no matter what your gp will or won't do. But it's a matter for much further down the road I should think.

The first step (in my mind anyway) is to get your nutrients up to scratch and monitor your tsh and antibodies. There is an argument to be made that you should be treated sooner rather than later due to symptoms and antibodies, but your tsh is well within limits at the moment. When that changes (which it could do at any moment), you should be offered levo. xx