Test Results - What do you think?

[ChelleBelleX]

Ok, I'm a medical mystery it would seem. Background. I was diagnoised with Graves disease and Over active thyroid in Jan 2012. Aug 2013 I had TT.

I have been on 150mg Levo and 20mg T3 since Jan 2014 and feel great. Lots of energy, sleeping well, loosing weight (although I didn't put on much after op), and generally feel good.

These are my blood results.

March 2016

T4 - 18.1 (12-21)

T3 - 5.8 (3.5-6.5)

TSH - 10.3

June 2016

T4 - 19.2 (12-21)

T3 - 4.2 (3.5-6.5) - forgotten to take T3 for 4-5 days due to holiday and forgetting meds

TSH - 7.4

Just to add prior to March my TSH was always over 15, sometimes as high as 33, whilst T4 and T3 remained well balanced. During this time I also felt well.

I had some specialist tests done and a Bio-Chemist reported my TSH was unreliable due to a rare antibody latching onto it. In the report he said T4 and T3 should always be taken to get correct levels.

Anyone had this before?

B12 is 808 (190-990)

I'm also taking Seven Seas trying to conceive vitamins, as I'm hoping to try and conceive soon.

Thanks x

[diogenes Remembering]

Human antibody interference with FT4, FT3 and TSH tests aren't common but are well known in testing labs. At random, someone could have antibodies in their blood which latch on to some part of the test being done. In the case of TSH, they could mimic TSH binding on to the test system, thus giving a bigger signal which wrongly suggests high TSH. In the case of FT3 and FT4, you can get also antibodies in your blood which bind T3 or/and T4 themselves. These can also bind the signalling substances in the tests and artificially raise the result, sometimes to ludicrously high values - which of course are a pointer towards something being wrong. No tests are infallible, but usually they give such abnormal results when there are problems as to be immediately understood and acted on. Your TSH values seem to have an antibody problem and you'd need another independent TSH test using a different principle which might not have that problem and thus will give a sensible answer.

[ChelleBelleX in reply to diogenes]

My bloods have been taken to Adenbrookes a few times now, and the Bio chemist there has tested my TSH, T4, T3 against different "assays" - apologies, I'm not sure of the terminology/meanings.

They concluded that there is an interference with TSH, and that T4, T3 levels both stand well. An antibody. Bio- chemist is also miffed by my results, so much so I'm due to meet with him for further studies in the future.

I just wondered if this was a normal thing to happen. I guess I'm worried that although my T4 and T3 look good, and I feel well, that am I actually well!

[diogenes Remembering in reply to ChelleBelleX]

Not common, but nothing to worry about. The antibody you have is there purely by accident and, whatever else it is supposed to be doing, it just happens to interfere with the TSH test as well.