Hello, I'm 49 and I've been told by GP that I'm fit & well and my thyroid is perfect. I have many symptoms, weight gain, extreme tiredness, hair loss (I have been diagnosed with alopecia) I struggled with fertility in the past, my sister and father both have thyroid issues and I have high cholesterol. Here are my latest (perfect according to GP) results -
Thyroid peroxidase ab 641 (0-60)
Free T3 4.2 (3.5 - 6.5)
TSH 2.7 (0.30 - 5)
Serum Ferritin 48 (10 - 420)
Serum folate 10 (2.6- 17.3)
Vit b12 474 (220-700)
Cholesterol 8.3
This is my first post and I would be extremely grateful for any advise.
Many thanks
Written by
Ziggyg
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Are you taking levothyroxine? Your GP has not a clue. The high antibodies show that your thyroid is under attack .You have Hashimotos and need to have levothyroxine.Your "normal" results are not normal but within range and not optimal for you.Surprised no result for FT4 . Your ferritin and B12 are too low.
Ziggyg Don't you just wish you could magically make your GP feel how you're feeling and have test results like that. He'd soon do something about it then. As Treepie says, your GP hasn't got a clue. He's saying that they're normal because they fall within the range, but they're not optimal and obviously he has no idea about optimal.
TPO antibodies 641 (0-60) - screaming autoimmune thyroiditis aka Hashimoto's disease. Antibodies attack the thyroid and will eventually destroy it and you will have full blown hypothyroidism. Hashimoto's isn't treated, it's the resulting hypothyroidism that's treated. As the antibodies fluctuate so will you symptoms (and test results). So for Hashi's this is what you need to know and do:
To reduce the attacks you need to be completely 100% gluten free. Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks. Supplementing with selenium is also supposed to help reduce the attacks.
Thyroid replacement (Levothyroxine) reduces TSH which should help to reduce Hashi flare ups and antibodies. Dr Toft (ex president of British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist) wrote an article in Pulse Online magazine which says that if antibodies are present then patients should be prescribed levothyroxine to nip things in the bud. Email louise.warvill@thyroiduk.org.uk and ask for a copy which you can then show to your doctor.
Some reading for you so that you can understand what Hashi's is all about:
Please educate yourself, you are going to need to understand all about it to help yourself because you might need to fight your corner with this idiot doctor.
Your ferritin is too low at 48 (10 - 420). It's usually recommended that it should be at least 70, 100-130 is better, and half way through range is best. Supplement with iron and take it with 1000mg Vit C to aid absorption and help prevent constipation. If you can tolerate ferrous fumarate it's probably the cheapest but if you get tummy upset or constipation then you could try Iron Bisglycinate such as Solgar Gentle Iron which is non constipating and more gentle on the tummy.
B12 at 474 is too low. Anything under 500 may cause neurological symptoms. The Pernicious Anaemia Society recommends 1000. Supplment with Solgar or Jarrows sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges, 1000mcg should be fine. When taking B12 you should also take a B Complex to balance the B Vits. You should choose one that contains Methylfolate (natural) rather than Folic Acid (synthetic).
Folate at 10 (2.6- 17.3) is just about half way through range so that's OK, but the B Complex will give that a bit of a boost. You don't need a high methylfolate amount in your B Complex, some contain 400mcg, I don't think you need that much and even though any excess B Vits are pee'd out so you don't want your folate going over range.
Don't worry too much about your cholesterol. We all need cholesterol, there's a lot of scare stories about it. If you get your thyroid sorted then the cholesterol will be fine.
Your GP probably thinks your TSH is perfect because it is almost exactly mid-range. He's wrong though. If you look at this graph of TSH values in a healthy population :
you can see that the peak of the graph (the mode) is at TSH level 1.25. So, a TSH level of 2.7 is not even "normal". TSH does not follow a normal distribution, it is highly skewed.
The data for the graph came from this research paper :
Many thanks to you all for taking the time to reply, it's much appreciated. It's such a relief to know that I'm not going mad! I will try a gluten free diet. My sister has coeliac disease (as well as thyroid problems) so will ask her for advice. I will also start to introduce the vitamin supplements that you suggested. I'm going to take the time to educate myself as my GP seems to be lacking in knowledge. I'm also hoping that this may help my alopecia which I've always thought may be connected to thyroid issues.
Whilst Gluten free is often cited as important to Hashimotos I am not gluten free and my antibodies have come down considerably but still over the range.
You have auto immune thyroiditis .There might be justification in not treating if you had no symptoms. Some doctors say it can go into remission and then no treatment is needed. Or symptoms may be transient .
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