I've just had full blood tests done and i was wondering if anyone could help with analysing them. Its the usual story as I feel like I've got lots of hypo/underactive thyroid symptoms but consistently 'normal' blood test results. Symptoms include weight gain, tiredness, cold hands & feet, find it hard to lose weight, low energy, lo/no libido etc. I also have a large nodule on my thyroid which is being monitored for changes and my mother had her thyroid removed a few months after I was born so there could be a hereditary factor involved.
i've attached a scan of my results. There's a second page to the results but I don't know how relevant they are.
Thanks in advance for your help. It's really appreciated.
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kateeliza
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The print is so small and hard to read but everything looks good which is probably annoying when you feel so crap and want something to show up.
Are you medicating ? ? . A previous post advised your GP had just offered you thyroxine but you give no further detail.
No thyroid antibodies but I can't see if they have catered for both. Ensure TPOAb & TGAb are tested.,
Blood sugars are normal, liver function test is normal, cholesterol is normal. Folate is good but only serum, you could ask for a "red cell folate test" if you wanted further investigations.
Vit B12 is good but again only serum. You could ask for an "active B12 test". Most advocate 500-1000 so you could supplement a little Methylcobalmin but not until after further testing (if you decided).
Thyroid results show you are euthyroid (normal) if not medicating. If you are taking Levo, your T4 is too low. If you are taking NDT, your T4 is irrelevant and you need to get T3 tested for a clearer picture of thyroid function but as GP's rarely do this, members use private labs - link below.
U + E's all normal.
Ferritin is low and should be supplemented as iron is key in thyroid hormone conversion of T4-T3. Members use Ferrous Fumarate and take each iron tablet with 500mg-1,000mg vitamin C to aid absorption. However,if you are looking hard for a reason for feeling crap, you could ask for a full iron panel to be conducted and therefore you shouldn't supplement iron until this is done.
However, a large nodule would indicate your thyroid is having to work harder to produce enough hormone and it is possible to feel symptomatic with good thyroid hormone results because this only measures the amount in the blood stream and not the amount on a cellular levels that is responsible for giving us well being.
In a previous post you advise of PCOS. PCOS and thyroid problems are often tied into together as the resulting unbalanced sex hormones created by PCOS can affect good thyroid function. One condition fuels the other as stabilised thyroid hormones will often reduce menstrual irregularities and improve PCOS.
You had a Vit D deficiency a year ago. Has this been addressed ? Has it been retested ? ? ...
Hey Radd. Thanks for your reply and I'm sorry the attached was hard to read. My GP was going to medicate me but then my blood tests all came back within range so she refused. I'm not taking any thyroid medication. My periods haven't changed and I've curbed any PMS/PMT symptoms with agnus castus and a hormonal balance Vit B complex. My vitamin d from a year ago was very low and I've been taking a Vit D3 supplement and I feel 100's better. No aches, grogginess etc. I've been taking selenium for the past year as I heard it was good for the thyroid.
My main bugbear is the weight gain and cold/hands feet. I eat well and try to restrict calories and i still can't lose weight.
I keep reading about how a lot of people feel better with a low tsh. Can i ask my GP to let us at least try this?
They refuse to do any more tests. I was told this was a full panel. Its a constant battle. They've never done it even though I have this huge nodule and symptoms. I'm tempted to start taking my mums levy to see if it'll make any difference!
Thyroid autoantibodies result shows that you don't have autoimmune thyroid disease on the basis of your result - but it is not conclusive. There are other autoantibodies which affect the thyroid that the NHS rarely tests. Until those are tested too you can't be sure one way or the other. See these links :
The only one I know about for certain is that the eGFR >90 shows your kidneys are healthy.
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Cholesterol levels - I won't comment. I refuse to have my cholesterol levels measured by the NHS.
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Your serum folate is not bad.
Your vitamin B12 is also not bad, but it isn't good either. The Japanese apparently believe deficiency starts at levels below 500, and the Pernicious Anaemia Society recommend a level of 1000 for B12. Don't worry about the top of the range for B12 - it isn't poisonous and high levels are of no consequence if people have been supplementing.
If you decide to supplement, the form of B12 that works well for most people is methylcobalamin. The most popular supplements on this forum are Jarrow Formulas methylcobalamin 1000mcg or 5000mcg or the same product from Solgar. For the level of B12 that you have the 1000mcg would be ample. Stick one in the mouth and let it dissolve slowly, no chewing or sucking.
If you supplement B12 then you should also supplement with a B Complex to keep the B vitamin levels in sync to some extent. Being deficient of some B vitamins and replete in others is not a good idea, apparently. The kind of B Complex you would need to supplement is one which contains the B vitamins in an active form that the body can absorb easily. Personally I take Thorne Research Basic B Complex, one a day, because it contains methylfolate. I buy from Amazon, along with the Jarrow Formulas methylcobalamin.
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Your serum Free T4 is in the lower half of the reference range. Most people feel at their best when the level is in the top third or top quarter of the reference range. Since your Free T4 is low, there is a possibility that your Free T3 is also low, but without a test it is not possible to say. It is low Free T3 that has more of an impact on how people feel than Free T4 or TSH.
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Ferritin - this is too low for most people to feel well. You should aim to be roughly in mid-range. If I read your ref range correctly (it's hard to read), then I think it says 10 - 160 ug/L. Mid-range is 85 ug/L. You need to double your ferritin level. If you do some searches of the forum for "ferrous fumarate" or "iron bisglycinate" or "ferrous bisglycinate" you'll find info on what other people have taken and had some success with. Ferrous fumarate has the highest level of iron in it, but can be hard to tolerate for some people. Whichever supplement you choose, separate it from taking thyroid meds by four hours, and take 500mg - 1000mg vitamin C with the iron to improve absorption of the iron.
When I ask my doctor for more investigation and if I mention forums I get an eye roll and shoved out the door. I thought the nodule would help me get somewhere but I'm in the same position as I was a year ago. I feel much better after taking Vit D but I know I don't feel normal and I'm putting on weight even though I've cut out loads of food. I feel like letting them remove my thyroid (they've offered surgery) so at least then I can get medicated!
I agree it can be frustrating not knowing what is going on. I was not diagnosed until 2005 at 59 - so after a lifetime of illness and surgical interventions the light went on
You can click onto my name above and have a read of my journey to wellness - the edited version !!
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Help with blood test results
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