Recording Data To Convince GP About T3

[AndiRiley]

I have ( hopefully ) attached a Jpeg showing my method for recording test results and correlating it with "quality of life" rather than just serum levels.

I have calculated my results as percentage of reference range.

I would appreciate any comments.

I have not shown it to my GP yet, but my endo was completely impressed by my first version, which did not have the "quality of life" data row. It did enable me to show him a meaningful comparison of my blood test results from three different hospitals with different reference ranges.

[Rhsana]

This is amazing! I don't have anything to add but wanted to know if you might be willing to share your template?! R x

[AndiRiley]

I would be happy to share. It's a Microsoft Word document though and I don't know how to go about putting it on here.

[AndiRiley in reply to AndiRiley]

I've sent a template to helvella who is willing to host it on a Dropbox account. I hope that's a lot simpler than it sounds!!!

- Andi

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to AndiRiley]

Will do this tonight.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to helvella]

Link here:

dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...

[Rhsana in reply to helvella]

Thank you both! R xx

[loueldhen]

Brilliant table AndiRiley . Back to your results. I am on T3 only - my endo completely ignores the T4 results which I think he says goes for anyone on any form of T3. He doesn't ignore my TSH (but I think he should) - my last one was .07 and my FT3 3.8 (3.1 - 6.8) I don't feel brilliant (although way better than I did) but he's not willing to increase my T3 (40 mcg) because of the low TSH. I think the really useful thing is the way you have linked how you feel to your dosage. My endo isn't interested in how I feel - I think it's quite important.

I also think it's early days in terms of how long you've been taking your dose. We're lucky if we get to see an endo every 6 months in Sussex. I take my T3 in the night/6am. Before a blood test which I normally try to have at 9am I don't eat and don't take the preceding T3 dose. So I won't have had any for 27 hours. There are diurnal variations in T3 to consider too but at least your blood test were taken at the same time.

[AndiRiley in reply to loueldhen]

I loueldhen, I now have a set of seven blood tests and there is definitely a correlation between my "Q" quality of life and FT3. The pattern is "in your face" you cannot help but see that the X marks for FT3 and Q move to the right in tandem. I have one FT3 reading which is above range - guess what? That is the only time my Q quality of life has been at the 100% level. I can upload images of all seven tables if you would like to have a look. The whole process has brought home to me the massive value of tabulating blood test data. I now will not accept any treatment plan which does not aim at achieving a FT3 at the upper end of the range even if this means a DIY approach. I am finished with feeling unnecessarily ill because of "experts'" faulty algorithm based knee jerk reactions to the latest serum levels with no reference to how I feel nor to any patterns visible in recent years' data. We are treated as idiots when we say we are still suffering - well now I'm putting a number on my suffering!