Understanding Thyroid test results

[mcenerny]

Hello everyone - I have not posted before, but have been following related topics. I Just got a follow up Thyroid panel after being on baby doses of Levo (.5mcg) for 4 months. I am type 2 diabetic, 73 year old female with Rheumatoid Arthritis (treated fairly successfully with Minocycline). I had a Thyroid panel done in February privately, as I was feeling very uncharacteristically lethargic and the results I got were

TSH 5.6, range (.3 - 3.0)

Free T3 2.4 range (2.0 - 4.4)

Total T4 6.6 (4.5 - 12.5)

They did not do a Free T4, although I asked for it

The results I just got show My TSH is higher by .2, and the Free T3 and T4 are about the same.

TSH 5.8 range (.3 - 3.0)

FT3 2.4 (2.0 - 4.4) - originally, 2.3

FT4 1.3 (.9 - 1.7) - not tested for originally

two months into the regimen I was tested by a different doctor, but the results were undecipherable to me,

TSH 1.09 (.45 - 4.5)

T3 Uptake (???) 29.6 (23.4 -42.7)

T7 Index (???) 2.3 (1.2 - 4.3)

T4 7.7 (4.5 - 12.5)

I quit taking the Levo just a day ago, as it spikes my blood sugar - I am type 2 diabetic which I manage with low carb diet and organically grown herbals. Taking the T4 causes my fasting blood sugar to be much higher - 130 or so, whereas it was staying around or below 100. I do not want to trigger need for drugs to control it.

I am thinking of trying dessicated glandulars and am looking for advice in how to begin. I am thinking that adrenal glandulars would be a good addition unless there is some reason it would cause instability or harm.

I am still feeling pretty sluggish, not much interest in projects that I normally find irresistable. I do take high quality B complex and mineral supplements as I have some significant genetic polymorphisms that reduce my ability to absorb and process nutrients.

Any insights or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[mcenerny]

I forgot to mention that the doctor that did the second test which I could not really understand, except for the much lowered TSH, suggested just supplementing with Iodine instead of increasing the T4 (Eutirix). I did that, and the next results had the TSH back up, higher by .2 than I started with. I think the Iodine may have been a mistake, but I really wanted to get away from synthetic products.

[greygoose in reply to mcenerny]

I think the iodine was a mistake, too. It can only help if the reason for your hypo was iodine deficiency. Did they test your iodine? If not, it was gross negligence to put you on it. Excess iodine can cause a lot of problems. More is not necessarily better!

Sorry, I cannot help you with your other questions, I know little about glandulars - except that they cannot replace thyroid hormone replacement such as levo.

[mcenerny in reply to greygoose]

Nope. No Iodine test - just an offhand remark that it might be all I need. Since the TSH was down considerably from the initial test he was not at all concerned with any kind of continued treatment.

I am facing another colon resection (3rd) - had to fight tooth and nail to keep from having a bag at the last one, 12 years ago. I want to go into it with Thyroid and Adrenals working at best possible, so wondering how to best achieve that.

[greygoose in reply to mcenerny]

I really don't know what to tell you. It's obvious that you do need some form of thyroid hormone replacement. Your FT3 is right at the bottom of the range, which isn't good. But, if you can't tolerate T4, because of your blood sugar, I wonder if you could take T3. Your doctor will probably say no, but try to get him to discuss it intelligently. But iodine certainly isn't the solution! Ignorant man! Can you get him to refer you to an endo? Or, could you see one privately?

[mcenerny]

Its complicated. I live in Costa Rica and T3 was what my doc here said I needed, but it is not available here - there is only one compounding pharmacy and he says he does not trust the reliability, that T3 is not stable and difficult to get right. He is the one that started me on the .5mcg of Eutirox since that is all they use here. I can not get US scrips sent here, but I can get OTC glandulars, that is why I was considering that as a source of combined T's. The synthetic T4 just interacts negatively with insulin production and Beta cell production in the Pancreas, as well as interfering with calcium absorption which I already have a problem with.

I am hoping someone will chime up with some info about the NDTs