Please help me to understand these thyroid test results?

[lbbramski]

I am seeking help and advice for my daughter who is 19 years old and has started to suffer health problems which do not seem to concern medical professionals. She is suffering from constant tiredness, low energy, feeling cold, erratic periods and unexplained weight gain.

We were told by GP that everything is normal so we paid for advanced thyroid test, results as follows:

Free T4 14.4(11-26)

TSH 1.81(0.35-4.5)

Free T3 4.1(3.1-6.8)

Thy. peroxidase abs. >10(0-50)

These results, although within normal range seem to be below midpoint and don't look optimal. Can anyone please help as we don't know what to do next? There is a family history of underactive thyroid but I don't know if this is relevant. My daughter tries to heat healthily and she exercises well when she can but she remains 20lbs over her normal weight, yet she has always been slender and active in the past. I appreciate any advice x thank you x

[greygoose]

Yes, the Frees are low. But doctors only look at the TSH, and that is 'normal'. All I can suggest is that you find a private endo, and suggest to him/her that she might have central hypo. Central hypo is when the fault is not with the thyroid gland itself, but with the pituitary or the hypothalamus.

But I would say that she should not be exercising with T3 that low. It would be counter-productive.

[lbbramski in reply to greygoose]

Oh thank you x at last I hear that something might not be normal! I will follow your advice and I appreciate your reply x

[greygoose in reply to lbbramski]

You're welcome.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

She has only had her TPO antibodies checked

There are two sorts TPO Ab and TG Ab. (Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) BOTH need checking, if either, or both are high this means autoimmune thyroid - called Hashimoto's, the most common cause in UK of being hypo.

NHS rarely checks TPO, but almost never checks TG. NHS believes it is impossible to have negative TPO and raised TG. It's rare, but not impossible, there are a few members on here that have this.

Also... If they have not been done ......Suggest you ask GP to check levels of vitamin d, b12, folate and ferratin. These all need to at good (not just average) levels for thyroid hormones (our own or replacement ones) to work in our cells

Make sure you get the actual figures from tests (including ranges - figures in brackets). You are entitled to copies of your own results. Some surgeries make nominal charge for printing out.

Alternatively you can now ask for online access to your own medical records. Though not all surgeries can do this yet, or may not have blood test results available yet online.

When you get results suggest you make a new post on here and members can offer advice on any vitamin supplements needed

If you can not get GP to do these tests, then like many of us, you can get them done privately

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Blue Horizon - Thyroid plus eleven tests all these.

This is an easy to do fingerprick test you do at home, post back and they email results to you couple of days later.

Usual advice on ALL thyroid tests, (home one or on NHS) is to do early in morning, ideally before 9am. No food or drink beforehand (other than water) If you are taking Levo, then don't take it in 24 hours before (take straight after). This way your tests are always consistent, and it will show highest TSH, and as this is mainly all the medics decide dose on, best idea is to keep result as high as possible

[lbbramski]

Thank you for so much detailed and helpful information! I am certainly learning a lot. In fact the test results that I posted on here were paid for through Blue Horizon as her earlier tests via GP were not shared fully and classified as completely normal. Obviously her symptoms remained so we decided to pay. We will now seek help with vitamin testing etc as you suggest but feel sure we will end up paying. Like many others we just need solutions, whichever way we can! Thank you enormously for your help x

[lbbramski]

Hi again

At your kind advice I pushed for further tests from the GP. Despite her requesting that I leave the consultation she finally agreed!

She then telephoned my daughter with a red alert on her iron levels - the result was 10 on a scale of 20-260 so that looks seriously low to me! Do you think that this is the reason that her t3 andt4 levels were showing low and t4had dropped further to 12(11-26)?

So grateful for your help and advice!

If it wasn't for your suggestion I would not have pushed for the tests X

Thanks enormously

Louise