Found this site recently - it's wonderful! Have been fatigued and very unwell for over 30 years after getting glandular fever. Always felt that something was wrong with my thyroid, two siblings hypo thyroid. GP would request tests from hospital lab but if TSH ' normal' they would refuse to do them. The older I get the worse I've become, but I struggle into work 5 days a week and sleep most of the weekend. It's a long story, I won't bore you with the details of everything I've tried and the amount of money I've spent over the years trying to find out what's wrong.
My results from Medi Check are as follows. Hope I've written them properly with the reference ranges.
TSH 2.7 (0.27 - 4.2 mIU/L)
FT4 14.39 (12 - 22 pmol/L)
FT3 4.85 (3.1 - 6.8 pmol/L)
T4 92.2 (59 -154 nmol/L)
TGAB 179.7 (0 - 115 IU/ml)
TPOAD 9.2 (0 - 34 IU/ml)
Folate 9.19 (4.6 - 18.7)
Vit D 154.7 (50 - 200 nmol)
B 12 473.5 (191 - 663 pg/ml)
CRP High Sensitivity 1.5 (0 - 5.0 mg/L
That's everything I got done. Any help in interpreting results would be much appreciated. Anna
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annabhaird
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Hi annabhaird Well, you do have some problems there, and your thyroid results prove why the NHS gets it so wrong. Your TSH was probably showing within range so didn't trigger the lab to do FT4 or FT3, but your private results show the importance of testing both types of antibodies as standard as well.
Your TSH shows your thyroid is struggling but it's your TG antibodies that are important in your set of results. They are over range so you are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's. This is where the antibodies attack the thyroid and eventually destroy it. Hashi's isn't treated, it's the resulting hypothyroidism that is treated but unfortunately your results aren't yet bad enough for diagnosis by your GP. You can show him your results but I don't think the NHS does TG antibodies test, only TPO.
I believe that Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, suggests that a patient with Hashi's should be started on Levo to reduce the TSH, as a TSH under 1 helps reduce the antibody attacks.
You can help yourself to reduce antibody attacks by supplementing with selenium, and many members have found that a strict gluten free diet also helps. Gluten contains gliadin which is a protein thought to trigger antibody attacks.
Your B12 is too low, it should be at the very top of the range, even 900-1000. You can supplement with Solgar or Jarrows sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges 5000mcg daily for about 6-8 weeks which should increase it then you can reduce to 1000mcg daily as a maintenance dose. Dissolve under the tongue as this gets it directly into the bloodstream, don't chew or swallow as stomach acid destroys it. You can take this without food as it's sublingual.
When taking B12 we also need a B Complex to balance the B vits. Thorne Basic B or Jarrows B Right are often recommended here, they are good brands and contain 400mcg methylfolate which will increase your folate level which should be at least half way through the range. Take with food. B vits should be taken in the morning, no later than lunchtime as they are stimulating.
Vit D is optimal, recommended is 100-150.
It would help if you could get ferritin tested, that is very important and should be half way through it's range, with a minimum of 70 for thyroid hormone to work, our own as well as synthetic replacement hormone.
Thanks so much for your prompt response. Forgot to include the Ferritin, it's as follows 85.44 (13 - 150ug/L)
I take 5,000 mg Vitamin D every second day, also selenium 200mg daily, vitamin B complex, Holland and Barret, Co Q 10 - 100mg daily, flax seed oil, 1000mg Vitamin C and fish oil capsule, 1000mg daily. I take all in the morning immediately after breakfast.
thanks for all your great advice and links to Hashi. Will try the B12 as you suggested.
I'm gonna have a battle persuading my GP to prescribe Levo. Should I consider taking T3? I'm in Greece at the moment and its really cheap! Anna
Vit D has two co-factors that should also be taken when we supplement with it. Firstly, K2-MK7. Vit D aids absorption of calcium from food and K2 directs the calcium to bones and teeth rather than arteries and soft tissues. Also important is magnesium. You can check the different types here and see which might suit you best naturalnews.com/046401_magn... Magnesium is calming so taking it during the evening is best as it can aid sleep. D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day.
H & B own brand supplements generally aren't the best, they tend to use the cheapest forms of the vitamin and they're usually the least absorbable, and often contain the wrong sort. If it's H & B B Complex you're taking, check the ingredients and I think you'll find that it contains folic acid which is synthetic and needs the body to convert it to folate and not all of us can do that. Also, if it contains some B12 it will be the cyanocobalamin form which we shouldn't take, we need the methylcobalamin form naturalnews.com/032766_cyan... Whatever H & B supplements you have I would change to a decent brand that has the correct forms of the ingredients.
It's generally advised to take minerals in the evening (selenium) and vitamins in the morning.
I am not medically trained but my opinion is that you don't need T3. What T4 you have is actually converting well enough. For good conversion the FT4:FT3 ratio needs to be 4:1 or lower, yours is actually 2.98 : 1 so it's very good. It's Levo you need to raise your FT4, which will convert to FT3 so that will also increase. I don't know if Levo is available without prescription in Greece but I suppose it's worth asking.
If you email louise.roberts@thyroiduk.org.uk she may have a copy of the article where Dr Toft says about starting Levo to reduce antibody attacks which you could print off to discuss with your GP.
... maybe take some T4 home with you - just in case you decide to self medicate. Taff Tessera is T4 in Greek - by Uni-Pharma and in various doses - so start with 25 or 50 mcg.
I was diagnosed with Hashimotos here in Crete and my GP started me on T4 to support the thyroid whilst under attack from anti-bodies - she said ! All other results were in range. That was back in 2005. Now self-medicate with T3 as I was not converting.
Thanks so much Marz for advice on T4, I'll ask in one of the pharmacies here, better to be prepared and have some on hand if my GP refuses. Not overly happy about self medicating but will do so if I have to. Anna
Hi Sandie, thanks so much for your advice. Does you think that I should begin to take T3 with T4? And if so at what dose? I'm still on holiday, should I wait until I go home and speak to my GP?
What are the chances of improving if I take the good quality supplements and the thyroid hormones recommended? I expect it's gonna be a battle.
I do think that I have the symptoms of someone who is hypothyroid, extreme fatigue every day, worse at weekend when I'm not working, weak muscles especially lower limbs, brain fog, poor memory, forget names, poor attention and concentration, apathy and poor motivation, can't really be bothered to do things, even going on holiday a real chore, things that I used to enjoy doing i don't anymore. Tearful a lot of the time, low mood, depressed I suppose but have tried anti depressants, they don't work, make me feel worse.
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