Lymphopenia and hypo

[Andrea1521]

Hi has anyone had experience with this. I have an ongoing issue with urticaria but that is treated with antihistamine not immunosuppresents. I have hashimotos which and up until july was classed subclinical hypo. Gp has started me on levo started at 25 mcg, then 50 now just started on 75. Last thyroid test was TSH 8.5 FT4 13.8 and TPO 637. My consultant told me my lymphocytes were low in july at 0.87 ref range is 1.10 to 4.00 overall white blood count at 7.3 ref is 4 to 11. Retest now is lympho at 0.59 and WBC at 4.7 and i am finding i am catching every virus going someone has to just cough and i get it. I don't understand is this a sign of somethibg else?? Any ideas?? Immunologist is not seeing me again until jan is it worth asking my gp?

[Marz]

I think until you are on the correct dose for you - symptoms will continue and other conditions will be present. Your TSH is still too high and needs to be 1 or under when on medication - I have read.

FT4 is still too low and possibly means the FT3 will also be low - which again will point towards the conditions you are experiencing. The skin is our biggest organ and often reflects the goings on in the gut. So gluten can cause inflammation in the gut which in turn causes inflammation on the skin ......

Hashimotos is auto-immune. Did you start your GF eating ?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

What are the TSH & FT4 ranges? As Marz says TSH is too high. FT4 looks low....but can't tell without the range - lab ranges vary from lab to lab and sometimes even same lab on different dates

ALWAYS 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 full tests, then like many of us, you can get them done privately

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

Blue Horizon - Thyroid plus eleven tests all thyroid, plus vit D, B12, folate and ferritin. (£99)

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

[Andrea1521 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks both of you. The tsh range is over 5 is abnormal over 10 needs treating measured in uU/ml. The ft4 is 9 to 26 measured in pmol/l. Last vit d reading is 90 ref range under 75 deficient measured in nmol/l the gp suggested stopping the vit d supps but i figure it is winter now i am not stopping! I am currently taking 1000 ug a day (highest dose holland and barret sell) and will carry on with that. I have online access to my test results which is excellent and anythng the consultant does i get from his secretary (consultant is done via bupa not nhs). All my thyroid tests have been taken early morning around 8 am fasted and no levo that morning. i am making a effort to eliminate gluten i have started with the obvious like bread etc but i am sure i haven't got a handle on it yet. I am starting to think i am being impatient and frustrated i will keep reminding myself that i have won one battle getting the levo and will carry on letting the gp stepping up by 25mcg each time i see him. Fingers crossed once the thyroid is under control everything else falls into place. I was also freaked out as after the step up ftom 25 mcg to 50 mcg levo my thyroid tests actually got worse! To be fair on my gp he did say thats why u still feel rubbish which is why he has upped it to 75 and he will review after another 6 weeks. He did warn me we may be looking at 100 mcg but he was being cautious. Thanks for your replies it has made me less anxious.

[Andrea1521]

So latest blood test 6 weeks of 75mcg levo and my tsh is now 5.2. t4 at 13.9. i am now starting feel better but some days are better than others. is it normal to be up and down? i am seeing the gp on tues should i be asking to step to the next dose to push my tsh down a bit more or settle as i am for now?