Hi everyone. Thank you for replying on my recent posts, I've only just joined and finding great support and everything is so very appreciated.
I am undiagnosed underactive thyroid, and struggling hard to get a diagnosis. I've got new bloodtests being take for thyroid, adrenals, diabetes and some vits and minerals I believe in about 4 days but in the meantime I wonder if you'd mind checking the results I had 2 years ago when I struggling a lot too (mainly with exhaustion like now). I now know from reading up that my TSH isn't normal despite what they said. But just wanted to check if everything else is "normal" as they said it was. And what they mean...
This is a long list, sorry about that! Just iI'm suddenly realising, what if any of these readings hold clues to what is wrong with me...? Given they fobbed me off saying my TSH is normal...? Thank you for any time taken to help me understand these readings xx
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tinkerbell22
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Others who are more knowledgeable than me about bloods will respond.
What you do need to get re thyroid gland is Free T4 and Free T3. Your TSH might also have risen by now and you are not alone in being denied treatment as your TSH is within the normal range and no other tests being taken.
The doctors have been misguided by the guidelines which state (in UK) that no-one has to be diagnosed or given thyroid hormones until it reaches 10 which is quite barbaric when the patient is very symptomatic.
We don't go to the doctors if we're well (or not usually ) so I do wonder why the doctors don't do further tests when the patient keeps appearing in their surgery.
Their heart probably drops when a certain patient comes in and they have already made a decision even before the poor patient (desperately wondering what the blazes is wrong with them) sits down and pours out the tale of woe.
You need a new blood test - the earliest possible and fasting (you can drink water). If you were taking thyroid hormones you'd allow 24 hours gap between dose and test and take it afterwards.
You may prefer to get a private test done by a recommended lab and you can choose the ones you want whereas the GP might not and many labs, if TSH is 'normal' may not either even if GP requests.
You need TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyriod antibodies.
Thank you, and so true! I have that effect on my drs.... It's like everything I say goes through some brainwashing filter and the outcome is "depression" as a diagnosis. Drives me nuts!
I will Definitely be pursuing the private tests!!! That is for sure.
I've just called my dr surgery to check something re my new blood tests I'm having done on Thursday morning and they said I shouldn't fast beforehand. But that leaves me confused! Last time I had tests done, I had to fast but not this time. Could it be that fasting would change some levels in extra I'm being tested for or something?
The secretary said I'm having tests for Tsh thyroid, b12 folic acid, iron, c-reactive protein, full blood count and profile, glucose, testosterone, vit D and rheumatoid. Is there any reason why they say not to fast do you think? Should I fast anyway? And if so, for how many hours? My tests are at 10.50am.
You should fast. I imagine that the test request from the doctor didn't specify so the receptionist thinks that you shouldn't fast. I think that if it doesn't specify then the choice is yours.
For iron and glucose blood tests even the NHS Choices website says you should fast. Patients have discovered that fasting helps with thyroid blood tests. And it also helps if you want to be able to compare tests from two different days if you keep as many conditions the same as possible. It is easier to keep things the same if you don't eat or drink (except water) :
OMG! I've just noticed! You aren't being tested until 10.50am. That is awfully late! In which case you shouldn't fast after all. It would probably make you too hungry and goodness knows what that would do to the various results.
In future, please arrange blood testing for 9am at the very latest. Is there any chance you could rearrange your blood test for tomorrow for another day and make it earlier?
The reason for suggesting this, apart from what is said in the link from my previous post, is that TSH varies according to time of day. In order to increase the chance of getting a diagnosis of underactive thyroid, or reducing the risk of getting meds reduced if you are diagnosed you want the result to show the highest possible TSH.
If you look at the graphs on page 2 of this paper you can see what I'm getting at :
Hmm, thanks humanbean very helpful all round! My drs is Awful for getting appts, so I took whatever I could get... Also I'm planning to get a private test for full thyroid testing as my drs onlycheck TSH and I want to know T3 and T4 etc. So I will compare the nhs tests to the private ones, and the private ones I'll do first thing.
One question... I tend to sleep from midnight to 6am (on a good day...), if I have a morning nap before going to the drs would this reset my levels to being as if I had just woken up in the morning???
I don't know. I'm only guessing but I would think the body's circadian rhythm is harder to shift than would happen by just taking a nap. Think about how long it takes to get over jet lag for example.
I don't think you should try to shift things in fact, because it could backfire on you in the following days. But that is only my opinion.
If you do finger-prick tests privately, try to take the blood at 8am, and use the same time for every private test in future.
I am not sure but I don't think it would make a difference if you did take it but I'd take it after the blood test . If I took any supplements, I always took them at lunchtime so there was less chance of interfering with thyroid hormones.
TSH 4.6 is within normal range as it is <5.5. However, 4.6 indicates your thyroid was struggling to produce hormone although NHS won't make a diagnosis until TSH is >5.5.
CRP and ESR are inflammation markers. Both are within normal range.
The other results are part of a full blood count and are all within normal range.
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) so I do wonder why the doctors don't do further tests when the patient keeps appearing in their surgery.
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