GP says I'm 'normal' and to retest in 12 months but I feel awful - sounds familiar?!

[richar03]

Evening All - my first post but I've been reading around the forum for a few weeks now. I am equally depressed by the endless horror stories and lack of care, but also cheered up by the camaraderie and help provided to others on here. My situation seems very common - I've had two sets of blood tests done, first my own by Blue Horizon and the second by my GP. The GPs view is that I'm in normal range, despite my range of horrible hypo / sometimes slightly hyper symptoms. I was aghast to be refused thyroid medication point blank, but very casually offered anti-depressants. I declined!! I have asked to be referred to an endo but am having to do this privately.

As per the excellent advice from others on here, I've been reading up madly and have learned a lot from Elle Russ' Paleo Thyroid Solution, Izabella Wentz's Root Cause of Hashimoto's and Amy Myers' Autoimmune Solution. I'm on an elimination diet, organic body care products, yoga / walking / managing stress, recommended supplements (D3, Magnesium, Selenium) etc. But while I'm fixing the root cause (in theory) I'd really like some thyroid meds to stop feeling like I'm dying!!! Is that really so outrageous.

I'm seeing my Endo in Derby tomorrow and will report back...here are my results for reference. Does a pituitary issue look a possibility? I have neuropathy every morning and often wake in the night with a hard, elevated heart rate (adrenalin feeling). On waking, I feel like I'm dying and have been awake all night. I've lost all interest in friends, socialising, hobbies, ambitions because I have zero left in the tank after busting out my job.

Biochemistry

CRP 1.10 (<5.0) mg/L

Ferritin H 190.4 (20 - 150) ug/L

Thyroid Function

TSH 0.91 (0.27 - 4.20) IU/L

T4 Total 74.3 (64.5 - 142.0) nmol/L

Free T4 12.23 (12 - 22) pmol/L

Free T3 3.54 (3.1 - 6.8) pmol/L

Immunology

Anti-Thyroidperoxidase abs H 131.2 (<34) kIU/L

Anti-Thyroglobulin Abs 19.3 (<115) kU/L

Vitamins

Vitamin D (25 OH) 80 (Deficient <25, Insufficient 25 - 50, Consider reducing dose >175

) nmol/L

Vitamin B12 414 (Deficient <140, Insufficient 140 - 250, Consider reducing dose >725)

pmol/L

Serum Folate H 45.40 (10.4 - 42.4) nmol/L

Thanks for reading!

[shaws]

Tick off your clinical symptoms on the following link - and give to GP.

As he offered anti-depressants (there's no blood test for this), so he's going by clinical symptoms of hypothyroidism except hes unaware of this.

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

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

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

Once upon a time we'd have been diagnosed by clinical symptoms alone. - no blood tests then.

He is going by your TSH only. He has ignored completely your low FT4 and FT3. He has also not diagnosed you as having an Autoimmune Thyroid Disease called 'Hashimoto's' and that you have antibodies attacking your gland till you become hypothyroid.

email [e-mail] and ask for a copy of the Pulse online article wherein Dr Toft (ex President of the British Thyroid Association) says if we have antibodies, we have to be prescribed levothyroxine.

[juliep27 in reply to shaws]

Hi can you double check that email address please ([e-mail]) as it's not working for me

Apologies - [e-mail]

[shaws in reply to juliep27]

I have corrected link above

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

richar03 Good luck with your endo appointment tomorrow.

You do need thyroid meds, you have Hashimoto's as your high TPO antibodies show. Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, suggests starting Levo to 'nip things in the bud'.

Your Vit D is OK but really needs to be 100-150.

B12 is recommended to be at the very top of the range, even 900-1000, so you have a way to go there. Anything under 500 can cause neurological problems. Are you supplementing?

Point out to your endo your over range ferritin and folate to the endo and ask for them to be investigated, particularly the ferritin being that much over range.

[beh1]

As others have said, you really need thyroid hormones. I felt terrible with t4 and t3 similar to yours.

Regarding the high ferritin, I have this problem. I think it might be due to inflammation (sttm site) , but although doc said nothing to worry about, I got mine back in range by giving blood. A thought for when you feel better-not now!

[silverfox7]

Yes. can't donate blood till you have been on stable dose for 6 months and feeling well plus it also has to tick other boxes.

[richar03]

Thank you all so much for your incredibly supportive and practical help. It's so reassuring - it sounds ridiculous but I had started to lose confidence in my own symptoms and test results and was almost trying to rationalise that they were all normal to fit my GPs reaction. It can feel very lonely to be so bluntly dismissed by the 'experts'.

I have started supplementing Jarrow Methyl B12...fingers crossed it will help.

Thank you for the Dr Toft reference, I'll print and use that.

I had thought about donating blood but note your comments about getting well and stable first, that makes sense.

My GP barely registered the anti-bodies and seemed to take the position that it was best to wait until TSH was elevated before doing anything, as that's how we'll know my thyroid is in trouble. We went round in circles from that point with my symptoms and ended up at anti-depressants. Argh!!

Have a good day folks, and thanks again for welcoming me into the group.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to richar03]

Let us know how it goes richar03

As you're supplementing B12, hopefully you know to also take a B Complex to balance the B vits. Best to get one with methylfolate (natural) rather than folic acid (synthetic) which the body needs to convert to folate.