Newbie...help!

[ruthad]

I have just come back from the doctors after blood tests last week. He says I have a T4 reading of 29.9 and my T3 reading is still to come back. He has done another blood test and is writing to a consultant for advice. What is T4 and is that a high score? I know absolutely nothing about overactive thyroids and found this site by a search. Does this score mean I have an overactive thyroid?

[bluebug]

If you start reading here and go down it will all be explained to you in full detail so you can question the doctors where necessary - thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Thyroid UK is the charity that runs this forum and the link is from their main website.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and am sorry you are hypothyroid and I will explain a little of how to get the best out of your blood test results.

You will now have a life-long condition as your thyroid gland is failing and the hormones it produces run our whole metabolism and if in the UK from now on, for any illnesses/disease prescriptions will be free.

It is a big learning curve and if you read questions/answers you will slowly become knowledgeable in the treatment and can help yourself get better.

The replacement thyroid hormone is levothyroxine and consists of the hormone T4 (inactive hormone). In the body it converts to T3 which is the active hormone needed in all of our receptor cells.

When you are due a new blood test make the earliest possible appointment and fast but you can drink water. Allow 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards. Doctors mainly only use the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) to adjust our levothyroxine. So by getting the earliest appointment the TSH is highest which drops throughout the day.

Levo should be taken first thing on empty stomach with one full glass of water and wait about an hour before eating.

Always get a print-out of your results from the surgery (we are entitled) with the results plus the ranges (ranges are important as labs differ) for your own records and you can post if you have a query.

Ask GP to test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate as we are usually deficient.

[beh1 in reply to shaws]

Shaws I am no expert, but I think she's hyper, tho we need the ranges to be sure.

[shaws Administrator in reply to beh1]

I'm no expert either and you are right on my re-reading her post.

[shaws Administrator]

I apologise I've given you information re hypo thyroid when you are most probably hyperactive, so those members who have hyper will respond and if you get your results with the ranges it will be helpful.

[ruthad]

Thanks so much for info so far. Someone asked for ranges. The doctor had something on the screen that was 4 to 26. Would that be the range you are asking about?

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to ruthad]

It would be more likely to start at about 12, so perhaps it was 14-26. You need to get your actual results from the surgery with ranges. It is your legal right to have them under both NHS constitution and the data protection act, and you'll find that often GPs will say "normal" when looking at your results shows that they are not good at all, so get into the habit of always asking for the results.