Latest blood results

[Jackiez]

I'm in the hospital at the moment, having a cortisol test. The endocrinologist I saw last week just came in and gave me a printout of my blood results from last week. She very cheerfully announced "Good news, everything is normal, no need to change anything!" I glanced down at the paper and with that she was gone. Here they are.

TSH 0.66 0.27-6.8

FT4 17.0 11.0-25

FT3 3.7 3.1-7.8

Does this not show that I'm not converting enough FT4 to FT3?

I'd appreciate any feedback on this, thanks.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Jackiez Your conversion isn't brilliant. Good conversion takes place when FT4: FT3 ratio is 4:1 or less, according to member Diogenes who is an advisor to ThyroidUK. Your ratio is 4.59 : 1

However, most treated hypo patients feel best when TSH is 1 or below or wherever is needed for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges, with FT4 generally in the upper third and FT3 in the upper quarter. Your FT4 is just below half way through it's range and your FT3 doesn't even reach a quarter of the way through it's range. Unfortunately, all doctors see is that you are within the range, nothing else.

If you have symptoms of Hypothyroidism then you are undermedicated. Increasing Levo will raise FT4 and *should* raise FT3, but adding T3 will raise FT3 and a trial of a small amount might be a good idea. Not sure how you're going to convince this endo to do it though.

[Jackiez in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you SeasideSusie, I thought as much, although my maths skills aren't the best!😳

She told me during my appointment last week that she didn't prescribe T3, and warned me off self medication. However she said that a consultant in Cardiff would be able to prescribe it privately😱!

I am very symptomatic on 100mcg, but she said that "Biochemicaly,I am not hypothyroid".

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Jackiez]

Jackiez Is it possible to see this consultant in Cardiff on the NHS, maybe speak to your GP and ask to be referred for a second opinion, maybe mention that this endo sort of suggested it??

If you can get him to agree to a trial, a private prescription doesn't mean you have to have the UK prescribed T3, it can be sent to Germany, the right pharmacy there can supply Henning T3 which would work out cheaper. Or if that is still too much, buy from one of the recommended suppliers some of us use (without prescription) and take that. You wouldn't need to say initially that you are sourcing your own, but it could prove a point for the Cardiff endo to support your use of T3.

[Jackiez in reply to SeasideSusie]

Mm, it's a possibility, thanks. I have to speak to the endocrinologist again next week to discuss the cortisol result, so I'll tackle her on the T3 issue, she could do the referral I'm sure.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Reading some of your older posts/replies you say all symptoms got worse and TSH lowered after head injury

Have you explained that clearly to endo?

Brain injury can cause pituitary to be affected

hormone.org/questions-and-a...

nahypothyroidism.org/trauma...

[Jackiez in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi SlowDragon, my TSH went high after the head injury, then kept dropping, and I explained my history to the endocrinologist. I'm still waiting for my records from Spain, where I had the accident, but she is investigating my pituitary. She's ordered an MRI, but there's a waiting list of 3 months!

I have obtained the notes from my original diagnosis in 1994, although not complete with ranges. My TSH was >100 and FT4 <3. Microsomal antibodies weakly positive thyroglobin.

This clearly shows that I was at least then, hypothyroid, as I wasn't on Levothyroxine on diagnosis!