Thyroid antibodies and vitamin/mineral results

[lilymaye]

Hi I have called up about the results, I am wondering if they are abnormal? Doctor didn't call me about them.

Thyroid peroxidase antibody 375 (<34)

Thyroglobulin antibody 883.5 (<114)

February 2017 - 150mcg levothyroxine and 10mcg T3

TSH 1.62 (0.2 - 4.2)

Free T4 16.1 (12 - 22)

Free T3 4.3 (3.1 - 6.8)

Ferritin 13 (15 - 150)

Folate 2.3 (2.5 - 19.5)

Vitamin B12 201 (190 - 900)

Total vitamin D 32.5 (>75 adequate)

Symptoms are brain fog, hard stool, dizziness, ears ringing, recurring bladder infections, incontinence, dry skin, puffy eyes, hair and eyebrow loss, heavy periods, breathlessness, headaches, tiredness, cramps and weakness in legs and arms, insomnia, depression, weight loss and weight gain, flaking nails, shaking. Thank you

[bluebug]

Ferritin too low, folate too low, vitamin B12 too low and vitamin D3 too low.

The only one which is out of range and you should fight with your GP to treat is your ferritin.

For this I suggest you ask your GP for a full blood count and iron panel to rule out iron deficiency anaemia and to confirm whether you have microcytic (red blood cells too small) or haemolytic (rapid turnover of red blood cells) anaemia.

[lilymaye in reply to bluebug]

Thanks I think folate is out of range too? 2.3 (2.5 - 19.5) I have a complete blood count which came back saying satisfactory but can post results of this if need be.

[Hidden in reply to lilymaye]

Yes, please post fbc results...

[bluebug]

With the vitamin D take 5,000-8,000IU of vitamin D3 for 12 weeks after 3 months retest and see where your level is. You are aiming for 100nmol/L. Take vitamin D3 with magnesium and vitamin K2-MK7 to help avoid problems with calcium levels.

[lilymaye in reply to bluebug]

Thanks I think vitamin D is in deficient range? 32.5. I only wrote the adequate range in. 25 - 50 is vitamin D deficiency. Supplementation is indicated. Shouldn't doctor be prescribing me a vitamin D supplement?

[bluebug in reply to lilymaye]

Nope.

You are not severely deficient. You have to be under 25nmol/L or even 20nmol/L to be regarded as this, and get treatment on the NHS in most areas.

If you asked your doctor for advice s/he will very likely tell you to buy your own 800-1,000IU supplements from Boots or Holland and Barrett. Boots don't sell vitamin D3 supplements over something like 800IU on their own.

Even if your doctor was kind enough not to tell you to buy your own supplements they would prescribe you 800IU of vitamin D3 this would do SFA to raise your levels.

Ideally at your level you want to take 8,000iU per day but as finding supplements that add up to 8,000IU is hard and I know finding 5,000IU is easy that's why I advised you to take between 5,000-8,000IU.

[bluebug]

With vitamin B12 and folate go over to the pernicious anaemia society on healthunlocked for advice.

[bluebug]

You have hashimotos so should adopt a gluten free diet avoiding processed food including gluten free processed foods. Basically you need to cook from scratch and avoid things like shop brought sauces.

You also need a dose increase of T3 (if you can get it) but without optimal nutrients it won't work and alleviate your symptoms.

[lilymaye in reply to bluebug]

Thanks ok this will be hard for me to do because I don't really cook from scratch. I have fought with my endo to increase T3 and I am no longer able to do my own dosing because I am waiting on an appointment with her and I don't know when that will be.

[bluebug in reply to lilymaye]

It's hard for everyone however processed food in general lacks a lot of nutrients. Some like breakfast cereals have a few vitamin and minerals added to them. However if you for example ate an apple there would be more micronutrients in it then we know about in it and in the cereal.

[Hidden in reply to lilymaye]

G free is easier than it was, if u check eg M&S sausages u will find a lot have had the gluten quietly removed. Major on oat biscuits and rice cakes, and you don't even need expensive g free bread. I don't cook from scratch, it's pretty easy. Difficult at first, reading every label.

[Hidden]

Your ferritin is below range, way too low, looks like you have absorbtion probs though it may be the heavy periods alone. Get it up to c 80, use anything except ferrous sulphate. May produce hair loss, fatigue, anaemia links to tinnitus.

Ask for a celiac test in the light of your low nutrient levels, around five per cent of hypos have it. Once you have the result, even if negative, try gluten free for a couple of months, then gluten challenge to see if it is an issue. My brain fog went once g free, but I react to it v strongly.

Don't supplement B12 yet, though yours is low, ask for an MMA test and a test for antibodies to intrinsic factor before you start supplementing B12 and folate. Low b12 may link to tinnitus, weakness, breathlessness, depression, flaking nails, perhaps insomnia. Read up on the b12 forum, called the Pernicious Anaemia forum.

Get your D higher, check the Vitamin D Council website.

Your T3 could be higher, but I will leave that to the experts here. Your low nutrients will be reducing your thyroid's performance.

[lilymaye in reply to Hidden]

Thanks I had a test for coeliac before. I increased my gluten intake for 6 days, had the blood drawn and it came back negative. When I ate even more gluten than before my stool started to smell quite bad within 3 weeks and I was experiencing diarrhoea. Maybe do the gluten challenge again?

[Hidden in reply to lilymaye]

If you tested negative for celiac, you could still be gluten sensitive, which according to Dr Alessio Fasano, international expert on gluten, a highly respected scientist, is an immune, not an auto immune condition. The fact that you react to gluten strongly suggests you are g sensitive, try going off again very carefully, for at least eight weeks, or longer.

Also, celiac is not a once for all test. People have tested negative, then positive ten years later, source, the great Fasano. So if yr test was many years ago, test again. You have symptoms and an auto immune disease, the gp should agree.

[lilymaye]

This will be a lot for me to take in at the moment and because I have been having physical symptoms since I was about 5/6 years old (whether this is due to thyroid or not) I can't predict when I will feel completely well again. Thanks again for comments.

[Hidden in reply to lilymaye]

Just read that B12 deficiency can link to incontinence, you may have two auto immune disorders.

[bluebug]

The reason I stated fight with your GP over ferritin is because I told you to go the pernicious anaemia society on healthunlocked on what to do with your folate level. Your vitamin B12 is low in range also but you need to get both the vitamin B12 and folate levels up together to avoid weird results on blood tests. The people on the pernicious anaemia society will give you better advice on how to do this as they themselves have B12 problems which some GPs have ignored.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

You will see, time and time again on here lots of information and advice about importance of good levels of B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D, low stomach acid, leaky gut and most important the gluten connection to autoimmune Hashimoto's


thyroidpharmacist.com

The Thyroid Pharmacist, Izabella Wentz states that in her clinic (where she see mainly Hashimoto's patients), she finds about 88% gain significant benefit from going gluten free.

Very many of us on here agree. Sadly NHS does not consider, at the moment the gut, nutrient & gluten connection at all

Excellent free web based document-series, by Izabella Wentz - re-running, starting March 1st

Masses of advice for all thyroid issues, but especially for Hashimoto's or Graves

thethyroidsecret.com/trailer/

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

hypothyroidmom.com/92-of-ha...

amymyersmd.com

drknews.com

Lots of good gluten free options in M&S, Tesco and most large supermarkets. You need to read labels carefully, avoiding anything with wheat, barley or rye.