Blood Test

[lizlee]

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos about 5 years ago and was on 100mcg of thyroxine about 3 years ago my thyroxine was reduced to 75mcg I also have Angina and CKD stage 3 and all the other aches and pains that go with thyroid problems, I have felt so ill for so long . Hope someone can advise me .

I had a blood test last month and asked for a copy of results ,the Doctor phoned me and said that they needed to increase my thyroxine to 100mcg with another blood test in two months time

My TSH level reads 10.24 mu/L 0.30-5.50mu/L

freeT4 level 14.5 pmol/L 11.50-22.70pmol/L

serum sodium 142 mmol/L 135.00-

serum potassium 5 mmol/L 3.50-5.50mmol?l

" bicarbonate 25 mmol/L 22.00-30.00mmmol/L

" urea level 5.5 mmol/L2.50-7.50mmol/L

Serum creatinine 99 umol/l 45-84.00Globeruler filtration stable 45.00-84 umol/L

i

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

lizlee Your TSH is very high which is why your GP has increased your Levo again.

In case you don't know, when having thyroid tests, always book the very first appointment of the morning, fast overnight (water only) and leave off Levo for 24 hours. This gives the highest possible TSH which is what we need to avoid a dose reduction or when looking for an increase. Also, it gives continuity so we can compare results accurately every time.

The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or below and FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges if that is where you feel well.

As you have Hashi's, are you strictly gluten free and supplementing with selenium to help reduce antibodies? Keeping TSH suppressed also helps reduce antibodies.

Your creatinine is elevated most likely because of your CKD.

It would be worth getting vitamins and minerals tested if not already done. They need to be optimal for thyroid hormone to work properly and low levels can cause symptoms, which your aches and pains could be due to. You need

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

[lizlee in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you Seaside Susie, I take vit Pro D 400 iu a day and vit B12 I will purchase Folate, and Ferritin , and will try and keep to Gluten free more than I have been doing . Thanks to the likes of you writing and advising on this site, I did fast overnight and had my blood test the following morning .

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to lizlee]

lizlee I was saying you need those vitamins and minerals tested, not that you should buy the supplements

If you post your results, suggestions can be made for dose of supplement where there are low levels.

In particular, 400iu D3 wont do anything. My winter maintenance dose of D3 is 2000iu daily and my level is within the recommended range of 100-150nmol/L. Let us know what your level is and we can suggest a better dose.

When taking D3 there are important co-factors needed:

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

D3 aids the absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it causes problems. D3 and K2 are fat soluble and should be taken with the fatties meal of the day, and D3 should be taken 4 hours away from thyroid meds.

Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

You shouldn't take ferritin unless your iron stores are low. Too much iron is as bad as too little.

What B12 are you taking?

[lizlee in reply to SeasideSusie]

thank you, I will have the tests done , I asked my doctor a few months ago when I was feeling very low if b12 would be of any help and she told me to buy it at the chemist which i did and they gave me Cytacon 50 mg. I will have the test done privately,i doubt if my Doctor will do another test she only did the blood test because I had been ill for weeks and finally phoned 111 which I had never done and got the most incredible help and it was thanks to the Doctor who phoned me back that I got the blood test done ,when I told my doctor that I had phoned 111 and they advised a blood test ,that it was done , I am very greatfull for your advice.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to lizlee]

lizlee Unfortunately, because doctors aren't taught nutrition, they aren't the best people to advise on supplements. Your GP has told you to get the wrong sort of B12, it is cyanocobalamin and we should have methylcobalamin:

naturalnews.com/032766_cyan...

And you obviously weren't advised that when taking B12 we need a B Complex to balance all the B vitamins.

What you need is Solgar sublingual methylcobalamin IF your level is low and needs supplementing. B12 is better absorbed sublingually as it bypasses the stomach and gets directly into the bloodstream through the blood vessels under the tongue. If you have Pernicious Anaemia it wont be absorbed through the stomach any way.

When you've got the results of the tests, make a new thread and post them with their reference ranges for advice.

Blue Horizon and Medichecks offer vitamin and mineral testing as part of a thyroid bundle. Check the links on ThyroidUK's testing page thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

[-deni- in reply to SeasideSusie]

Sorry to jump in, i found your reply very helpful, being one new to thyroid under active.

My GP said last week mine is now 2.8 previous

3.2 then 3.9

100mg Levo has got me to 2.8

I have terrible pain all over my head & dizziness which I've had since (November 2016) before diagnosis late Jan.

But has increased last few days

Could this be linked with thyroid?

Thanks for other info.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to -deni-]

-deni- I don't know the answer to your question. Has your GP not investigated?

As you are up to 100mcg Levo and the symptoms haven't improved as your TSH is reducing, then it may not be connected with your thyroid.

As you've mentioned dizziness, and neurological problems can be caused by low B12, it would be a good idea to get vitamins and minerals tested.

[-deni- in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for response, I have been backward & forward to the dr for months as like many people I feel like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall!

I first went to dr about the terrible dizziness & headaches in November last year, they did blood tests, she found under active thyroid and put me on 50mg Levo and shoved me out the door not making it clear if that was causing the dizziness!! Left it a month until next blood test was due and went back still with dizziness! I eventually had MRI and it showed infection front of head in sinus. They upped the Levo as results were still not right. I find it so frustrating as they just seem to find something and are happy they have found something to medicate! But I still am dizzy and major headaches. Last week blood test says 2.8 thyroid level and he said that's ok now stay on 100mg.

Mentioning to him about the dizziness he said it's prob anxiety!!

It's making me feel very low, like other people have said drs never explain anything.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to -deni-]

-deni- TSH of 2.8 is not OK. Your GP is satisfied that your TSH is in range but if you are still symptomatic then there's still a way to go.

Dr Toft, leading endocrinologist and past president of The British Thyroid Association, states in Pulse Magazine,

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l. Most patients will feel well in that circumstance.

But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

If you email [e-mail] she will send you a copy of the article which you can print off and show to your GP.

You could always get vitamins and minerals tested privately, details in link given in reply to lizlee further up.

[-deni- in reply to SeasideSusie]

Oh my...thanks again, it's like a mine field!! My head is buzzing. Makes me so angry that they fob people off and never explain things! I will email Louise. Thank you so much x

[Hidden in reply to -deni-]

I have had the same symptoms as you for months and months. Can you get your free T3 tested? I am on 88 mcg levo and then i added some Naturethroid (1/2 Grain) and just like that, my dizziness, light-headedness and blurry vision have substantially subsided. Especially in the AM. I would suspect you might need some T3 instead of all T4....

[humanbean]

I'm a suspicious old bat. I suspect your doctor wouldn't have raised your Levo if you hadn't asked for a copy of the results. But since you did ask he had to actually read them!

[lizlee in reply to humanbean]

No doubt humanbean

[AiryFairie in reply to humanbean]

My thoughts exactly, humanbean ! My GP told me my Vit D result was "normal". I saw "See printed copy for result" on his computer screen, and asked him what that showed. He opened another screen, which informed us my level was "inadequate"! He also told me my B12 was "normal", at 278 (range 145-910), but I decided to supplement this anyway.

[humanbean]

When you have your blood test in a few weeks time ask for ferritin, iron, vitamin B12, folate and vitamin D to be tested and make sure you get a copy of all the results, both thyroid and nutrients.

Edit : Oops, I see SeasideSusie has already mentioned getting nutrients tested.

[lizlee in reply to humanbean]

Yes , thank you , I feel years younger just getting a response on this site after years of being treated like a hypochondriac by my doctor , It's a lonely road to travel when one's doctor is not interested or does not understand hashi's

I finally got the vitimin D after complaining for months about the pain in my legs and they did a blood test and I was on 20,000 iu a day for two weeks and then reduced down to 400 iu a day they told me I would need to take the vitimin D for life.

[humanbean in reply to lizlee]

Well, for someone who was obviously very deficient, 400 iU wouldn't keep your levels up.

I've never had a serious vitamin D problem, but to maintain my optimal levels I need 2000 iU per day. When I tried taking 1000 iU my vitamin D levels actually dropped.

And my experience is not particularly unusual on this forum.

[lizlee in reply to humanbean]

Yes I have noticed on this forum that my intake of Vit D seem's a lot lower than most, I will ask when I go for another blood test in two months time.

[humanbean in reply to lizlee]

If your doctor agrees to test, then great.

But if you are refused further testing then you could get private testing done. It isn't as expensive as you might think, you can do it with just a finger prick sample, and you don't need to involve a doctor. Kits are ordered through the post. Once you have the kit you have to provide a blood sample, then you have to post the sample back to the lab. Results are supplied via email/online.

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

Two of the most popular tests on this forum are :

Blue Horizon

bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/T...

bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/W...

Medichecks

medichecks.com/thyroid-func...

medichecks.com/how-it-works

medichecks.com/dl/Medicheck...

-------------------------------------

Both companies often have special offers so look around on their websites before ordering and register for email offers.

If you don't want to do a finger-prick test you can do the Blue Horizon test with a full blood sample taken from the arm. You would need to order a vacutainer version of the test and would either have to know someone who could take blood for you, or you would have to pay for someone to take it for you.

[lizlee in reply to humanbean]

Thank you, Yes I think I will have to get private testing done.

[-deni- in reply to humanbean]

Thank you I will do that, I did ask last week but he said bloods were done a couple of months ago and there was nothing wrong. But will ask again thanks

[humanbean in reply to -deni-]

If he claims the blood tests have already been done, you should ask for a copy including the reference ranges. Post the results in a new post and ask for feedback.