Help Needed with Blood Results

[Tills62]

Hi everyone. I'm new to posting here but have been reading and lurking for a couple of years! Anyway, I wonder if anyone can help me with interpreting my blood results.

I have been feeling hypothyroid for about 10 yrs. in the last few yrs I stopped feeling cold all the time and having cold extremities, and instead started overheating, sweating all the time, and I cannot tolerate the summer weather, for example. However, all the exhaustion, weight gain, hair loss etc remained. My GP said my symptoms were due to the menopause and would not give me a thyroid test, instead he persuaded me to start HRT - which I had never planned to do. Anyway, the HRT has helped with precisely nothing. So, I saw on here the finger prick test - this was perfect for me as I have now barely left the house in the last two years and find it very difficult to go to the dr, for example.

Anyway, my thyroid results have surprised me as my TSH is so low but so too are T4 results. It seems I am also B12 deficient and maybe that is the causing all my symptoms and not my thyroid?

Also, in desperation I did a very stupid thing. I got myself some Thyroid -S and for two days took a quarter of a 1 grain tablet, then for two days I took half a grain per day, then for one day I 3/4 of a tablet. Then I discovered The existence of the finger prick test that I could do at home, so I stopped taking any Thyroid S on Friday morning and did the test on the following Monday. Could those few low doses of Thyroid S have affected my results?

Thank you for any help you can give me, And here are my results.

TSH 0.19 (0.27 - 4.2)

Total T4 58.6 (64.5 - 142)

Free T4 9.11 (12 - 22)

Free T3 4.37. (3.1 - 6.8)

Ferritin 95.4 (20-150)

CRP 1.50 (< 5.0)

Antithyroid Peroxidase abs 10.2 (<34)

Antithyroglobulin Abs < 10 (<115)

Vit D 43 (50 - 175)

B12 165 (250 - 725)

Serum Folate 10 (8.83 - 60.8)

[Clutter]

Welcome to the forum, Matildapops.

I doubt a couple of Thyroid-S tablets will have affected your thyroid results. If it did it will have raised your FT4. Low TSH with low FT4 indicates central hypothyroidism due to pituitary or hypothalmic dysfunction. I'm astonished your FT3 is so good though. Your GP should refer you to endocrinology for management because sex and growth hormones will need to be checked in case of deficiencies. In the meantime, your GP should prescribe Levothyroxine to raise your FT4 and bring it into range.

cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroid...

Thyroid antibodies are negative for autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's).

CRP and ferritin are good.

Vitamin D is insufficient. VitD is optimal around 100. I would supplement 10,000iu D3 for 6 weeks then reduce to 5,000iu daily and retest in July.

B12 is deficient and folate is low in range. I would pop over to the PAS forum for advice healthunlocked.com/pasoc

[Tills62 in reply to Clutter]

Thank you so much, Clutter. I was so hoping no one would mention the pituitary/hypothalamus likelihood as I feel so unwell I don't see myself coping with that right now. Sounds so wimpy, but it's true.

Would it be totally irresponsible to treat myself with NDT with regular blood tests just until I feel I can cope with the other stuff? Or would that make T3 go too high?

I have started on D3 10000 iu, B12 (methyl type) 10000mcg, Folate (methyl) 1000 mcg, multi, C and multi B's today.

Thank you for the link to the PAS forum.

[Clutter in reply to Tills62]

Matildapops,

I think it would be a mistake to self medicate before giving your GP an opportunity to investigate or refer you. It will skew results if you start taking thyroid hormone. I don't think the investigation is likely to be onerous or deep. Probably just a pituitary function blood test.

Please don't take anymore B12 or methylfolate until you've spoken to PAS.

[Tills62 in reply to Clutter]

OK, thank you, Clutter. Will do.