Confused

[annlo]

Teenage daughter feeling very unwell. Can somebody help explain results

TSH 5.79. Range 0.27-4.2

FT4 11.6. Range 12-22

ferritin 19. Rang13-150

[Marz]

What has your GP said about these results ? The over range TSH and below range FT4 suggests daughter is Hypo. How long has her ferritin been that low ? - the result needs to be mid-range. No results for B12 - Folate - VitD which are also important.

Increasingly we read about people with very low nutrients that are needed for the thyroid to work efficiently. So how is your daughters diet ? Thyroid anti-bodies should also be tested.

[annlo in reply to Marz]

Thanks for your response. Dr has told us that ferritin is normal and no treatment given. B12 is 323. Folate 4.6. Vit D not done.

[silverfox7]

Welcome to the forum. As marz has said nutrients are important but many doctors aren't aware of this. Has your doctor suggested starting medication or may be he is awaiting a second test in a few weeks to confirm the diagnosis before he starts her in medication.

You will find it helpful to look on the Thyroid Uk site. They run this forum and their site has lots of helpful information. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first but she will soon get to grips with it. If at any time there is anything either of you don't understand then please post and you will get some help, we're a frientdy bunch!

[annlo in reply to silverfox7]

Thanks for your response x

[bluebug]

Has your daughter been tested for iron deficiency anaemia? It is common in teenagers and women of all ages.

[Pearl1981]

My ferritin was super low also and spent over a year on iron supplements which did not raise it, actually dropped lower.

Finally found a product called blood builder on amazon which has boosted my ferritin from 4 to 96 after 5 months.

Just in case your daughter has a problem getting her iron up with normal supplements

[Hidden in reply to Pearl1981]

Thanks for the tip, sounds interesting! I have spent over a year on prescription iron supplements and they have done nothing for me, so I will try this one.

[annlo in reply to Pearl1981]

Thanks for your response. Only got these results yesterday. Dr has said ferritin level is normal so no treatment. So confusing at moment.

[Pearl1981]

Also her TSH is really high

Should be around 1

She seems hypothyroid

[annlo in reply to Pearl1981]

Thank you for replying. New to all this and trying to get my head around it all.

[Katepots]

Hi,

Yes she is hypothyroid. TSH should be under 2 but a lot of us find we don't actually feel well until it is under 1.

Her ferritin is very low, should be mid range but over 70

I suggest she has a full thyroid panel TT4, FT4, FT3, RT3 plus thyroid antibodies. Very important to check that she doesn't have Hashimotos Thyroditis (auto immune and very common). If she did then there are specific things she will need to do for example go gluten free.

Does she suffer from gut troubles? Bloating?

Also needing testing are Vitamin D, Folate, B12 as all may be low as runs hand in hand with hypothyroidism.

B12 needs to be over 600, under 500 can start to cause neurological changes. Gp's range will be very low as they don't want to supplement half the nation!

Vitamin D again GP range will be low. It needs to be at least 60, a lot of experts like it to be nearer 100 but over 60 is fine.

If the GP doesn't want to test all these(cost again)

Bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk have private testing.

If you're in the UK?!

Thyroid plus 11,12&15 are all really good comprehensive tests.

Post the results on here. We will help.

Poor thing, I'm guessing she's feeling awful.

[annlo]

Dr has told us ferritin is ok so no treatment required. She does have gut trouble ie indigestion bloating and belching. Thank you for your help.

[Marz in reply to annlo]

Your doc is wrong about the FERRITIN - it needs to be mid-range as others have suggested.

[annlo]

So many questions at minute and so confused...can low thyroid cause psychological symptoms i.e. Anxiety panic attacks paranoia and smell of something burning???

[kiefer in reply to annlo]

Yes. My mother was hypothyroid and mentioned a number of times that something was burning and no evidence of it. My father as well (he developed it after being given amiodarone 200mg for 6 months). I've had the symptom also.

Anxiety can be caused by hypothyroidism or adrenal insufficiency (low cortisol). Be sure to also investigate whether sufficient magnesium is being taken. An RBC magnesium test would reveal any deficiency. According to Izabella Wentz, PharmD., supplementation with magnesium (if there's a deficiency) can significantly lower the TSH.

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

There are many magnesium salts...I would recommend mag glycinate/lysinate (Drs. Best™) as it has a very high potency of 100mg elemental magnesium per tablet. Epsom salts (mag sulfate) are good for those who just want to soak in it. Magnesium Chloride is available as a topical spray, a lotion and an oral solution (Remag™). Mag Citrate is a good one for constipation. Avoid Mag Oxide as it is poorly absorbed (consequences: diarrhea).

Unless your daughter has renal disease, it's very difficult to overdose on oral magnesium supplements. The usual result is diarrhea.

[Pearl1981 in reply to kiefer]

So weird that you say this about smells! After I had my baby and became hypo again on the medication I was taking I could also smell burning smells!! I would ask my husband lots of times if he could smell that burning toast/rubber smell. I was frightened I had a brain tumour because I had heard that was a symptom of it. I also became strangely paranoid and depressed . I put it down to post natal depression. However once I had upped my dose (main reason to do so was the crippling exhaustion along with the eyebrow loss and sweating on exertion) the depression/anxiety/low moods and smells went away !!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Pearl1981]

Many times this has been discussed - called phantosmia.

Have a look at this Google search:

google.co.uk/search?q=phant...

[annlo]

Thank you to everyone for giving such great advice and guidance. Have realised we need to get further investigations done immediately as their appears to be a lot of answers needed with regards to these blood results. I'm so grateful for everyone's help xx

[annlo]

Hey everyone. Looking for a little advice about anti tpo's. result was 21 (>34). Is a result of 21 worth keeping an eye on.