I am relatively new here. Been reading other posts for a couple of weeks and trying to understand my thyroid condition and my symptoms a bit better.
I just got back the results of a Medichecks Thyroid Check UltraVit and am now even more confused and frustrated.
A bit about my background:
I've been diagnosed with Hypo quite a few years ago. Got prescribed Levo back then and been waiting for things to go back to 'normal' ever since. Rather than normal, things got worse I believe.
My dose is 150mg and hasn't been changed for a couple of years. But: my symptoms weren't getting any better, they've gotten worse.
When reading through a list of Hypo symptoms I could pretty check off every one of them.
The one's that I feel affect me the most in my daily life are the struggle to loose weight ( no matter how much or how little I eat, whether its low carb or low fat or whatever, I can barely manage to lose a few pounds, and if I do, after having a 'cheat-day' with a pizza and a few glasses of wine its back up again)
The other one is me being tired all the time. While I've always been eager to take a nap, recently its gotten to a point that I have to sometimes make stops when driving to rest. Just last weekend I was getting back from a friend, it was a 4 hour drive, and I had to take a nap for about an hour to feel save to drive again. Bear in mind I am 27 years old and don't think I should feel this tired all the time. I can barely make it through the day without having to take a nap.
The third symptom that is affecting me the most is the brain fog and being almost unable to concentrate. As I am working on my dissertation at the moment, this does concern me a lot! My memory is so bad, that I often times don't remember what has been said in recent conversations, let alone remember things that happened a few years ago. When I am working on something and something crosses my mind, I have to write it down immediately, otherwise I'll forget right away. Retracing my steps often helps, but not always, and I find this extremely worrying.
I have also noticed that my extremities tend to go numb very easily. For example I am sitting on my desk at the moment, typing, and I feel my arms and fingers go numb again.
Long story short: My GP has refused to test for T3, mentioned that TSH is normal, maybe even a bit low and she doesn't know why my symptoms are getting worse.
After reading through forums I figured it must be the T3 that is causing the symptoms. Thats why I was so surprised to get my test results back and find that the levels are in the range.
My level of Vitamin B12 is really low, but I am not sure if thats the cause of all my suffering?
Would you please be so kind and have a lock at my test results and tell me what you think? I feel very lost and misunderstood by my GP and don't really know what to do.
THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE 0.069 mIU/L
FREE THYROXINE 22.87 pmol/L
TOTAL THYROXINE(T4) 128.8 nmol/L
FREE T3 4.64 pmol/L
THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY <10 IU/mL
THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 11.95 IU/mL
VITAMIN B12 92 pmol/L
FOLATE (SERUM) 4.4 ug/L
25 OH VITAMIN D 73.89 nmol/L
CRP - HIGH SENSITIVITY 9 mg/l
FERRITIN 63.91 ug/L
Thank you very much,
Cathy
Written by
Cathy512
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I'm on the verge of going out Cathy, so must run. But before I go, ring for an emergency appointment with your GP and show him your B12 result. It is absolutely dreadful. Recently my cousin was found to have a level 83, tested positive for Pernicious Anaemia, 6 X loading injections B12 over two weeks, now 3 monthly injections for life.
Take B12, folate, and any signs and symptoms of B12 Deficiency and put in a post on the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum here on Health Unlocked for further advice
So yes, you are right about your T3 and this will be the cause of some of your symptoms. And until T3 is higher in range you won't be able to loose weight however much you diet.
Good conversion takes place when FT4: FT3 ratio is 4:1 or less. Yours is 22.87 : 4.64 = 4.92 : 1
You need one of two things
1) Better conversion of T4 to T3
2) The addition of T3 to your Levo
Better conversion can be helped by
a) Optimal nutrient levels and
b) Supplementing with selenium L-selenomethionine 200mcg daily
**
THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY <10 IU/mL
THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 11.95 IU/mL
These are fine, no indication of autoimmune thyroid disease. However, one negative doesn't rule it out completely, you'd need a few negative results for that.
**
VITAMIN B12 92 pmol/L
FOLATE (SERUM) 4.4 ug/L
As mentioned in my first reply, it is urgent that you sort this out. I hope you have checked the link that Jamiface gave, rang to make an appointment with your GP, and posted on the Pernicious Anaemia forum for further advice. This is a big factor in how you feel.
**
25 OH VITAMIN D 73.89 nmol/L
Recommended level for Vit D is 100-150nmol/L. It's almost in the replete range but could do with a bit of a boost. My suggestion would be for a D3 supplement containing 2000-3000iu and retest in 3 months.
There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 which you can read about here
D3 aids 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 can be deposited and cause problems.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check here to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds.
Check the other cofactors too.
You can get D3/K2 combination supplements which might be better as you don't need a high dose D3 to start with. Or you could Gondor separate D3 and K2-MK7 softgels.
**
CRP - HIGH SENSITIVITY 9 mg/l
This is nothing and indicates inflammation somewhere. Maybe you have an infection??
**
FERRITIN 63.91 ug/L
Recommended level for ferritin is half way through it's range, with an absolute minimum of 70 for thyroid hormone to work.
Eating liver once a week, maximum 200g, is a good way to raise ferritin, plus include iron rich foods
So much easier than taking iron tablets which need to be taken four hours away from thyroid meds and two hours away from any other medication and supplements, and can cause constipation and stomach upset.
**
Please come back and let us know what your GP says about your B12 level and what he intends to do.
Thank you so very much for your replies and suggestions.
I went to see my GP yesterday. Unfortunately she declined to do B12 injections right away but wants to do more testing before that - the one that tests if my body can absorb it or not . And she also wants to test the level of B12 again, I guess she wasn't too thrilled that I chose to do a private blood test. She also said it would most likely not make any sense to buy B12 supplements as it is likely that my body won't be able to absorb it anyways.
So it will be at least another 2 weeks before something will change... very annoying.
I do wonder why she never tested B12 before, as I kept telling her my symptoms...
Regarding my T3, she kept saying that it was in range and nothing should be done about it. I figured thats what she would say, as she only ever looked at TSH and T4 before.
She keeps stressing that I see a private endo, but as I have made an appointment with an endo in Germany and will go and see him as it is covered by my insurance (and the one in the UK isn't)
I will also go see my German GP in about 3 weeks, discuss my blood test with her and ask her to prescribe T3. She is usually a bit easier to persuade and I feel like she is very concerned about getting to the bottom of this, whereas it seems my UK GP just keeps repeating herself and delaying the process. She said that all my other levels are in range and therefore are okay and I kept saying that just because something is in range doesn't mean that is working for me. It just feels like an endless struggle.
I am just very glad that I chose to have my blood tested and now have a better insight of what is really going on.
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