I had a total thyroidectomy in November 2016, since then I've struggled to get a good balance of my T4 and TSH, last month I was on 125 Levo and felt awful, doc checked my bloods and my dose was too low, I'm now 3 weeks into 150 levo (I've been on this dose before and my levels get to high eventually) and bloods seems to be ok but I still feel exhausted (somehow have trouble sleeping though) and my weight gain has been excessive since my op. I've attached my blood work from this week and all seems to be near enough ok, any other ideas or recommendations anyone?
Thanks
Jenna
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Jenna5
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Jenna, your B12 seems to be below range (struggling to see as photo is sideways and range is feint), and your folate very low. Your Vit D is in the Insufficiency range and your ferritin is very low in range. All these will contribute to your symptoms, particularly the ferritin level and exhaustion.
Recommended levels for us hypos are
Vit D - 100-150nmil/L
Ferritin - half way through it's range
B12 - very top of range
Folate - half way through it's range
Many doctors think that anywhere in range is fine, but we Hypos need optimal.
As your level is below range, I suggest you pop over to the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum here on Health Unlocked for further advice, post your B12, folate and ferritin results along with any signs of B12 Deficiency
Thank you so much for your response, it's makes a lot of sense. My endo believes that any thing in the range is fine and I really don't know what to do to change his mind, unfortunately I live in the Isle of Man and he's the only endo on the island. Would it be worth trying to get a second opinion in England?
Jenna, is your FT3 5 (hard to see)? If it is then it's too low in a range of 4.2-6.7, just 32% through range, whereas your FT4 is 86% through it's range, so they're not balanced. Your FT3 needs to be much higher, in the upper quarter of it's range. T3 is the active hormone that every cell in our bodies need and with a level that low it's no wonder you feel unwell.
You need to get your vitamins and minerals optimised but also of the FT3 is 5 then it's important to improve that. There's no point in increasing Levo any more, it will take you over range and you could well end up with the excess T4 being converted to reverse T3 so another problem.
It looks like you could do with the addition of some T3. By the sound of it your endo may not be open to this. Whether an endo in England would be depends, some are, some aren't, and even if you find one who agrees then getting a prescription for it is very unlikely at the moment.
Yes it is 5. I did ask my Endo about my T3 and he said it was fine and I need to stop looking into things on the internet, I'm glad I did now! Can you buy T3 anywhere, maybe online, without prescription?
I dread to think where most of us would be had we not looked into things on the internet!! I can't add anything more than the others about getting your levels up to help conversion from T4 to T3. Just wanted to encourage you to keep searching until you find wellness!
I would suggest 4000iu daily. A very good supplement, only two ingredients - Vit D and extra virgin olive oil to aid absorption - and a very reasonable price is Doctor's Best D3. They don't do a 4000iu one so you could take 2 x 2000iu daily
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.
K2-MK7 good brands - minimum ingredients, extra virgin olive oil to aid absorption
Iron - if you can tolerate ferrous fumerate then buy a box of 84 from Amazon and take one tablet twice daily then retest.
If you're troubled by constipation and stomach issues then FF will make it worse so you might want to try iron bisglycinate such as Solgar Gentle Iron but you will need more as the elemental iron content is much less.
Take each tablet with 1000mg Vit C to aid absorption and help prevent constipation, take iron four hours away from thyroid meds and two hours away from any other medication and supplements as it affects their absorption.
Fitting iron supplements around everything else isn't easy. I brought my level up from 35, so very similar to yours, to 91 purely by eating liver once a week as I couldn't tolerate iron supplements. If you want to try that then no more than 200g a week, plus add lots of iron rich foods to your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...
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I won't suggest anything for B12 because with your level you need to speak to the experts over at the PA forum as suggested. I think you probably need B12 injections.
When supplementing with B12 in any form, a B Complex is needed to balance all the B vitamins, Thorne Basic B and Metabolics B Complex are good.
Thank you so much for this information, your definitely a font of knowledge! I'll do as you have suggested and then get some more tests. Thanks again!!
Sorry Jenna, I forgot to say, take the 4000iu D3 for 3 months then retest. When you have reached the recommended level of 100-150nmol/L reduce to a maintenance dose, try 2000iu daily (or 5000iu alternate days). It's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range.
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