RT3 Check

[Booksellercate]

Hello, would anybody who knows more about the thyroid than me (I've never been diagnosed with thyroid issues and know very little) be able to double check my results? (See attached image).

I've been unwell since March 2016 with a long list of symptoms including lightheadedness, faintness, joint pain, muscle weakness, digestive issues, hair loss, balance issues and tinnitus...

I was low in vitamin B12 and had macrocytosis but I've had daily B12 injections for a year-which have reduced my bladder issues and joint pain.

Also, how much does your TSH fluctuate? It was checked twice last year and was in the range of 0.9-1.25. A year later it's 3.45. I assume it fluctuates to some degree so I'm not sure if this is a significant increase or not.

Thanks for any comments!

[Clutter]

Booksellercate,

Type is too feint and small to read easily but rT3 22, FT4 14 or 16, and FT3 >5 are all within range. TSH rising from 1.25 to 3.45 indicates your thyroid gland is failing. NHS won't usually diagnose hypothyroidism and prescribe Levothyroxine until TSH is over range or FT4 below range. Symptoms can precede abnormal bloods by months so I would retest in 6 months.

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

Supplementing 200mcg selenium is good thyroid support.

B12, folate, vitD and ferritin are good, as is low CRP.

[Booksellercate in reply to Clutter]

Thanks for your comment and apologies for poor upload quality-not sure if the new added image is better. I'll add figures when I'm on my computer.

I have suffered with terrible gastric issues since last September and have really struggled to eat since then. I wonder if this could have affected my thyroid function? My B12 et al levels are down to consistent supplementing, which isn't ideal but it does seem to be working.

Thanks for the comment on selenium-I believe I have some.

[Anthea55 in reply to Booksellercate]

For gastric issues - you may have low stomach acid which many of us have. This link is useful

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Hypochl...

I can't understand why most doctors only seem to know about high stomach acid, not low. The symptoms are very similar, but the treatment is different.

[Booksellercate in reply to Anthea55]

Hey, thanks for commenting. I've tried supplementing with hcl betaine and digestive enzymes, sadly to no avail. I am also eating very little to require digestion as my appetite is extremely poor and I'm often nauseous. I do wonder about low stomach acid but I think I possibly have multiple issues occurring.

[Booksellercate in reply to Clutter]

I should have added that I have significantly elevated Cortisol levels-I wonder too how this plays into my thyroid health overall.

[Clutter in reply to Booksellercate]

Booksellercate,

I can't see any improvement in the image. Medichecks are a PITA with their feint type

High cortisol can make you feel very unwell. I don't know much about it so write a new post and ask for advice on treating high cortisol and include your most recent results.

[Anthea55 in reply to Clutter]

Technical tip - on a Windows PC you can enlarge a page by using Ctrl and + (that means hold down Ctrl while you press +). You can do this several times, but it does get a bit blurred.

To return to original size press Ctrl and 0, which is numeric 0 not the letter O.

Hope that's helpful. Maybe you knew already.

[Clutter in reply to Anthea55]

Anthea55,

Thanks, I do know that. I think the feintness was more of a problem and that just became fuzzier when I sized up.

[humanbean]

You may find this post from another forum of interest. It describes why people have thyroid symptoms when their blood tests are apparently normal :

forums.phoenixrising.me/ind...

[Booksellercate in reply to humanbean]

Thanks for the link-lots of info there! I'm not sure my thyroid is the issue-I'm trying to be careful to not get fixated on one thing as my symptoms are quite general and my TSH was much lower a year ago, even after my symptoms started. I'm wondering if a year of poor eating (gastric issues) and stress are jeopardising my thyroid.

[humanbean in reply to Booksellercate]

High cortisol will make you feel unwell.

[Booksellercate in reply to humanbean]

I assume so too. I'm taking holy basil and trying to not stress too much.