Results back and would be grateful for help with interpretation

[WinnieH]

I posted my first message a couple of weeks ago and sent for my full Thyroid test. After a long wait my results have come back. Still feeling very unwell and now I have seen my TSH result I know why! Not sure about the others though and need some help with those.

TSH. 26.19. Range mIU/L 0.27 - 4.2

Free T4. 10.9. Range pmol/L 12.0 - 22.0

Free T3. 3.0. Range pmol/L 3.1 -6.

Anti-Tg. <10 IU/mL 0 - 115

Anti-TPO 22.2 IU/mL 0 - 34

Vitamin D. 71. Range mol/L . 50 - 100

Ferritin 74 Range ug/L 13 - 150

C Reactive protein <0.6 Range mg/L <5.0

Vitamin B12 > 2000 Range Pg/ml 197 - 771

Folate > 20.0 Range ug/L >2.9

I do supplement with both MethylB12 and Folate as I have CFS.

I would be grateful for any advice regarding these results. Also I'm considering changing to NDT and was wondering if this can be done straight away or should I get my TSH down with T4 first?

If I begin NDT can I just stop one and start the other? or do it gradually?

I'm going to take these results to my dr. but don't expect a lot of help except to raise the Levothyroxine!

[humanbean]

TSH. 26.19. Range mIU/L 0.27 - 4.2

Free T4. 10.9. Range pmol/L 12.0 - 22.0

Free T3. 3.0. Range pmol/L 3.1 -6.

Over the range TSH, under the range Free T4 and Free T3. You are hypothyroid. I note from your earlier post that you know this already. Your levels are obviously fluctuating a lot, but at the moment you need more of the levothyroxine I am guessing you are treated with.

Anti-Tg. <10 IU/mL 0 - 115

Anti-TPO 22.2 IU/mL 0 - 34

Your current tests for thyroid antibodies have come back negative. But a negative result is not conclusive. You could do the same tests next week and they might come back over the range.

When your antibody levels are low, your tests are showing that your underlying condition is very hypothyroid. But when your antibody levels start killing off some more of your thyroid cells your condition changes to be apparently hyperthyroid. You mention in your earlier post having a TSH of 0.01 for example, which would be indicative of too much hormone in the blood.

It is important that you understand what Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (also known as autoimmune hypothyroidism) actually does to your thyroid, your hormone levels, and your body.

I wrote the third reply to this post a little while ago - you might find it helpful :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

---

Your best bet for feeling healthy is to try and keep your antibody levels low. To feel well you want to avoid lots of fluctuation in antibody levels because this will help stabilise your thyroid hormones levels and your TSH (which is actually a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone), and then you can be given the appropriate level of Levothyroxine.

---

Your vitamin D puzzles me.

Vitamin D. 71. Range mol/L . 50 - 100

Was any extra information given? The top of the optimal range for vitamin D is usually 200 - 250 nmol/L in the UK. I would have thought 50 - 100 was rather low for an optimal level.

---

All the rest of your results are okay(ish), although personally I prefer my ferritin (iron stores) to be a smidgen higher (about 80 - 100).

[WinnieH in reply to humanbean]

Thankyou Humanbean.

I've read your other post on hashi's but need to read it a number of times to understand and work out what's going on.

As far as vitamin D that's all the info I got from the test. I am supplementing iron as I also think this is too low.

Once I can digest all the hashi's info. I will come back but believe that even with low thyroid caused by that it's the same treatments?

[humanbean in reply to WinnieH]

The best treatment for Hashi's is dietary. It can be trial and error to find out what works. For many of us going gluten-free helps enormously. Taking 200mcg selenium supplements per day can help lower antibodies for some people, and I think zinc is important too.

The whole point of treating Hashi's is to reduce the swings in thyroid function test results that you've been getting. If you can prevent those fluctuations then a) you'll feel much better, and b) your dose of Levothyroxine will stay stable and you won't have a doctor blaming you for a low TSH and suggesting you've been taking too much thyroid hormone.

Of course, treating Hashi's is something your doctor has no interest in, and it has to be something you decide to do for yourself.

Look up Izabella Wentz - she has a website (see link below), a facebook page, has appeared in several Youtube videos, and has written a couple of books. She has put her own Hashi's into remission I believe.

thyroidpharmacist.com/

[WinnieH in reply to humanbean]

Thanks Humanbean.

The Izabella Wentz site looks really interesting and will read as much as I can.

I have been taking 200mcg Selenium for a few years now and 22mg Zinc. I was totally gluten- free when CFS was at its worst but started to increase the wheat again so must get back to being strict with the diet again.

My TSH has always been pretty stable it's just the last couple of years it seems to fluctuate.

[wightmouse]

You need an increase of thyroxine with a Tsh that high no wonder you feel dreadful. Insomnia can be a hypo symptom as well as hyper. I personally have chronic insomnia whatever dose I've been on. At the moment it is dreadful! I too have CFS/fibro.

B12 is over range maybe only need maintenance dose now? B12 for me makes my I insomnia worse?

You have to decide whether you want to try to get your levels optimal with T4 or take the plunge and self medicate with ndt.

If you still on 75mcg T4 you can start ndt at 1grain and slowly increase via the sttm protocol.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/n...

Someone more knowledgeable will comment on this. X

[WinnieH in reply to wightmouse]

Thanks Wightmouse.

As you I get insomnia when my thyroid is 'acting up' but found the Methy B12 oil I started using last November, after 3 weeks was giving me a full nights sleep.

I'm not sure what to do about the NDT at present because my head is so 'foggy' I really need to read up a lot.