These are my recent bloods from medichecks. I'm seeing Endo on Monday and wondering if he will agree I'm not converting and need T3 or if he will agree with my GP who says my symptoms are CFS. I had a hemithyroidectomy in 2006 and completion in Feb this year. I've been on 175mg of levo for most of the last 10 years. Since May I've become increasingly hypo symptomatic.
I'm having a crises of confidence that he is going to agree with gp and that this is as good as it's going to get.
By the way, 2 weeks later the NHS tft showed TSH as 0.67. The lab didn't even bother the test T4 (even though the form was marked up to test). I've never had T3 tested on NHS.
Songbird1960,
FT3 is rarely tested in primary care. Your endo should be able to request FT3 but if your TSH isn't suppressed <0.1 the lab may decline to analyse it.
Songbird,
I don't know whether you will be vindicated but I agree that you are a poor converter to have high FT4 with low FT3. My endo thought FT3 below range was fine so who knows what yours will think.
If your endo can't or won't agree to prescribe T3 I would certainly advocate buying your own T3 and reducing Levothyroxine dose by 25mcg to drop FT4 into range and add 12.5mcg T3. Hopefully reducing Levothyroxine dose will reduce rT3.
Thyroid peroxidase antibodies are positive for autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's). Hashimoto's often burns out when there is no target thyroid gland but it can take months for this to happen and if a lot of thyroid remnant is left in the bed that may be sufficient for continued Hashi's.
Songbird1960 Were both your Medichecks and NHS tests done at the same time of day and with an overnight fast? If they were done at different times and you'd eaten that could account for the difference in TSH.
However, according to your Medichecks results, your conversion is very poor with your FT4:FT3 ratio at 6.75 : 1 (good conversion takes place when ratio is 4:1 or less). Your over range FT4 and very low FT3 show that. Your high rT3 also shows that you are making rT3 rather than FT3 and this often happens when FT4 is high with a mediocre/low FT3.
Also, your high antibodies (TPO over range) confirm that you have autoimmune thyroiditis aka Hashimoto's disease which is where antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it.
The antibody attacks cause fluctuations in symptoms and test results. Most doctors attach little or no importance to this but you can actually help yourself.
You can help reduce the antibodies by adopting a strict gluten free diet which has helped many members here. Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks. You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...
stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...
hypothyroidmom.com/hashimot...
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...
Gluten/thyroid connection: chriskresser.com/the-gluten...
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I don't know who Dr Gallen is or whether he is pro-T3
Yes ... both taken at the same time of day, early morning with an overnight fast.
Then it's likely that it's the antibody activity that has caused the difference in TSH.
Even with no thyroid you probably need to be gluten free to lower antibodies
See The Thyroid Pharmacist website for masses of info on Hashimotos
Also Amy Myers and Scdlifestyle.com
Very likely to have low vitamin levels- have you had recent tests of vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Essential these are at good levels before adding T3 or NDT
Selenium, Magnesium, zinc and vitamin c supplements may be needed too
Thanks SlowDragon. I had all those tested at the same time and they were at the low end of normal so I have been supplementing.
Latest results. Very upset :(
I got T3! I got T3! I got T3! I got T3!.... ... OK, calm down, and ... breathe! :-)
TSH 0.02. I feel good. Should I be bovvered?
GP will only test TSH
