For many years my sister has suffered from weight gain,and not being able to lose no matter how hard she tries.Fatigue, dry skin , cold, heaviness in limbs, thinning hair. Tested for thyroid many times and always normal. Our doctor does'nt do T3 so I got her to get tested in medichecks . Medicheck said there is no thyroid problems and her vitamin levels are all good. can anyone advise. She would love to lose some weight. She is on intermittent fasting at the moment,and still not losing. Any advice.
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fornessa
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Please find our comments below regarding your test results.
Thyroid Check Ultra08 Sep 2017
We note that you are taking this test to investigate a family history of hypothyroidism. I understand that you have fatigue, weight gain, thinning hair, dry skin, weak muscles and low mood.
We are pleased to report that all your results for your thyroid profile are within the normal ranges. Your thyroid hormones are normal as are your thyroid antibodies revealing no evidence of autoimmune thyroid disease. The normal antibody result is particularly reassuring given your family history.
Your levels of vitamin B12 and folate are normal.
Your CRP level is elevated, this is often caused by recent infection, injury or inflammation. If you are experiencing any symptoms such as unexplained fever, pain or inflammation then you should discuss this further with your GP.
The type of CRP test that you have had is one which can also indicate future risk of cardiovascular disease. I recommend repeating this test in 6-8 weeks to see whether it remains elevated. If it does then I recommend that you take a more aggressive approach to managing other cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diet, smoking and exercise levels.
Your ferritin level is normal indicating healthy iron stores.
There are a range of other problems that can mimic an underactive thyroid. An Essential Blood Ultravit test covers the majority of these.
Dr Sam Rodgers
MBBS MRCGP
Based on your Thyroid Check Ultra results we recommend that you have the following test:
Thanks for responding so quickly. My sister is on night shift duty and I don't see the vitamin results she sent me on my I-pad Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post them on. Many thanks.
fornessa So despite what the doctor's comments were, they appear to follow what all doctors say ie if it's in range then it's normal. However, there are problems here.
VitB12. 255 range pool/L 140.00-724.00
Folate. 15.14. Ug/L. 2.91-50.00
Folate should be at least half way through it's range (27+ with that range) and she should check for signs of B12 deficiency b12deficiency.info/signs-an... If there are any you should post on the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum for further advice. If not then B12 needs increasing.
I have read (but not researched so don't have links) that BCSH, UKNEQAS and NICE guidelines recommend:
"In the presence of discordance between test results and strong clinical features of deficiency, treatment should not be delayed to avoid neurological impairment."
And an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:
"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".
"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."
That's good enough for me and I keep mine around 1000. Sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges are what's needed to supplement B12 yourself along with a good B Complex to balance all the B vitamins and increase folate level.
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Ferritin. 92.8. Ug/L. 13.00-150.00
That's fine. A minimum of 70 is needed for thyroid hormone to work (our own or replacement), and I've seen it said that for females 100-130 is best.
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CRP- High sensitivity 13.7. Mg/L . 0.00-5.00.
This is an inflammation marker and an explanation given in the comments.
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Vitamin D in previous tests was above range.
Above which range?
The recommended level, according to the Vit D Council, is 100-150nmol/L. If she is lower than that she should probably supplement.
Should she go to the Doctor and ask for trial of thyroxine or go purchase T3 online, or is her results as good as it gets and is not Hypo and her symptoms is something else other than thyroid.Thanks
She won't get a trial of thyroxine with those levels. And vitamins and minerals all have to be optimal for thyroid hormone to work and before even considering T3, and low levels bring their own problems which could be the cause of some of her symptoms.
So the first thing to do is sort out the B12 - does she have any signs of deficiency or not? If so then go to the PA forum for their advice, if not then get the level right up to 900-1000.
And what about Vit D? You haven't said what the level is.
Also, one negative antibody test doesn't rule out Hashi's. With the family history, it would be worth repeating at some point.
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