Help me please

[aimeemax78]

Hi I’m all new to this so please bear with me 😊 for months I haven’t been feeling right my weight keeps rising and it’s very hard to shift .

My mum and Nan both have / had thyroid issues so I have been asking for months probably years actually to have my thyroid tested and all tests come back normal . My doctor has now said my t4 levels are low but not concerning I’ve got the results print out does any one no what I’m looking for please it have t4 on it and tsh levels ( plus a load of other tests they checked for )

Thank you 😊

[startagaingirl]

Hi - you are looking for all you have from tsh, ft4, ft3, thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin anti-bodies, vit d, vit b12, folate and ferritin. When you add them make sure you include the ranges, for instance tsh 3.5 (0.4-4.2).

[aimeemax78 in reply to startagaingirl]

Hi thanks for replying to me I don’t think they have tested my t3 I’ll post what I have .. thank you

Serum tsh level 1.20 (0.35-5.5 )

Serum free t4 level 11.2 ( 12.0 -22.0 )

Vitamin b12 204. ( 180.0-914.0 )

B12 folate says haemantic assays

Folate level 3.4 (3.0-20.0) I hope I’ve done that right x

[aimeemax78 in reply to aimeemax78]

Oh and ferritin level 260 (11.0 -307.0)

[Nanaedake in reply to aimeemax78]

B12 and Folate look low. What did your GP say about them?

[aimeemax78 in reply to Nanaedake]

That every I’ve been tested for as come back normal.

[Nanaedake in reply to aimeemax78]

Also, have had thyroid antibodies tested?

[aimeemax78 in reply to Nanaedake]

Sorry I’ve replied to you somewhere else and not sure if you would see I replied 🤦🏼‍♀️ I don’t think they have tested my antibodies .

[Nanaedake in reply to aimeemax78]

Well they are in NHS range but they are very low. You could go to the Healthunlocked Pernicious Anaemia website and find out more about B vitamin deficiencies.

[greygoose in reply to Nanaedake]

FT4 is below range!

[Hillwoman in reply to aimeemax78]

Your B12 should have a result and reference range next to it?

A 'haematinic assay' just refers to one of the tests which cover the body's production of red blood cells. B12, folate and ferritin are included in this type of test.

Your ferritin is quite high, though not out of range. It might well be okay, but have you been taking iron supplements? It can also indicate infection or inflammation.

Both TSH and FT4 are low. Normally, we want to see TSH around this level, but clearly you're not producing enough T4. Perhaps your personal optimum TSH needs to be lower for sufficient TH production, but there might be a developing pituitary problem, which can suppress production of both TSH and FT4.

[Hillwoman in reply to Hillwoman]

Just seen your B12 result - it's much too low, as is folate.

[aimeemax78 in reply to Hillwoman]

Is this right then serum folate level it’s in the same row as the b12 tests

3.4 (3.0-20.0 ) ? Thank you this is so confusing to me , I’m not talking iron supplements i take tegretol daily for trigeminal neuralgia ( that may be the inflammation) and I have a depo shot every 3 months and apart from that I take nothing else 😊 .

The doctor just wasn’t helpful I’ve been loosing my hair like in vast amounts as well I’m exhausted my arms tingle with pins and needles , I’m getting really low about it all and not leaving my house , where I used to be down the gym every morning xx

[Hillwoman in reply to aimeemax78]

See Greygoose's reply below about central hypothyroidism, which I didn't quite spell out, though I meant to. As she says, you need to see an endocrinologist, because your GP doesn't appear to have a clue.

Your low B12 and folate need to be addressed too. Low levels of just these nutrients can cause severe illness, but the reasons why they are low vary from person to person. y

You could head over to the Pernicious Anaemia Society's forum here on HU, as they have some very useful information about B12 and folate in the list of 'pinned posts' on the right hand side of the main page. If you're viewing on a phone, the pinned posts may appear at the bottom of that page.

[aimeemax78 in reply to Hillwoman]

Thank you it doesn’t help I’m completely at a loss with all this medical stuff 🙄 I’m normally somebody that just plods along and get on with things but this is bloody horrendous I’m just exhausted.

I will definitely have a look on there

Your advice well everybody’s on here has been amazing 😊 so thanks again

[aimeemax78]

Thank you for your replies , I’m not sure that they have tested them as it’s not on this print out I got , thank you for the suggestion above as well .

[greygoose]

Given that your TSH is low, but your FT4 is below range - which is concerning, no matter what the idiot says - the next thing you should do is get your FT3 tested privately - not much chance of getting it done on the NHS! If that is also bottom range/below range, then start reading up about Central Hypothyroidism, where the problem lies with the pituitary or the hypothalamus, rather than the thyroid. It's doubtful your doctor will ever have heard of it, so you need to know what you're talking about, before you bring it up with him. You need to see an endo, if you have Central Hypo, because it will affect other hormones, too.

[aimeemax78 in reply to greygoose]

Hi thank you for you reply I have been considering to get a private test done so I think all this confirms it . I’ve had a hormone test as well , he said I’ve literally been now tested for everything and today I’ve had another blood test for celiac disease . I’m sitting here exhausted after just walking to town .: this is not me I used to love walking and exercise 😓.

[greygoose in reply to aimeemax78]

TSH, FT4 and FT3 are hormones. So, what other hormones have you just had tested?

The blood test for Coeliac is notoriously unreliable, lots of false negatives and false positives. So, don't rely too much on that.

[aimeemax78 in reply to greygoose]

Oh are they ha ha see told you I haven’t got a clue 😂

Fsh & Lh

Follicle stimulating hormone and it doesn’t say what LH is

Oh I no I definitely have a wheat intolerance and it’s never shown up I think he was like we may as well try this 🙄 .

[greygoose in reply to aimeemax78]

I don't know that one, either.

[aimeemax78 in reply to greygoose]

🤔 wonder what It is the nurse booked them after I asked about alopecia as my hair is falling out it clumps and I did have circle patches of loss but my hair is growing back in places now .. I need a new body 😂

[greygoose in reply to aimeemax78]

Well, if you find where they sell them, get one for me, will you?

[aimeemax78 in reply to greygoose]

Of course 😂

[Clairewalker751 in reply to aimeemax78]

Luietinising hormone (probably spelt incorrectly) they run the FISH and LH to rule out menopause but they fluctuate so not reliable either

[aimeemax78 in reply to Clairewalker751]

Oh thank you yes that would make sense it said something about pre menopause and other cycle things 😊

[atwitssend in reply to aimeemax78]

I’m so glad you tested for celiac. I was so exhausted and with migraines bloating and other problems for years and only 6 yrs ago found out that I had it

[aimeemax78 in reply to atwitssend]

Hi I think I have more of a wheat intolerance and I tend to keep away from it , but this week I’ve had to eat it .. I’m definitely bloated definitely all puffed up ( my hands and face always go puffy ) so will see what the blood test says ha ha not that I think I trust them now after posting on here . Hope your feeling better with it being diagnosed .

[humanbean]

You could get TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 tested for £39 with a finger-prick test :

medichecks.com/thyroid-func...

medichecks.com/how-it-works

Do the test early in the week so that your sample reaches the lab as quickly as possible. You don't want it sitting in a post box or in a sorting office somewhere or arriving at the weekend when nobody is working.

Do the test as early in the day as possible - around 7am - 9am. Definitely no later than 9am. Fast overnight before the test, apart from water which can and should be drunk freely, and delay breakfast and tea/coffee until after you've done the blood sample.

[aimeemax78 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for this I think these are the people I had a look at 😊 and thanks you for additional info .

[aimeemax78]

I’ve just realised I didn’t put on the t4 result it says below low reference limit is this patient on thyroid medication?

? Non thyroidal illness suggest repeat in 3 months ... what is non thyroidal illness in simple terms please I’ve googled it and it’s not pretty 😱 thanks