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 😊
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aimeemax78
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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).
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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 .
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.
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 😓.
🤔 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 😂
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
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 .
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.
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
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