Blood test results

[Juju1313]

Can you please advice me if there is a website that can help me understand my full blood test result. I take 50 micro-grams levothyroxine. My uninterested doctor informs me I have low haemoglobin and told me to eat healthier. I asked for a print out of my report and there are exclamation marks which were not discussed. I am very tired, feel like I,am walking through treacle, forget what I am talking about, stopping myself from bursting into tears, feel rubbish and get out of breath quickly. I just want to understand my report what is normal and if I am near the bottom end etc. My report has mol/

L and g/l not % which a lot of the charts on line only give. If anyone can help I will be forever grateful.

[ITYFIALMCTT]

If you post your results (plus their reference ranges) then members can comment and might be able to provide pointers for you.

Reference ranges vary from one lab. to another (equipment, assays etc.) which is why it's difficult to point you to just one place without taking a look.

[Juju1313 in reply to ITYFIALMCTT]

I did not realise the results in the right hand column are the reference ranges so for example thyroid function serum free T4 level 12.7 ref range 12.00-22.00 is okay. Serum total cholesterol level 3.8 ref range 5.0 is not so good. My white blood cells and haemoglobin are below my ref range. There are a few other items with exclamation marks which appear lower in the ref range which my doctor did not discuss with me. My results are a whole page long will people not be fed up if I type all my results or should I post all the ones that appear lower than my ref range. Ps thank you so much for helping me understand I even have a ref range as i had no idea what all the numbers meant

[ITYFIALMCTT in reply to Juju1313]

Post them all - or post a photograph if they will show up clearly. My preference is for text as I can rarely re-size a photograph to read it.

Don't select the ones with shrieks because sometimes members need to look at other numbers to judge them in context (e.g., judging iron anaemia can involve looking at 4-6 different items, not all of which might be out of range).

[fibrolinda in reply to Juju1313]

As ITYFIALMCTT says it would be best to type ALL results you have. In range is not good enough you need optimum, for example your f t4 12.7 (12-22) is not okay, its very low.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

How long since you were diagnosed? Have you always been on 50mcgs?

Be useful if you have had vitamin D, folate, ferritin or B12 tested to also post these, plus ranges. Very common to be too low when we are hypo

[Juju1313]

My doctor is not very open to any suggestions or if I ask for tests. I feel like I am a nuisance and wasting his time. I have been through a very rough patch for the last few years and he puts all my ailments down to that. I was diagnosed June 2016 and i started on 25mcgs and I think it went to 50mcgs after 3 months. I can check if this is important.

[shaws Administrator]

Your 50mcg of levothyroxine is only a starting dose and you should have a blood test every six weeks with an increase of 25mcg until you feel much better and symptoms beginning to be relieved.

Blood tests have to be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24hours between last dose of levo and test and take it afterwards.

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges. Ranges are important and enable members to comment upon them.

Tick off your clinical symptoms on the list below and I would think you have more than a couple

Ask GP to also test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate when you have your next blood test. Deficiencies can also cause us to ave symptoms.

[Juju1313 in reply to shaws]

I was diagnosed June 2016 and i started on 25mcgs and I think it went to 50mcgs after 3 months. I can check exactly when it went to 50 if this is important. I feel Doctors are not very sympathetic to this condition or maybe i am being overly sensitive

[shaws Administrator in reply to Juju1313]

No - it's not important. The most important fact is that you've been on 50mcg for about one year. Now is the time to take things into your own hands the help of members. Most of whom have had to go through unnecessary symptoms.

You are certainly not being oversensitive. Most on this forum have found that doctors know very little. One doctor, now deceased, fought against the guidelines we have now as he was trained in clinical symptoms alone (before blood tests and levothyroxine were brought in). Before that we were diagnosed upon symptoms alone and given Natural Dessicated Thyroid Hormones until we were symptom-free. No blood tests etc. Also this doctor said that our doses these days are so small and can cause other more serious problems and the usual doses of NDT were between 200 and 400mcg.

[Juju1313]

I have posted my blood test results on the home page as I could not add it on this feed. I hope someone on this site can help me as it is so frustrating and I try to keep positive but it is hard when you feel rubbish. I can be talking and forget what I have been talking about for the last 5 minutes