Test results

[mackers63]

Please can somebody interpret my test results for me.

TSH 1.21 Range 0.27-4.20

Free thyroxine 10.2. Range 12-22

Total thyroxine 64.4 Range 59-154

Free T3 3.59 Range 3.10- 6.80

Reverse T3 14 Range 10-24

Reverse T3 ratio 16.69 Range 15 -75

Thyroglobin antibody 10 Range 0.00 -115.00

Thyroid peroxidase antibody 9 Range 0.00 -34.00

Vitamin B12 115.2 Range 25.10- 165

Folate (serum) 2.27 Range 2.91-50

Vitamin D 125. Range 50-200

CRP high sensitivity 17.6 Range 0.00-5.00

Ferritin 92.7 Range 13-150.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.Thanks.

[Nanaedake]

Your TSH, FT3 and FT4 are all low which are odd results. I would expect FT3 and FT4 to be higher in range wita low Tsh but you don't say whether you are on thyroid meds or not. Your antibodies level is not raised.

[mackers63 in reply to Nanaedake]

Hi, I am on 3 grains of Nature Throid daily.I supplement with Vit D, Vit B12, Iron,Cod liver oil and Magnesium.I also have fibromyalgia but I do not take any medication for this.Thanks

[startagaingirl]

Hi - As other poster has said, we need to know a bit more before we can properly comment on your thyroid.

But other things - raised CRP shows inflammation somewhere in the body and you need to work with your GP to investigate this. You are also folate deficient and your GP should prescribe folic acid. Vit d, vit b12 and ferritin all reasonable.

But something is going on with your thyroid. If you aren't on thyroid meds then would suspect secondary or central rather than primary hypo. Even if you are on meds they are odd. So do please tell us more.

Gillian

[mackers63 in reply to startagaingirl]

Hi, I am on 3 grains of Nature Throid daily.Sorry for my ignorance but I don't quite understand when you say secondary or central rather than primary hypo. Please can you explain more.Thanks

[startagaingirl in reply to mackers63]

Hi - central and secondary mean a fault with the system that tells the thyroid how much to produce, rather than a failure within the thyroid itself. But saying you are on NDT makes sense of low ft4 relative to ft3. The relatively low tsh might just suggest that your natural ft3 requirement is a bit lower than most.

To be on that high a dose with those sort of figures would appear to suggest an absorption problem, ie the hormone is not getting in to your system. How are you taking the NDT - on an empty stomach, at least 1 hr before food, tea and coffee? Swallowed with a full glass of water? At least 2 hrs away from any other tablets, 4 hrs from iron? Are you taking any antacid medicines? Do you have any gut/digestion problems?

Gillian

[mackers63 in reply to startagaingirl]

Hi, yes I take the NDT on an empty stomach first thing in a morning with a glass of water and away from other tablets.I don't take any antacid medication but I do take milk thistle. I have had candida in the past so I think that is something I am prone to. I take probiotics for this.I do think there may be an absorption problem because at one stage I had increased my dosage to 4 grains a day but the results hadn't changed.Thanks for your help, I am really confused with it all. Although I feel so much better on NDT than I did on levothyroxine I still feel that things are not right. I have a weight problem and no matter what I do I don't seem to be able to lose weight.

[Nanaedake in reply to mackers63]

You could try a low carb high (good) fats diet as described by diabetes.co.uk, you don't need to have diabetes to feel the benefits. It's healthy and you'll feel better. Whether you lose weight or not would probably depend on portion size but it's a good healthy way to eat long term.

diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-car...

[mackers63 in reply to Nanaedake]

I have been on a low carb high fats diet but at the moment I just have a constant craving for chocolate so it has gone by the wayside but I need to get my act together again and get into it.Thanks for your help

[startagaingirl in reply to mackers63]

Do you suspect that you may have some food intolerances? Have you done at least a 3 month trial of a strict gluten free diet? Many of us find that helpful. For instance I identified quite severe intolerances of gluten, dairy and soy this way, though in my case it took 6 months exclusion before symptoms showed on accidental exposure.

Also some people find that they need to change the probiotics occasionally to balance out the different strains. It may be that you need to do a bit more to properly overcome possible gut issues. Your lack of absorption does suggest some issues there. There are some very good articles on this through the likes of Isabella Wentz (The Thyroid Pharmacist), Chris Kresser, scdlifestyle, Dr Josh Axe and others - sorry I don't have links but if you search in the box at top right of this page on one of these, you should find links along with other sources. Another search term would be "leaky gut".

As for weight, you won't be able to lose it until you get your ft3 up to an optimum level and yours has a way to go yet. That inflammation could also be important for this, when the body is inflamed, it holds on to weight. Inflammation also retards the t4 to t3 conversion process so that would be a good place to start.

Good luck

Gillian

[mackers63 in reply to startagaingirl]

Gillian, I have been gluten free for quite a while now(can't remember exactly how long). I will look at all the things you have suggested. You have been really helpful. It is such a minefield to try and understand everything.Thanks for your help.

[Nanaedake in reply to mackers63]

I agree with startagaingirl that you need to work with your GP to find the cause of inflamation, although it's quite low, it might be interrupting thyroid function. Would be worth looking into.

[mackers63 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thanks very much for your help.I will look into ways of reducing the inflammation.