Hi I probably sound like a hypochondriac but I am 18 years old and have symptoms of swollen thyroid, hard stool, feeling cold, dry skin, heavy periods, full cheeks. Family history is the following:
Mother - 2 autoimmune diseases and hypothyroidism
Grandmother - 1 autoimmune disease
Uncle - 2 autoimmune diseases
Is it possible I have thyroid issues?
Thanks
It would be very sensible to get some bloods done have your thyroid checked out. Ask GP to run some blood tests. Make a list of symptoms and take it to the appointment.
For thyroid ask for TSH, FT4, FT3 and thyroid antibodies TPO and TgAb. Ask GP to also check ferritin and iron levels due to the heavy periods. If you have any bone or joint pain then ask GP to check vitamin D.
Check out the list of symptoms for low B12, if you have any of these symptoms then get B12 and folate checked too.
B12 symptoms of deficiency
b12deficiency.info/signs-an...
Thankyou I had thyroid checked about a week ago and my doctor wants to speak to me about them. I have had abnormal readings for about 6 years but nothing said
When you visit the doctor, ask for a print out of all your blood test results for thyroid, including antibodies and ask for the laboratory ranges to be included.
If in England, you can register online to view your blood test results, ask your GP reception to give you a password and login information for enhanced access to blood test results.
Always keep a record of all your results and any medication you take, including the name of the brand etc. That way, you can stay informed and discuss with GP.
If you get blood test results you can post them on this forum for people to help you understand and interpret them. Remember to include the lab ranges every time.
NOV 2011
TSH 5.6 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 15.7 (12 - 22)
JAN 2012
TSH 2.2 (0.2 - 4.2)
JAN 2013
TSH 0.89 (0.2 - 4.2)
TPO ANTIBODY 89 (<34)
JUN 2013
TSH 35 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 10.2 (12 - 22)
AUG 2013
TSH 4.4 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 15.3 (12 - 22)
NOV 2013
TSH 4.8 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 15.5 (12 - 22)
JAN 2014
TSH 2.9 (0.2 - 4.2)
MAY 2014
TSH 5.01 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 13.3 (12 - 22)
NOV 2014
TSH 7.1 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 12.9 (12 - 22)
JAN 2016
TSH 8.2 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 10.5 (12 - 22)
MAR 2016
TSH 9.01 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 13.1 (12 - 22)
MAY 2017
TSH 6.2 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 13.8 (12 - 22)
TPO ANTIBODY 89 (<34)
JUN 2013
TSH 35 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 10.2 (12 - 22)
The above results show you needed to start taking levothyroxine. Even though your TSH reduced subsequently, it has stayed above range most of the time. IN addition, your FT4 is very low all the way through and often below range. If you do not have sufficient FT4 your body cannot convert it to enough T3 and you will be thyroid deficient and have symptoms.
You have elevated TPO antibodies showing that you've got autoimmune thyroid disease otherwise known as Hashimotos thyroiditis. This confirms you need to start taking levothyroxine.
Most people feel better when they are optimally dosed on levothyrxoine and their TSH reaches 1 or a little lower. As you've been hypothyroid for a while and have antibodies it's likely your vitamin levels are low so make sure you ask your GP to check them out too.
Your GP should start you on 50mcg of levo unless you are very young, infirm, very old or have a heart condition. You should retest in 6 weeks time and adjust dose and so on until you are optimally dosed.
If you have vitamin deficiencies, you won't be symptom free until you adress them. Having thyroid disease and low vitamin levvels makes us feel very unwell. All your vitamins need to be mid-range and B12 needs to be at the top of the range for thyroid hormone to work well.
GP's will often ssay we are fine when anywhere in NHS range but bumping along the bottom won't make us feel well. When you get vitamiin results then post them here.
Thankyou I had below range ferritin in 2012 and that was 27 (30 - 400) I was hoping the GP would have offered me treatment for it. I have other vitamin/mineral levels and they are
DEC 2017
FERRITIN 24 (30 - 400)
FOLATE 2.2 (2.5 - 19.5) retaken folic acid since PA tests showed nothing
VITAMIN B12 207 (190 - 900)
VITAMIN D 25 OH TOTAL 30.6
(<25 SEVERE
25 - 50 DEFICIENT
50 - 75 SUBOPTIMAL
>75 ADEQUATE) taking 800iu cholecalciferol
Klairey,
Your ferritin is indeed low. You might find some interest in my iron document:
dropbox.com/s/g8y4e7alm5ow0...
Get over to the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum here:
They will provide the best advice for B12 and folate. And why a PA test can be negative (I assume Intrinsic Factor antibodies).
Many here will point out that taking 800IU of vitamin D is hopelessly inadequate when your level is so low.
No wonder you feel rubbish. You are NOT hypochondriac.
800iu of vitamin D won't help a deficient mouse. You are only .6 away from 30nmol and NICE guidelines recommend loading doses of vitamin D at any level lower than 30nmol. You need to ask your GP for the correct treatment. Are you in the UK? If so there are guidelines your GP should follow and I would ask for loading doses of vitamin D and then an adequate maintenance dose. You need to aim for a level around 100nmol or mid laboratory range.
cks.nice.org.uk/vitamin-d-d...
You need to take magnesium and K2-MK7 with vitamin D3 in order to absorb the vitamin D effectively. Magnesium citrate is ok but there are other choices for magnesium.
naturalnews.com/046401_magn...
All your vitamin levels are dire. You may not have pernicious anaemia but you may have B12 deficiency nonetheless. Have you got symptoms of B12 deficiency because if so, I advise you to post your B12 and folate results along with an outline of your thyroid condition and symptoms, low ferritin etc on the HealthUnlocked Pernicious Anaemia forum healthunlocked.com/pasoc and ask their advice.
If these were my results, I would supplement sublingual methylcobalamin until my B12 was over 500 and near the top of the lab range. When supplementing B12, also take a good B complex such as Thorne Basic B which will keep all the B's in balance. Methylfolate is the most absorbable form of folic acid and may raise your levels more effectively so look for a B complex that has all the B's in their methylated forms.
For some reason people with thyroid conditions seem to have difficulty utilising the B vitamins so taking the most absorbable forms may help. The test for pernicious anaemia is not conclusive and a negative result may still mean you are deficient so check out symptoms too.
B12 symptoms of deficiency
b12deficiency.info/signs-an...
B12 The Guidelines Doctors follow
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...
Ferritin is absolutely dire. You need ferritin to be at least 70 or mid-range for your own thyroid to function properly. Have you had a full iron panel because if not, your GP needs to do one.
Iron deficiency anaemia NICE guidelines
cks.nice.org.uk/anaemia-iro...
The importance of vitamins and thyroid function
americannutritionassociatio...
Thankyou the only test I had done for PA was intrinsic factor so I presumed I am negative for it? I have symptoms of B12 deficiency. Iron panel was not done, complete blood count was and showed MCV 78.5 (80 - 98) MCHC 377 (310 - 350 Haemoglobin estimation 112 (115 - 150)
Being negative for intrinsic factor does not exclude pernicious anaemia. Please post on Healthunlocked Pernicious anaemia forum for the best advice as I'm no expert.
This is an extract from the guidelines doctors follow.
"In the presence of discordance between the test result and strong clinical features of deficiency, treatment should not be delayed to avoid neurological impairment."
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...
Iron results confirm iron deficiency. Has GP prescribed ferrous funerate? If not, contact your GP and ask to be treated according to NICE guidelines for iron deficiency anaemia.
Klairey,
Please go to the PAS forum - they will explain in detail what you need to do, all about false negatives for IFab - and explain why.
Severe B12 deficiency - whatever its cause - needs to be treated properly - and promptly. The PAS people are best placed to provide the information you need and support you.
Did you have an RDW number?
Thankyou I will do this now. Never had RDW number taken
Red blood cell Distribution Width.
B12 deficiency often results in large red blood cells.
Iron deficiency results in small red blood cells.
If you have both B12 and iron deficiencies the Mean Cell Volume can be somewhere in the middle. That is because some are large and others small! RDW will often reveal that because it indicates the range of red blood cell sizes. High RDW can be important.
In your case, the MCV is low and you know your B12 is very low - but would be interesting to see if RDW is high.
You may want to check your intrinsic factor result with your surgery as it may well be positive. Your doctor has ignored so many pointers of autoimmune hypothyroidism over the last few years, he may well have ignored a positive pointer of pernicious anaemia too.
Thankyou intrinsic factor was positive but is now negative
Thankyou I have had many abnormal thyroid tests
NOV 2011
TSH 5.6 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 15.7 (12 - 22)
JAN 2012
TSH 2.2 (0.2 - 4.2)
JAN 2013
TSH 0.89 (0.2 - 4.2)
TPO ANTIBODY 89 (<34)
JUN 2013
TSH 35 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 10.2 (12 - 22)
AUG 2013
TSH 4.4 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 15.3 (12 - 22)
NOV 2013
TSH 4.8 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 15.5 (12 - 22)
JAN 2014
TSH 2.9 (0.2 - 4.2)
MAY 2014
TSH 5.01 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 13.3 (12 - 22)
NOV 2014
TSH 7.1 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 12.9 (12 - 22)
JAN 2016
TSH 8.2 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 10.5 (12 - 22)
MAR 2016
TSH 9.01 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 13.1 (12 - 22)
MAY 2017
TSH 6.2 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 13.8 (12 - 22)
Hi no one can diagnose you on here I'm afraid as there are no doctors here just fellow sufferers.
That may be strictly accurate according to the forum rules, but patients can learn how to interpret blood test results for thyroid and nutrients.
I'm also sure some of the people on this forum must be medical doctors but they would have to be insane to mention it - they would be at risk of being booted off the medical register if they diagnosed an unseen and unknown patient online.
One thing we do do on this forum is make suggestions about what we think might be wrong and what people should expect from their doctors to get to the bottom of their health problems. As long as people understand they are interacting with amateurs then I see nothing wrong with expressing an opinion that someone might be hypothyroid or have thyroid antibodies or low nutrients or whatever.
I agree with you but the poster seemed to be asking for a diagnosis which I know no one can provide online.
I have been on HU quite a long time on different sites so I felt confident saying that. I agree we can give our opinions though.
As a newbie on this site however I do not want to make any waves so will delete my other replies. I do not wish to start off on the wrong foot with anyone here. x
Please don't delete your replies. I wasn't having a go at you. 
No worries, I can get a bit over sensitive sometimes 
x
I just want to know what my results show not ask for diagnosis
What no one has mentioned here is when you go to your doctor and request things say you got help from Thyroid UK, a charity for those with thyroid conditions, recommended by NHS Choices.
DO NOT say you read it or looked it up on the internet otherwise would ever you suggest will be ignored especially as you are a young adult. GPs regard reading things of the internet as a sign of a crackpot patient so they ignore them.
The PAS society is also a well recognised charity for those with vitamin B12 issues. So if they recommend anything simply mentioned that particular charity helped you as well.
Hi Klairey
It sounds like a great idea to take stock and make some positive changes. A whole family with these issues could mean you are more likely to have them, but maybe not an automatic thing that cannot be helped. What if you all lacked the nutrients to keep the thyroid healthy.
I would start taking some powerful effective nutrition and cut down on toxins you may be using on your body or ingesting. Start giving your body the best chance to repair itself while the problem is not too entrenched. All drugs have side effects which can develop into their own problems for you. I use products I get at zest.sisel.net. They have really helped me- or rather given my body the nutrients my body needs for repairing itself.
If you are not ready for those then look first into your diet and adding basic things, while cutting out less good things.it does take some commitment to positive changes, but very worth it when you start feeling better!
You mention constipation, I wonder about your diet ? Anyway to
deal with constipation for once and for all.
I was undergoing tests to measure my heartbeat. I had irregular heart beat.
The doctor suggested a 24 hour test but it didn't show anything, Then I came across Dr Carolyn Deans book, The Magnesium Miracle.
She recommended magnesium chloride spray on. This is available from Holland and Barrett 31% solution. £12
within two days the arrythmia was gone but more amazing I found
my constipation ended...the effect of taking the magnesium was
soft stools. No more straining. And everyday regular as clockwork.
Not alone that but in weeks no more piles.. truly amazing .You can imagine I was delighted.
So whatever else you do get the magnesium chloride spray on and
start a new life..
You might be wondering why spray on and where. Spray on because it bypasses the digestive track where the magnesium may be lost in digestion and that would mean low uptake.
Putting it on the skin the magnesium is absorbed directly through the
skin into the blood stream which means you get more of it
I used to spray it on but found it was quicker and easier unscrewing the cap and rubbing it in. Every day. Once a day. You may need more
you can judge by results.
There are many forms of magnesium, some are useless others work. The spray on, is available from Holland and Barrett,or other health shops or internet. around £12 when I bought it, lasts for months. Make sure its 31% magnesium chloride spray.There are others but they have much less magnesium in, like 5%, no use.
Magnesium is an essential mineral for 100s of bodily processes. So you could notice many changes for the better.
It is not toxic for most people but some people (rare) would need to be careful.
Most people are short of magnesium and doctors tests are useless
in identifying a deficiency. Why ? Because the blood test only measures whats in the blood, about 1% !! What about the 99% stored
in organs, tissues,muscles ? This means the doctor thinks magnesium status is good when he reads the blood values. Of course he is wrong.
the heart for example uses 20 times the amount in the blood?
His test doesn't include that!!!
there is a new whole body test developed by researchers at NYU but few if any doctors know about it let alone prescribe it.
Anyway here's to better health..
Good luck.
But are you getting sufficient magnesium of the right type?
How do you know your diet is good?
Under active thyroid due to autoimmune - a question please
How much can other allergies and intolerances etc have on hashimotos?
Thyroid issue? Not diagnosed
Can't get diagnosed - thyroid?
apparently i dont have thyroid issues
