Results: Please can anyone explain the ranges to... - Thyroid UK

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Loulou41 profile image
16 Replies

Please can anyone explain the ranges to me for these tests? Thank you in advance.

TSH 2.23 mIU/L 0.27 - 4.2

FREE THYROXINE 15.1 pmol/L 12.00 - 22.00

TOTAL THYROXINE (T4) 87.4 nmol/L 59.00 - 154.00

FREE T3 4.33 pmol/L 3.10 - 6.80

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY 10.700 IU/mL 0.00 - 115.00

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 11.9 IU/mL 0.00 - 34.00

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Loulou41 profile image
Loulou41
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greygoose profile image
greygoose

I take it you haven't yet had any sort of diagnosis, and you are not on any type of treatment for your thyroid. Right?

Well, what you have here are results of hormone tests :

TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - is a pituitary hormone. When the pituitary senses that there is not enough thyroid hormone in the blood, it increases its production of TSH, to tell the thyroid to make more hormone. A 'normal' TSH is around 1 - from 0.85 to 1.25. Your TSH is a little high, so that tells us that your thyroid is struggling to make enough hormone to satisfy the pituitary, and the pituitary has to keep giving it a nudge. However, you're not quite hypo yet.

FT4 is a thyroid hormone - Free T4. It is a storage hormone that has to be converted to the active hormone, T3. Your FT4 isn't too bad at the moment, because the TSH keeps prodding the thyroid, and the thyroid is just about managing to respond.

FT3, the active thyroid hormone, is just under mid-range, which is good for someone not on thyroid hormone replacement. But, the thing is, your thyroid is struggling, as I said, so there's no knowing how long it will be able to maintain these levels. You need to keep testing at about three monthly intervals, if you can, to see how things are going.

The two antibodies - TPO and Tg - are Hashi's antibodies. If they are over-range it means you have Hashi's, and autoimmune disease that destroys the thyroid.. They are negative at the moment, but levels fluctuate all the time. So, they need to be kept an eye on, too.

At the moment, for a doctor, there's nothing wrong with you! But doctors know very little about thyroid. And they don't know that a struggling thyroid can cause symptoms long before the blood test numbers show a problem. So, you're not likely to get any sort of diagnosis with these results, I'm afraid.

But, another thing you can do is get your nutrients tested. They could possibly be low, at the moment, which will make you feel bad. So, ask your doctor to test vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin. However, do not rely on him to interpret the results, because doctors know nothing about nutrition, either. Post the results on here, and people will advise you about supplementation.

Hope that helps. :)

Loulou41 profile image
Loulou41 in reply to greygoose

Flipping fantastic. Thank you for making that so easy to understand. I have been referred to an Endo because of family history, should I still go or cancel it?

My Vit D is extremely low but no other vit and minerals tested.

I keep having fainting episodes, 3 in the last week. Don’t know what this is related to but I generally feel absolutely shocking. My boss brought me home from work today as couldn’t stand and walk properly and didn’t want me driving, and GP seems to think this acceptable way to live. 🙁 thanks again for your reply

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Loulou41

GPs have no idea how the other half live! They live in little ivory towers with no real concept of what goes on below.

The fainting could be due to low blood sugar, and nothing to do with thyroid. Have you had that tested ever?

If I were you, I would see the endo, and see what he says. Explain about your symptoms - although they don't know much about symptoms, but it's worth a try. And, ask him to test your vit B12, folate and ferritin. It's most important to have those tested.

What are you taking for your low vit D? That is itself will make you feel pretty low.

Loulou41 profile image
Loulou41 in reply to greygoose

They said just take over the counter vit d. No dosage recommendations. Had blood sugar tested that came back ok. 6.2 Mum has heart problems and MS, Dad has U/A Thyroid and Diabetes, sister has Fibromyalgia. I feel terrible, can’t walk up hills at all (hard to avoid in Yorkshire). Have got worse very quickly. Breathing is shocking.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Loulou41

If you give your exact result for vit D, I'm sure SeasideSusie would be happy to advise you on doses and cofactors for vit D.

Has your sister been tested for thyroid? Because doctors often take the easy way out and 'diagnose' fibro when the problem is actually hypothyroidism. Same for your mother. Low thyroid can cause heart problems, so she should get tested for thyroid.

Breathing problems can be caused by low iron or B12, so you really do need to get those tested.

Loulou41 profile image
Loulou41 in reply to greygoose

My Vit D is 32

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Loulou41

That is very low. So, how much vit D3 are you taking?

Loulou41 profile image
Loulou41 in reply to greygoose

Dr said I need 1000 units per day. Been back to the Dr’s and they are saying bloods for Thyroid absolutely fine, will test for other minerals. They are absolutely certain nothing wrong with my Thyroid

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Loulou41

That's not nearly enough. It will take you years to raise your levels on that dose.

They are saying that there is nothing wrong with your thyroid because they don't understand enough to know that a TSH of over 2 is too high. It's pure ignorance on their part. So, you do need to keep an eye on it because things could get worse at some point.

Loulou41 profile image
Loulou41 in reply to greygoose

🙁 what do you think I should take? I have been taking 2000 units for the last week. Still going to see Endo, Dr said all of my symptoms are stress related and nothing at all to do with Thyroid. I am very stressed with it all, and feel unwell. Will see what Endo says. Thank you so much for your replies

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Loulou41

I'm afraid I don't know very much about vit D. I suggest you look through SeasideSusie's responses to other people in the same position. :)

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to greygoose

Fantastic reply GG, I hope you've made a copy just in case it gets lost like a previous wonderful reply of yours :)

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to SeasideSusie

Thank you for reminding me, Susie, I'll do that straight away! :)

Treepie1 profile image
Treepie1

Well this was your third go and it paid off .It is easy to be missed when there are so many posts.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

"My Vit D is 32..... Dr said I need 1000 units per day"

Your level is dire and 1000iu daily will never raise it. You are just 2 points away from the level where the NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary recommends loading doses totalling 300,000iu over a few weeks. Personally I wouldn't bother seeing your GP about this, just go it alone.

My suggestion is to take 10,000iu daily for 4 weeks, total 280,000iu, so very close to the loading doses. Then reduce to 5000iu daily and retest 3 months after starting.

When you've reached the level recommended by the Vit D Council, which is 100-150nmol/L, then you need to find your maintenance dose to keep it there, that maybe 2000iu daily, maybe more, maybe less, it's trial and error.

There are important cofactors needed when taking D3, magnesium and Vit K2-mk7. Magnesium helps your body use the D3.

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-mk7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissue where it can be deposited and cause problems.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds. Magnesium is calming and is best taken in the evening, 4 hours away from thyroid meds.

Good brands of D3 are Doctor's Best and Now Foods. A good K2-mk7 is Healthy Origins.

Loulou41 profile image
Loulou41

Wow. That’s great thank you so much. Bloody hell 1000 units a day isn’t going to help much is it? Thank you again.

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