Next steps to get well

[ava19]

Hi peeps,

I'm new here and this is my first post, sorry if it's a long one. I've been on levo for over 10 years, gradually increased to 100 and not getting better. I have good days and bad days but lately I have been feeling very tired. I have enough energy to go to work (full time) but I find myself unable to do much at weekends. My GP prescribed a blood test for TSH and T4 only

TSH - below range - 0.32mU/L [0.35 - 5.5 ]

T4 - 15.0 pmol/L [10.0 - 19.8]

In 10 years, I've never had a blood test for T3 or reverse T3

He sent my home saying that there's nothing wrong with me and to wait for it to pass if I'm not well, must be a virus. Now I understand that with an auto-immune disease such as Hashimoto, there's an increase chance of developing another auto-immune disease down the line and I don't want to stay home and wait for this to happen. I want to take steps to get well rather than stay home feeling tired and poorly.

My questions are - what would you recommend as my next steps? Bearing in mind I don't have an unlimited budget and no private health insurance.

- See a specialist privately such as countryhealth? Or Someone at Addenbrookes (I am in Cambridgeshire)? Or any other recommendation locally?

- Change GP and ask for T3 testing? further blood tests?

- Get blood tests done privately and post here?

- Any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance for all the support

A.

[saroseox]

See another GP, see all at your practice if necessary. They are able to approve t3, total t4 and RT3 tests.

If you get nowhere with them, private tests are done with really good service.

Have you had vitamins and minerals tested?

[greygoose in reply to saroseox]

The might approve them, but the lab can over-ride them - and probably will!

Total T4 is a pretty useless test, it doesn't give much useful information.

Same goes for rT3 - total red herring, and she's not likely to have high rT3 with that level of FT4 - and the NHS will absolutely never do that.

[ava19 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you all for the feedback. Folate was 10.63 ug/L [>5.38]. Ferritin was 111.1ug/L [10.0 - 291.0]. VIT B12 was 474.0 ng/L [211.0 - 911.0]. VIT D, etc has never been checked. I have signed up today with another GP practice.

[greygoose in reply to ava19]

Sounds like a good idea!

Your Folate and Ferritin are fine. Your B12 should be at least over 500, so maybe take a little B12.

[ava19 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks greygoose, I will try that

[greygoose in reply to ava19]

You're welcome.

[fibrolinda]

Personally I would get bloods done via thyroid UK, blue horizon or medichecks are who I use, both good just have discounts at different times, the thyroid 11 or equivalent., testing

Tsh, ft3 ft4 antibodies, tp and tgab, b12, folate, ferritin and vitamin d, crp and? Oh total t4 😊

thyroiduk.org/tuk/testing/p...

Then post them on here for interpretation and advice 😀