Hi everyone, thank you again for posting such useful information on here, I have learned so much already from what I have read. I was just hoping that someone might be able to shed light on my results please?
I had a hemithyroidectomy 7 years ago and haven’t had any treatment as my TSH level has always been close to, but less than the NHS upper limit of 5 in my area, despite feeling awful with hypo symptoms. I have had private tests with Medichecks the last of which (in January) were as follows:
TSH: 6.18 (0.27-4.2)
Free T4: 13.6 (12-22)
Total T4: 85 (59-154)
Free T3: 5.6 (3.1-6.8)
Thyroglobulin Ab: 10.1 (0-115)
TPO: 9.1 (0-34)
Active B121: 146 (25.1-165)
Folate (Serum): 4.3 (>2.9)
25OH Vitamin D: 42 (50-200)
CRP: 3.3 (0-5)
Ferritin: 35 (13-150)
I took these to my GP who requested an NHS blood test, the results of which were:
TSH: 1.5 (0.4-5)
Free T4: 12 (9-19)
TPO: 33< (No range provided)
Unsurprisingly my GP is unwilling to entertain any possibility of hypothyroid (I have no idea why my TSH was so low for that test, it hasn't been below 3 in the past few years). To be honest after 7 years of feeling awful, and being told by health professionals I am ‘fine’, I have explored pretty much anything that could explain my symptoms, but always come back to hypothyroid as the simplest explanation and best fit. From my results does this look like the cause? Thank you again x
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Fid10
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TSH varies during the day, it's highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. Did you have both tests done at the same time of day?
Your TPO antibodies look as though they might be high for your NHS test, I think the range is the same, or similar to Medichecks range. Have you had antibodies tested before? Just wondering if you've previously had high is levels?
Your Vit D and Ferritin are too low. Ferritin needs to be at least 70 and Vit D is recommended by the Vit D Council to be 100-150nmol/L
Thank you for your reply, I am supplementing vitamin D, and it it is going up slowly as it was 19 last year, but I will try to get it higher in the range. I will also look at increasing ferritin too, thank you.
The NHS blood test was mid morning and I was really stressed for it as the gp had been very dismissive and frosty, and path lab were really annoyed I had been told to go there by the gp. Would that make any difference? The medichecks test was first thing in the morning, but I had been up a while as I had the blood draw in London and live a couple of hours away.
The only other time I had antibodies tested was a year ago when the Thyroglobulin was <10 and TPO was 8.6 with the same ranges.
I didn't get notification of your response because you didn't click on the small blue "Reply" directly below my reply to you. By using the "Leave a comment" box you actually reply to the opening post in the thread so you replied to yourself
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What dose of D3 are you taking? If it is going up so slowly then you probably aren't taking enough at the moment, or maybe using the wrong type of supplement, or maybe you're just not absorbing it well enough.
There are also important cofactors needed when taking D3, one of which is magnesium which helps the body to use D3. The other is Vit K2-MK7 which is important because D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and the 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
Check out magnesium supplements here and choose which would suit you best, take magnesium 4 hours away from thyroid meds and evening is the best time as magnesium is calming:
As your TPO antibodies have gone from 8.6 to 33 with NHS testing, I think it's possible that you may have autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's which is where antibodies attack and gradually destroy the thyroid. Antibodies fluctuate which can cause fluctuations in test results and symptoms (and may explain such a big difference in your TSH results even when taking into account the time difference).
You can help reduce the antibodies by adopting a strict gluten free diet which has helped many members here. Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks. You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
With the possibility of you having Hashi's then the best type of D3 supplement is an oral spray which gives best absorption as it bypasses the stomach. With your level being 42nmol/L I would suggest you buy the 3000iu spray and double dose, take 6000iu daily for 8 weeks, then 3000iu daily for 4 weeks then retest. Once you've reached the recommended level of 100-150nmol/L and then you'll need a maintenance dose which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/
BetterYou do a combined D3/K2-MK7 oral spray in 3000iu dose andyou should take D3 four hours away from thyroid meds.
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The easiest way to raise ferritin is by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, but I managed to raise mine by eating 120-140g per week. If you don't want it as a meal then you can cut it small or mince it and add to casseroles, cottage pie, curry, spag bol, etc, add chicken liver pate and other iron rich foods to your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...
Hi SeasideSusie, so sorry about that, I hadn’t realised at all. Thank you for getting back again, and all the information and time you have given me, I am truly grateful to finally have something to work on.
I am currently taking 800IU D3 capsules, so will definitely be buying the oral spray with cofactors and dosing as you suggest. I have wondered about gluten as I always bloat after wheat-based products, so will change to a gluten free diet too as well as adding in more iron rich foods. In the short term would taking an iron supplement help at all?
I had planned to ask for recommendations for sympathetic endos and GPs in my area, but after reading more posts here, and looking at my results it seems I would be setting myself up for more stress and disappointment. I am not sure I can face being patronised by another one or being told I need antidepressants (I am embarrassed to say I was already taken in by that one and tried citalopram for 2 years with no effect!). I have been reading about self-medicating with NDT and am thinking about trialling it after I have got my vitamin levels optimal, as my fatigue in particular is getting worse and worse and I barely leave the house anymore. In you experience is this a wise path to take?
Don't worry Fid10, I know you are a new member and we all have to learn the ropes, was just pointing it out so that you know you weren't being ignored, just that the way your replied didn't trigger notification automatically being sent (even long time members get it wrong!)
I think you will probably benefit from a gluten free diet. If you want any suggestions then put a post on the forum as many members are gluten free and would be happy to help. Or there's "Gluten Free Chat" under Topics (to the right of the screen if you're on a PC) where you might find some helpful information.
I'm actually amazed your Vit D level managed to rise that much on just 800iu daily! It should start to rise much more quickly with the spray
In the short term would taking an iron supplement help at all?
I don't like suggesting iron supplements because there's so much more involved than just ferritin. If your serum iron was high then you wouldn't want to supplement as it would take your level over the top (but doctors rarely test anything other than ferritin) so I only suggest liver and iron rich foods. I managed to raise my ferritin level from 39 to 119 purely by eating 120-140g liver a week, I can't take iron tablets as they cause constipation and that's been a lifelong problem!
In you experience is this a wise path to take?
If you can't get a diagnosis of hypothyroidism/Hashis with an over range TSH and, possibly at some time, over range antibodies, then you will get no better by being left unmedicated. Many members have started self medicating in a similar situation. Some do very well on NDT, others don't (NDT wasn't right for me but Levo plus T3 is). But it's worth considering if all else fails, but I would suggest you ask for guidance from members on how to start, how to increase dose, etc.
Thank you again, I am feeling much more positive at having steps I can take myself to try and get back to ‘normal’. I have ordered the vitamins and minerals and am looking at iron rich foods and gluten free diet options. I am truly blown away by the help available here and am very grateful for your replies. It is so comforting to talk with and hear from people who understand how debilitating the symptoms are. x
Hi Fid, seems we are in similar positions although I haven't had surgery. I know how hard it is to keep trying when your energy and concentration are at rock bottom. You use up all you've got to get help and then hit a brick wall. I'm trying to improve my vitamin levels (following Seaside Susie's advice) and then want to self medicate with NDT. I figure I've got nothing to lose.I joined the Natural Thyroid Hormone Group on Yahoo where you can find a list of patient recommended Endocrinologists and GP's. I might pay for a private consultation and follow up with an Endo before starting on NDT. Good luck and hope you make headway.
Hi mouldylocks thank you for your message, I am sorry to hear you are having the same problems too. It is shocking that this is the norm for so many people. I hope your vitamin levels are improving, I started on a few of the supplements today so hopefully we are both on the road to good health again! Good luck with starting the NDT and I hope you find a good endo 😊 I will check out the NDT group too, thank you x
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