Since discovering this web site in March I have followed post most mornings. Members are so knowledgeable patient and helpful also I didn’t realise how some people really suffer horribly from their thyroid.
I had convinced myself that I had a thyroid problem due to various symptoms:- unable to lose weight, hair, eyebrows thinning, irritability, mood swings (bad tempered bugger) tinnitus, disturbed sleep, tired etc.etc I think I have had a personality transplant, but I don’t feel the cold so much as the heat 65 and still have hot flashes.
Enough of the intro. I armed myself with private blood tests to wave in front of the doctor in the hope that I would get medication (I live in France so in order to bypass any translation issues I thought this would be the best way to go) Wrong, my blood test results were certainly not what I was expecting seems to me I don’t have a problem at all. So what the hell is wrong with me.
Please, would someone look at my results and give me their thoughts?
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Thanks for taking the time to reply. It’s more a hot flash than flush. My mum aged 85 still has them but she is also coeliac, low vit b and age related diabetes ( still fit and well otherwise) don’t want to go the same route though.
I am definitely not medically trained, but the high ferritin might be cause for concern. This is your stored iron and can relate to inflammatory conditions and perhaps your doctor should investigate what is going on there. High ferritin is unusual and may be causing some of your symptoms... Shame that they have not included iron or RBC.
T4 is low and T3 is low in range, but you don't seem to have Hashi's, so agree with Ic1973 that it might be an idea to check cortisol. Also could be sex hormones.
The French health care system is very good and thorough, from my own experience (although they really don't like fat people!!) and from my fathers.
Admins will probably be able to recommend what you need testing,but I am not sure how to tag them!
The doctor said there didn’t need to be concern about the ferratin but to have a further test in a month to check if there is a trend. I will wait for further replies.
I'm no expert, but your TSH is slightly above optimal levels and with your FT4 on the low end of the range that could be indicating sub-clinical hypothyroidism. What time of day did you get the bloods done?
High ferritin "can indicate an iron storage disorder, such as hemochromatosis, or a chronic disease process".
Your B12 is 'ok' but could be better. You can supplement with sublingual methylcobalamin.
I would get more tests done as others have suggested, including cortisol and active B12 if it's available to you in France. If I were you, a hormone panel too.
So sorry I replied to yourself and 2 other members yesterday, screen froze until I deleted it this afternoon ( didn’t want to type it all out again but couldn’t find another way. Here’s what I said:-
Thanks for your reply. The bloods were done at 9 am (fasting) but to be honest they were hardly any different to the ones I did in September’17 in the afternoon, (I didn’t have all this info on fasting then etc.)
I must admit the ferritin result freaked me out a bit but the report Dr said not really of concern and repeat bloods in 1 month. I have since read high dose vit C can raise ferritin and I do or did take quite a lot.
Looking at these results, your thyroid is definitely struggling, and you would definitely benefit from hormone replacement.
Your TSH is not very elevated to be having these very low hormone levels, but it is well outside what a well person would have. Almost everyone with a healthy thyroid has a TSH between about 0.75 and 2, for me 2.5 is the threshold where we can be pretty sure something is wrong.
Both your freeT4 and freeT3 are really scraping the bottom of the range. These seem more extreme to me than your TSH, it's fairly unusual to see these numbers go under range at all unless the thyroid has been surgically removed, and many people would have a stonking high TSH with quite good freeT3. Your freeT3 is terrible, and this is the number that most closely predicts symptoms.
Unfortunately you're stuck with doctors that look at the TSH only, and know nothing about freeT4 and freeT3
No Hashimotos antibodies, although it is worth retesting another time, as these can have false negatives.
But I think this looks like Central hypothyroid. The TSH is only a bit out of its comfort zone even with those terrible hormone levels.
Vitamin D and B12 could both use a boost. They are in an okay-ish range, but you could get them up to optimal and probably feel the benefit.
I don’t know what happened but I replied to you and 2 other members yesterday and my screen froze until I deleted the replies this afternoon. Here is what my email said:-
Morning Siver Avocado,
Thank you so much for t@king the time to reply and pointing me in the right direction. I have ordered Selenium, B12, D3, Magnesium & Zinc from Amazon and will introduce each one slowly. I already take vit D 12.5ug and spend lots of time outside, I also take B Comples but it’s just a cheap boots own. I do go a bit overboard with Vit C. and have since read that this can contribute to high ferritin.
Planning a visit to the Dr. and dragging husband along for moral support (as he is a retired Pharmacist doctors sometimes pay attention). If nothing else he can verify I have nearly ripped his head off, on occasion.
I am assuming perhaps wrongly I am going to be prescribed medication. If not could I come back to you regarding advice on self medicating.
Kindest regards and thank you again.
Now need to re-type my replies to SlowDragon & thyroidorwhat.
Your plan sounds good. Good luck with your doctor, and try asking about Central htypothyroid if they're trying to fob you off.
This is when the thyroid itself is healthy, but the pituitary is not producing enough thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). This is the messenger to kick to thyroid into action, so without enough of it the thyroid doesn't make enough thyroid hormone. There is even tertiary htypothyroid, when the pituitary doesn't get stimulated enough.
You'd want to get checked out for other pituitary hormones if you're confirmed to have central hypothyroid, as the pituitary has lots of other jobs.
I tried to reply yesterday but my screen just froze so here goes again:-
Thank you for taking the time to reply, people on here go above and beyond, amazing. Taken everything that has been said/advised on board so now will take the dreaded t4ip to the Dr.
Regarding your ? on gut issues, no I don’t have any problems at all with gluten etc. However my Mum is coeliac, so apparently I have a 1 in 10 chance of being affected, but no problems so far.
Just because you have no symptoms, don't assume you don't have gut issues going on.
You can have silent coeliac or gluten intolerance, both can be gut symptom free. But can cause low vitamins
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
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