Tests and Results - finally

[walkes1]

Finally I have results, please see below, apparently I am fine and all my symptoms are down to age.....

But would like some advice from the experts on here, thank you

25-OH-Vitamin D 65 mmol No range (National)

FT3 5.1 pmol/L 4.3 - 6.8

Ferritin 43 ug/L 11 - 307

Folate 4.7 ng/ml 3.8 - 25.0

TSH 0.19 mu/L 0.34 - 5.6

FT4 11.4 pmol/L 7.7 - 15.1

Vitamin B12 222 nh/L

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

walkes1

TSH 0.19 mu/L 0.34 - 5.6

FT4 11.4 pmol/L 7.7 - 15.1

FT3 5.1 pmol/L 4.3 - 6.8

The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges when on Levo if that is where you feel well.

Your FT4 is 50% through range, your FT3 is 32% through range

Even though your TSH is in a good place, your FT4 and FT3 are too low and you need an increase in your levo based on those results.

See article by Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, who wrote in Pulse magazine (the magazine for doctors)

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l. Most patients will feel well in that circumstance.

But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

You can obtain a copy of the article by emailing Dionne at

[e-mail]

print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor.

25-OH-Vitamin D 65 mmol/L

The Vit D Council, the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health all recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L. If those were my results I would be supplementing with D3 softgels at 5000iu daily for 3 months, along with D3's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7 - then retest. Once the recommended level is reached then a maintenance dose needs to be found by trial and error, 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/

Vitamin B12 222 nh/L - I think this should be ng/L which is the same as pg/ml

I have read (but not researched so don't have links) that BCSH, UKNEQAS and NICE guidelines recommend:

"In the presence of discordance between test results and strong clinical features of deficiency, treatment should not be delayed to avoid neurological impairment."

Do you have any signs of B12 deficiency - check here b12deficiency.info/signs-an... If so you need to speak to your GP about testing for B12 deficiency/pernicous anaemia.

An extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:

"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".

"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."

If you have no signs of B12 deficiency then you may wish to raise your level, which you can do with sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges along with a good B Complex.

Folate 4.7 ng/ml 3.8 - 25.0

Your folate level is very low, it should be at least half way through it's range. The B Complex will help raise it, good brands are Thorne Basic B and Igennus Super B. If you do have signs of B12 deficiency don't start the B Complex until after further tests have been carried out as the folate will mask signs of B12 deficiency.

Ferritin 43 ug/L 11 - 307

For thyroid hormone to work (that's our own as well as replacement hormone) ferritin needs to be at least 70, preferably half way through range.

You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...