New Blood Results

[Marigold57]

So repeated thyroid panel with Medichecks and here are the results- slightly improved from Feb. Have been taking b vitamins recommended by Seaside Susie and am overall better- well as well as you can be with CFS/ME. So do these results look normal for someone without thyroid disease? Medichecks doctor is happy with them. I know people with ME have lower levels across the board so this fits with that. Am going to cut out gluten to see if the antibodies can fall to zero.

ENDOCRINOLOGY November 2018

Thyroid Function

THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE 0.724 mIU/L 0.27 - 4.20

FREE THYROXINE 15.400 pmol/L 12.00 - 22.00

FREE T3 4.17 pmol/L 3.10 - 6.80

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY 17.400 IU/mL 0.00 - 115.00

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 20.7 IU/mL 0.00 - 34.00

[greygoose]

I very much doubt if they will. To what end, anyway? Go gluten-free to see if it makes you feel better, but not just on account of the antibodies.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Marigold

How do you feel?

Your FT4 is 34% through it's range, and FT3 is 29% through it's range. Quite well balanced but very low in range.

I think you're not diagnosed hypothyroid so not on Levo.

How are your vitamin and mineral levels now, I know you had some low levels a few months ago, including Vit D deficiency. Ferritin in particular needs to be 70 for even our own thyroid hormone to work properly.

[Marigold57 in reply to SeasideSusie]

So lovely of you to reply SeasideSusie. I have taken the Thorne B complex vitamin D and iron for a few months so am planning to stop them before Christmas and then check again in the New Year- is this correct should I stop the supplements and how long before testing? I feel reasonable for having ME/CFS and all the levels being on the low side for the thyroid don't surprise me as this is widespread throughout the ME community. To date noone knows why, though research is ongoing, and the latest research has found we don't convert from t4 to t3 well and that low levels of everything including cortisol are found in most patients with ME. Your help has really been appreciated as the Thorne B has made me so much better energy wise. I will retest the vitamins and let you know in the new year. Thank you so much.

[Marigold57 in reply to Marigold57]

Also forgot to ask when would you recheck thyroid- annually or more often, or less often as in range all be it low?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Marigold57]

I'd say your conversion was good Marigold - FT4 34% and FT3 29%, quite well balanced overall. If you didn't convert very well your FT3 would be much lower than your FT3. Another way of looking at conversion is to look at the ratio of FT4:FT3, as good conversion takes place when the ratio is between 3:1 and 4:1. Your ratio is 3.69 : 1

As for retesting vitamins, there are two supplements you stop, one is iron, you need to leave that off for 7 days before a test, and the other is the B Complex because it contains Biotin and you leave that off for 3-5 days. The reason for leaving off Biotin is because some labs use Biotin in the testing process and if they do it skews the results of any tests. I think I saw that someone checked with Medichecks and their lab does use Biotin. Other than that, continuing with Vit D then the results will tell you if you are supplementing at the right dose, or too much or too little.

So carry on with with your supplements as mentioned above but take Vit D after your test on the day.

[MaisieGray]

A percentage of the healthy/euthyroid population have antibodies; why worry about yours that are within their respective reference ranges?

[Tina_Maria]

There is no strong scientific evidence that cutting out gluten has any effect on any autoimmune disorder, including Hashimotos. The effect of gluten has been overestimated in the varoius publications on the net. If you look closer, there are mainly case studies from personal experiences, stating that it has worked for some individuals. There is also no clear evidence that avoiding gluten decreases antibodies. There are no robust trials and with all observations, extrapolating from a few to the many is not scientifically sound.

In addition, cutting out certain food or foodgroups will leave you with nutritional deficits in the longterm, so you need to carefully assess how to avoid this, if you start cutting out essential foods from your diet.

There is undiagnosed coeliac disease in people with thyroid disease, so if you are positive for coeliac, then a gluten free diet is essential. There are people who believe that they are gluten sensitive and feel they have to avoid gluten for that reason, unfortunately there is no robust test to confirm this.

A restrictive dietary intervention should really be a last resort, if all other factors such as optimising thyroid medication and vitamin status have been not been effective in eliminating symptoms.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Your FT3 is pretty low

Perhaps look at DNA testing

bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/t...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

[Marigold57 in reply to SlowDragon]

That looks so interesting I have never heard of that before. Have you tried it yourself? I guess the problem is none of us know what our baseline numbers have been since we were born. I guess I might be low from birth so yes genetics play a part. I am wondering what I would do with the results of this test to justify the expense? Lifestyle changes or supplements?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Marigold57]

Many of us who don't fit standard test results turn out to have DNA issues

I have done just DIO2 gene test via Regenerus. Was extremely helpful in persuading NHS to continue my T3 prescription. More on my profile

Now considering the Blue Horizon test, to see if the other DNA issues might be relevant (just out of interest)

If I was just starting, I would probably pick Blue Horizon multi test as first option

[Marigold57 in reply to SlowDragon]

I just read your profile - you have been through so much. I really hope you continue to enjoy good health. Can I ask were your T3 levels similar to mine when you were feeling so poorly or were they lower?