Blood test results - odd ?!?

[AliF]

These are my blood test results from 2 days ago after not taking any thyroxine or T3 or HRT for 6 weeks. They are also at odds with a test done by the NHS 2 weeks ago with respect to the FT3 reading - which I posted a couple of weeks ago. Can anyone help interpret them ?

Total thyroxine (T4) 61 nmol/L 59-154

Thyroid stimulating hormone 54.9

Range mIU/L 0.27 - 4.2

Free thyroxine 9.3

Range pmol/l 12.0 - 22.0

Free T3 3.4 pmol/L 3.1 - 6.8

Thyroid antibodies

Thyroglobulin antibody 54.9

IU/mL 0-115

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies 14.2

IU/mL 0 - 34

Method used for both Roche Modular.!

-

[Mary-intussuception]

You are seriously Hypothyroid - why did you stop taking your Thyroxine? Look how high your TSH is - your Pituitary Gland has had to overwork to produce that.

Your Thyroxine also protects your Pituitary Gland from overworking as well as providing every cell in your body with the essential hormone.

How are you feeling?

Have you started back on your Thyroxine now? It is for life.

[AliF in reply to Mary-intussuception]

I stopped because I was feeling very jittery, palpitations, couldn’t sleep and generally very unwell from taking T3 T4 and HRT and not knowing which was causing the problem. I have never felt well since I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2013 ..... which is why I’d been trying T3.

I know the replacement thyroid hormones are for life. But my life was becoming unbearable so I felt desperate. I always planned to re-start but I did leave it a bit longer than I had thought, mainly because I didn’t feel any different. If anything I felt a bit better. I was very tired at the start of the week and felt dreadful after I’d been for a swim. I re-started taking T4 about 5 minutes after I took the blood for that test a couple of days ago. And added in some T3 the following day on the advice of Greygoose - so I’m now taking 50ug Levothyroxine and 5 ug T3. I will build up from there. Advice about how quickly I can do that would be appreciated. Not taking any HRT. At some point I’ll need to add it back in but one thing at a time so I can see what was causing me to feel even more unwell than I did before I started taking T3.

What I though was odd about those results wasn’t the high TSH but that T3 is within range. Previous results showed that I didn’t convert very well.

[Mary-intussuception in reply to AliF]

Were you prescribed T3? After 6 weeks without - it is still in range (just). Why stop Thyroxine? Why not just reduce or reduce / stop T3.

[AliF in reply to Mary-intussuception]

Because I had never felt well on Levothyroxine, my endocrinologist suggested taking more T4 as well as the T3 that he’s prescribed ( 75 ug T4 and 5 ug T3) despite my saying I didn’t feel well and that I had palpitations. My HRT had been changed from patches to gels at around the same time. I didnt know what was causing me problems. Remember I hadn’t felt well on Levothyroxine either

for a long time. I thought that might be causing me problems. So I wanted to stop and clear my system and then re- start with 50 Levo. Then Greygoose suggested adding in some T3 to make me feel better. What is odd is that the NHS results from a blood test from 2 weeks ago showed T3 below range.

[Muffy]

You have put your TSH as 54.9 and also your Thyroglobulin Antibodies as 54.9, were they meant to be the same?

[AliF in reply to Muffy]

By coincidence they are the same yes.

[Muffy in reply to AliF]

What an amazing coincidence. I hope you get sorted very soon.

[AliF in reply to Muffy]

Don’t really feel much different. More tired maybe today. Last couple of days I’d felt better than I have done for ages! Hoping someone will give me advice about how quickly I should build back up!

[magsyh]

Well by what i can see there is nothing wrong with your conversion its just your t4 thats much too low so get back on your levo. From my experience its the hrt that is the spanner in your works. I presume you're on estrogen. The estrogen blocks the thyroid hormone which means you need even more levo. I am using progesterone gel 20mg per day. This helps your thyroid to produce hormones. Also balances estrogen and supports the adrenals. I had to get progesterone by private doc gp hadnt a clue. So they have you on all this stuff which is working against eachother. Best you stopped the hrt and gave the rest a chance. You need to get your progesterone to estrogen level ratio checked. Why were you put on hrt?

[AliF]

Thanks for replying Magsyh. I did wonder about that. And wanted someone else to say it ! Oestrogen interfering is a known “thing” - sure i’ve read that. Also I know people who were on the gels who had to stop because their heart rate and blood pressure were adversely affected.

I take estradiol because I had a hysterectomy about 10 years ago. It was measured in my blood test 2 weeks ago. It was 143 pmol/L. Ref range says <1462 pmol/L. Progesterone wasn’t tested. I also think Levo is not great for me. I was only put onto oestrogen only relatively recently. Before that I was on Premarin - which I think is combined oestrogen and progesterone.

Isn’t progesterone only linked to higher incidences of some conditions?

[AliF]

.... and I can’t remember what was changed when and whether it coincided with me feeling better or worse. I know at some point I had a blood test which showed that my oestrogen levels were very low. There was some talk of an implant but I think I am on the highest dose of oestradiol. I feel different all the time. I also have some testosterone which I haven’t even used. Throw in the various vitamins and supplements and there are hundreds of variables.

[AliF]

Thanks Grincho. I did — and now i’ve Started Levo and T3 albeit at a lower dose for the moment. Even so, I think I feel an improvement generally in how I feel. What I’m not sure about is when to re- test and or increase my dose.