Very briefly,my daughter is very poorly with fibromyalgia and severe mental health..for the last year her throat periodically swells up then goes down...the drs only do the TSH which is 2.8 ish a few months ago ,they did her T4 last year which was 13 and T3 4.2,so I’m paying tomorrow to have some bloods done privetly, two questions...
One.....What should i have done? TSH,T3,T4,TPO,TRab (I,her mumma has Graves and had gland removed).
Two.....Is it nessesery to have Tsi and thyroid anti globulins?
The natrapath has suggested a urine iodine test? Would this be useful? ahe said it’s very cheep its £40 ,what would it show and how would the result, if low ,be treated..the blood draw is tomorrow,I know she’s too fast beforehand...
Her b12 and folate are good,we supplement,and her vitD is good,we supplement that as it was low a year ago..
Thank you,as always.
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For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies and also very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
All thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or vitamins
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are very common too, especially gluten. So it's important to get TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once .
She's unlikely to have Grave's if her TSH was 2.8 a few months ago. So, I would get the TPO and Tg antibodies tested.
I think, if it were me, I would wait until I had the other test results before testing iodine. Even if the result comes back low, is your doctor likely to know what to do about it? It's not as easy as just taking a pill, there's a whole protocol to observe. And, if it turns out she has Hashi's, iodine wouldn't help, anyway, as far as I know.
The natrapath has suggested a urine iodine test? Would this be useful? ahe said it’s very cheep its £40 ,what would it show and how would the result, if low ,be treated..the blood draw is tomorrow,I know she’s too fast beforehand...
2 to 3 years ago, when I was very unwell and wanted to make a last ditch attempt to find out what was wrong, I tested everything I could think of at the time that I could afford. It was enlightening to say the least, showed up where there were problems that needed addressing and also what could be discounted.
One of those tests was a urine iodine test. To answer your question, like any other test with a reference range, the result shows where in that range you are so you would know if you are deficient, have sufficient iodine from your diet or indeed if you are getting too much for whatever reason. If you are deficient then an experienced practioner will guide you how to treat it, it's not something you should consider self treating or use a practioner not experienced in treating iodine deficiency.
Mine came back exactly mid-range at 150 (100-199). The practioner I was consulting at the time suggested, along with other things for what was indicated by all the tests I did, that I take a multi vitamin/mineral supplement which contained 150mcg iodine. I queried this, pointing out I was nowhere near deficient and seemed to have a decent iodine level, and was told it was fine to take it as "it's only a small dose". Well that small dose, within a short time, took my level from 150 to 250 (100-199). Needless to say I ditched the multi vitamin/mineral and I also ditched the practioner.
So if you want to exclude as many possibilities as you can, and your budget will allow the £40, then I would do it, at least you'd know and no longer wonder.
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patient consent issue- can an endocrinologist take a urine iodine test-- 
Iodine Blood Test Result
Help, what should I do. Had urine Iodine test result showing low iodine, but have Hashimotos - antibodies so advice is normally don't take 
