Advice please on latest results

[Rainbow47]

I’ve been feeling extremely unwell, anxious, cold and exhausted so got a blood test done - results below. I know that my TSH is high for me, but can someone please explain why my T3 and T4 look OK even though I feel bad? Have put up my thyroxine from 100 to 125 and am already feeling better after two days.

Any observations would be much appreciated.

[greygoose]

Your Free T4 and Free T3 are both mid-range. A lot of hypos need them much higher than that, so I imagine you do, too. It's not just a question of being in-range, it's a question of getting them to the right place in the range to make you well. You say that your TSH is high for you, so that would mean that your FT4 and FT3 are low for you.

However, you do have Hashi's, so that can mean that your levels jump around. And just because your Frees were mid-range at the time of the blood draw, it doesn't mean they will be next week, nor that they were last week. They could have been higher, or the could have been lower. It's always difficult to find the optimal dose with Hashi's. We just have to be prepared for anything and persevere.

Your ferritin could be higher, that might be having an effect on you, too.

[Rainbow47]

Maybe someone will be able to enlighten us both! My antibodies are coming down slowly, but there’s so much to not just learn but understand.

[radd]

Rainbow47,

FT4 is half way through range but FT3 is over half way through range indicating good conversion. T3 is the thyroid hormone that should bring well being but the pituitary is working to produce more, evidenced by a higher than expected TSH level. Perhaps your body thinks you need more thyroid hormone because the amount you have are not working well.

Vit B12 & folate should balance and ferritin could be higher but I think it is probably the immune response caused by elevated antibodies that is having the negative effect on thyroid hormones.

Inflammation caused by elevated thyroid antibodies can disrupt the production and regulatory mechanisms of thyroid hormones by suppressing the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. This may decrease the amount and sensitivity of thyroid hormone receptors and if there aren’t enough receptors or they aren’t sensitive enough, it doesn’t matter how much thyroid hormone replacement you take, the cells won’t be able to use it.

You could try reducing the thyroid antibodies. Are you gluten free ? Are you supplementing selenium ? ? ...

[Rainbow47]

Thank you radd for your insight into my results. I am slowly reducing my antibodies and have been gluten free for a year now, but it’s slow progress. I have been working with a functional doctor and take various supplements including Vits B12, D, C, magnesium etc with Selenium, zinc and so on, and think I’m well covered and have seen good progress in my general health until about a month ago when everything went haywire.

My F Doc thinks I should consider doing the Root Cause Protocol, but I still have a lot of research to do as it does seem quite a big commitment. It’s so difficult to know which direction to go in as I’m no spring chicken and want to get ‘settled’ before I lose my marbles altogether!!

[Rainbow47]

Hello grey goose - although my TSH is high for me both T3 and T4 are more or less where they have been for the past year, though I would like them both to be higher.

I’m taking iron along with various other recommended supplements. I guess, as you say, it’s just about perseverance.