I wonder if someone would be able to tell me what my test results mean.
In October I had a total thyroid lobectomy to remove a 6cm lump, which was benign.
Since having the operation my TSH was 5.46 (range 0.27 to 4.2). I was started on 50mg of levo.
Last week, I had a blood test at my consultants office and the consultant told me that my tsh was still high at 4.9. My T4 has been in the normal range of 16.9.my consultant has increased my levo by 25mg to 75mg, but has not tested my T3 or my vitamins.
I wanted my T3 and vitamins tested so I did a Blue Horizon Blood Test to see if it could tell me a bit more about what is going on.
The results came back today.
Biochemistry
hs-CRP 0.16 (<5.0 mg/L)
Ferritin 53.5 (13 - 150 ug/L)
Thyroid Function
TSH H 4.92 (0.27 - 4.20 mIU/L)
T4 Total 87.7 (66 - 181 nmol/L)
Free T4 15.90 (12.0 - 22.0 pmol/L)
Free T3 4.18 (3.1 - 6.8 pmol/L)
Immunology
Anti-Thyroidperoxidase abs <9.0 (<34 kIU/L)
Anti-Thyroglobulin Abs H 145 (<115 kU/L)
Vitamins
Vitamin D (25 OH) 58 (Deficient <30 nmol/L)
Vitamin B12 385 (Deficient <145 pmol/L)
Serum Folate >45 (8.83 - 60.8 nmol/L)
Blue Horizon have highlighted that my TSH is high as is my Anti-thyroglobulin.
Any advice / information on these figures would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Written by
beccacbn
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
How long had you been on the increased dose before doing this Blue Horizon test?
If only one week then these results wont be any good, thyroid-wise. You need to be on a new dose for 6-8 weeks to get the full effect and for your levels to settle down.
What is showing from those results is:
Ferritin 53.5 (13 - 150 ug/L)
This is on the low side, ferritin should be at least 70 for thyroid hormone to work, recommended is 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, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...
Vitamin D (25 OH) 58
This is low. The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L and the Vit D Society recommends a level between 100-150nmol/L. To reach the recommended level from your current level the Vit D Society recommends supplementing at 3,700iu D3 daily (you'd have to use 4,000iu). Retest in 3 months and when you've reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose 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 an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).
Vitamin B12 385pmol/L = 521ng/ml
According to 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."
Serum Folate >45 (8.83 - 60.8 nmol/L)
Folate is good.
Anti-Thyroglobulin Abs H 145 (<115 kU/L)
Raised TgAbs can suggest autoimmune thyroid disease, aka Hashimoto's. TPO antibodies are the ones usually raised, but they can be negative and positive Tg antibodies can suggest Hashi's. However, raised TgAbs can also indicate Graves disease, but with that you would have very low TSH and high FT4/FT3. Antibody tests to confirm Graves disease are TSI and TRAbs.
Many thanks for such a detailed reply. I will certainly be looking into my supplements. Its quite difficult choosing the right type of magnesium. I guess its a trial and error but I will prob give magnesium glycinate a go. Although I do suffer from some constipation, it isnt chronic and I have read that malate might make me feel 'busy' - although I do get tired.
Just purchasing some vitamins as advised. Can I ask how much magnesium glycinate you would recommend. Ive found some from Nutri advanced at a strength of 100mg. They recommend taking 2 tablets twice to three times a day, but if I was to take it at night as advised, I guess I would only be taking 2 tablets - 200mg. Am i correct in understanding that the daily recommended dose is 320mg.
I don't use magnesium glycinate but usually for magnesium you follow what the pack says. I've looked at some of the different brands available, they generally seem to be 200 to 250mg per tablet and some say 2 tablets per day, some say up to 2 tablets twice a day. If it was me I would probably take 2 tablets daily (of the 200/250mg), but I would start with one and increase after a couple of weeks if everything was OK.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Advice on Blue Horizon thyroid blood results please
blue horizon blood results
Test results - GP vs Blue Horizon with ranges
