x Iron 206 (normal 13-150) - I am not taking iron suppliments
FOLATE-SERUM 7.83 (normal 3.89 - 19.45)
Vitamin B12 Active 123 (normal 37.5-188)
x Vitamin D 30.2 (normal 50-175)
x TSH 0.005 (normal 0.27-4.2)
Free T3 4.18 (normal 3.1-6.8)
x Free T4 29.6 (normal 12-22)
x Reverse T3 25 (normal 10-24)
x FT3 : RT3 10.89 (normal 15-75)
THYROGLOBULIN Antibodies 10.8 (normal 0-115)
THYROID PEROXIDASE Antibodies <9 (normal 0-34)
My dad and his mother both had hashimotos disease and had thyroidectomies. I am t1 diabetic since age of 8. At 10 mum took me to docs saying she thought I had underactive thyroid but test results said normal. At 19 I went private and my tsh result was at the top end of normal range so given my many symptoms and family history the consultant put me on 50 mcg of levo. A week later I was hospitalised with seemingly multiple organs starting to shut down and my TSH level was then 15 (had my body been masking the problem?) and I was put on 200mcg thyroxine and things got better even though initally I THEN put on 4 stone in weight in a matter of months (prior to going on the thyroxine I was not overweight and this gave docs another reason to say I wasn't underactive.
For the past 5 years my results have been showing high T4 levels and have reduced levo on a few occasions, first time to 150mcg with horrendous symptoms of being underactive even though my bloods were showing that I still had too much T4 in my system.
I bought T3 online and have been taking a small amount for a few days and have reduced my levo. I have just been to a morning class at the gym which is unheard of for me..so I think I may be feeling some effect but nothing major. I have also been taking vit d suppliments and selenium and zinc for about a fortnight.
My digestion is poor and I suffer with gastroparesis. My diet is healthy and I rarely eat bread or things containing gluten but I have not strictly cut gluten out.
Thanks for taking the time to read. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Rhub4rb
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This is very high. What were Medichecks comments about this? CRP can be high due to infection or inflammation, but this is the high-senstivity test that tell us more than that.
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x Iron 206 (normal 13-150) - I am not taking iron suppliments - This is Ferritin, not Serum Iron (there is a difference)
Do you eat a lot of meat and other iron rich foods? If not, again ferritin can be raised due to infection/inflamation. Your high ferritin and high CRP may be connected.
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FOLATE-SERUM 7.83 (normal 3.89 - 19.45)
This is on the low side, recommended is at least half way through range so 12+ with that range. Eating folate rich foods can help, also a good B Complex containing methylfolate (not folic acid).
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Vitamin B12 Active 123 (normal 37.5-188)
This is good.
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x Vitamin D 30.2 (normal 50-175)
I have also been taking vit d suppliments - what exactly are you taking? Did you test before starting the Vit D supplement? Were you taking this when the test was done?
You are 0.2 away from the level where we should be treated for Vit D Deficiency. You should discuss this with your GP and see if he will prescribe loading doses as you as so close to that level - see NICE treatment summary for Vit D deficiency:
"Treat for Vitamin D deficiency if serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels are less than 30 nmol/L.
For the treatment of vitamin D deficiency, the recommended treatment is based on fixed loading doses of vitamin D (up to a total of about 300,000 international units [IU] given either as weekly or daily split doses, followed by lifelong maintenace treatment of about 800 IU a day. Higher doses of up to 2000IU a day, occasionally up to 4000 IU a day, may be used for certain groups of people, for example those with malabsorption disorders. Several treatment regims are available, including 50,000 IU once a week for 6 weeks (300,000 IU in total), 20,000 IU twice a week for 7 weeks (280,000 IU in total), or 4000 IU daily for 10 weeks (280,000 IU in total)."
Ignore the bit about maintenance dose, it is always too low. Once loading doses are finished, retesting is required and dose adjustment made according to the new level.
If your GP wont prescribe the loading doses, or only provides a very low dose of D3, come back for suggestions on what to do to help yourself.
There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -
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).
The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L and the Vit D Society recommends a level between 100-150nmol/L.
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x TSH 0.005 (normal 0.27-4.2)
Free T3 4.18 (normal 3.1-6.8)
x Free T4 29.6 (normal 12-22)
If you were taking 200mcg Levo when this test was done, this is why your FT4 is so over range, and your TSH suppressed.
What are you taking at the moment, and we can take that into consideration when suggesting how you might alter your thyroid meds.
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x Reverse T3 25 (normal 10-24)
The problem with an rT3 test is that it can tell us our level but when it is high it doesn't tell us the cause. There are many causes of high rT3. In your case it could possibly be that your FT4 is so high and you're making rT3 rather than FT3. Another one of the causes is chronic inflammation and your CRP is high so this could be the cause. So I really wouldn't put too much store by this test.
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THYROGLOBULIN Antibodies 10.8 (normal 0-115)
THYROID PEROXIDASE Antibodies <9 (normal 0-34)
Currently nice and low, but as you have a family history of Hashi's then it can't be ruled out.
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SlowDragon may pop along and she may have something helpful to say about your gut problem.
"Your CRP level is high. This may indicate increased inflammation and/or infection within the body. I suggest discussing this with your doctor especially if you are experiencing pain, fever or other symptoms that suggest infection or inflammation.
The type of CRP test that you have had is one which can also indicate future risk of cardiovascular disease. I recommend repeating this test in 6-8 weeks to see whether it remains above 3. If it does then I recommend that you take a more aggressive approach to managing other cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diet, smoking and exercise levels."
My blood pressure is normally 130/80 but my pulse is a resting 100bpm (I am told this is due to internal nerve damage - my bp drops by min of 50 when I stand up apparently this is the test that shows I have the neuropathy). I eat well and do strength training. I do not feel any pain anywhere and my blood sugars normal so I do not believe I have an infection so it must be inflamation.
Iron: No I do not have an iron rich diet at all I expected this to be low as I haven't been taking iron tablets for a year when I stopped showing as being anaemic. I might have been taking too many Vit C tablets for a few months before (I stopped because the ones I've got now taste horrible).
Vitamin D:
I'm taking holland and barrett Vitamin D3 25ug (x 3 or 4 tablets a day) and no I was not taking them at the time of the test. I will ask my doctors about the vitamin D. I also have some Vitamin D3 5000IU capsules.. I'm thinking I will start taking them.
Have ordered some magnesium tablets.
Thyroid results:
I had been taking 200mcg for a week before the blood test. Even when I was reduced to 150 I was still right at the top end of the range..
Now I am taking 25mcg T3 (split half in morning half in evening) and 100mcg levo. I was always told I had enough T4 when they refused to diagnose me so I'm thinking the levo may be unnecessary and the problem is the uptake of the T3.
I was really hoping the results would show a low T3 level showing that my problem is the converting of T4 to T3. But I still have no absolute proof its my thyroid I just suffer every symptom and when my levo dose has been reduced everything gets significantly worse.
I'm taking holland and barrett Vitamin D3 25ug (x 3 or 4 tablets a day) and no I was not taking them at the time of the test. I will ask my doctors about the vitamin D. I also have some Vitamin D3 5000IU capsules.. I'm thinking I will start taking them.
That's a total of 3000-4000iu D3 daily. I'm within the recommended range (after raising my level from severe deficiency at 15nmol/L) and I need 5,000iu D3 daily in the winter, slightly less in the summer, to maintain my level. As they're tablets then are you taking them with plenty of fat? Vit D tablets really aren't worth bothering with, softgels containing olive oil or an oral spray give much better absorption.
I think what you'll have to do is retest your thyroid panel 6-8 weeks after you changed to Levo plus T3. It was pointed out in your previous thread that dose changes should be gradual and T3 should be introduced slowly, but if you've had no adverse reaction then I'd not change anything now, just see what your levels are like in a few weeks' time.
Your FT3 in that test is low in range - just 29% through the range. I expect it will be much higher in range when you retest, and you may even be on too much T3, you'll have to wait and see. I started adding T3 to Levo 3 years ago, tweaked doses for a couple of years and got up o 31.25mcg T3 with 100mcg Levo, now that I've got optimal nutrient levels l have settled on 18.75mcg T3 with approx 116mcg Levo (I have to average over a few days) and that seems to be keeping my levels where they need to be for me, but I still need to monitor them.
Have you tested adrenals? Thyroid and adrenals are connected, it may be worth doing a 24 hours saliva adrenal test which tests both cortisol plus DHEA.
Yes I panicked a bit when everyone said go slower I was thinking I'd have a heart attack or something but fortunately that didnt happen.. It's so difficult to be patient when you are so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and think you might have found a way through the darkness! I realise this is going to take a lot of tweaking and I have to be patient as its not going to come right overnight..
I have not had my adrenals checked for years (I've had blood taken out of my artery a few times to check for adrenal failure when I've ended up in hospital and they haven't been able to work out why) so I will look into this. Is this something my gp can do?
GP wont be able to do a saliva adrenal test. The best one is either Regenerus or Genova. I personally use Regenerus because they send results direct to you, Genova send them to ThyroidUK who then send them on to you.
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