Ths daughters results

[Georginaschoey]

Hi all.

Can anyone help me with these results please.

my Daughter had been feeling tired and constipated for some time and as hypothyroidism is in both sides of her family including me, I advised her to see her Dr in October 2018. He said her B12 was low and give her tablets for that. She went on an unrelated matter today and got her results.

Is TSH high with the ranges showing there?

Thanks in advance

[shaws Administrator]

Did your daughter have the earliest possible appointment? - fasting (she can drink water) and if taking thyroid hormones we'd allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take them afterwards. This is from Thyroiduk but it wont compare with the NHS's advice i.e. that to wait until the TSH reaches 10 before being diagnosed. In other countries if it is above 3 we'd probably be diagnosed as well as symptoms being taken into account.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Did your daughter have thyroid antibodies tested? If not I'd ask for a Full Thyroid Function Test. If you're in the UK, GP probably wont but there are private labs that do finger tips home pin-prick tests. If antibodies are present, despite the TSH result she should be prescribed. A Full Thyroid Function Test is:-

TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies.

GP should also check B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Deficiencies cause symptoms.

All blood draw should be at the very earliest, fasting (she can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between test and dose (if she was taking thyroid hormones). This helps keep the TSH at its highest as it drops throughout the day.

[MaisieGray]

The TSH is below mid-reference range, so definitely not high. However, as a pituitary hormone, it is inadequate on its own, to judge thyroid function by. She needs a full thyroid function test (TSH,FT3, FT4, and thyroid antibodies) in order to judge likely dysfunction. Others will comment in more detail about the other results, but it is clear that her ferritin level (iron storage protein) is way too low, and could very well explain her tiredness. The very slightly below-range total alkaline phosphate could be connected to low iron, but also may also be due to a deficiency of zinc or general malnutrition. The high in range serum albumin might indicate dehydration or a diet high in protein. What is your daughter's overall diet like?

[Georginaschoey in reply to MaisieGray]

Thank you 😊 if she continues feeling unwell I will ask her to insist they do a full thyroid check.

[Georginaschof in reply to Georginaschoey]

Thanks for your reply.

She went for a routine blood test for feeling tired and being constantly constipated. She was diagnosed vit B12 deficient. If she starts to feel unwell again I will get her to ask for a full thyroid check.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Georginaschoey

Ferritin is low at 22 (10-291). Low ferritin causes fatigue. Symptoms of low ferritin listed in this article:

restartmed.com/low-ferritin/

It's said that for thyroid hormone to work properly (that's our own as well as replacement hormone) ferritin needs to be at least 70, preferably half way through range.

I've seen it said that for females 100-130 is a good level. It would be worth doing an iron panel and full blood count to see if there is any anaemia.

Vit D is low at 51nmol/L (20.4ng/ml). The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml). It's not low enough for her GP to prescribe anything. If she wants to improve her level then the Vit D Council recomments, to raise her current level to the recommended level, to supplement with 3,700iu D3 daily (nearest is 4,000iu).

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

Once she's reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, 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:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

there are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

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].

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).

As both of these are low, I would also test B12 and Folate.

Autoimmune thyroid disease can cause low vitamin levels, so testing thyroid antibodies (thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) would also be a good idea.

[Georginaschoey in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much for that xxi

[Georginaschof]

Thank you for your reply. I will keep my eye on her and will be sure she insists on full testing.