Medicheck results

[Islandlife1]

SeasideSusie Hi there, it’s been a while since I posted here. I have eventually got my medichecks tests done and I would be grateful if you could advise me what to do next. I received the results this morning. I am currently not taking any thyroid medication. I am taking vitamin d daily. Thank you

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Islandlife1

CRP-HS and Ferritin are fine.

Folate, although "in range", I would want mine in double figures.

Active B12 is below range. Viapath at St Thomas' Hospital suggest testing for B12 deficiency when the result is below 70. I think you should speak to your GP about this and ask for further testing. You could possible have B12 deficiency or Pernicious Anaemia or any of the other related conditions mentioned in the Viapath article:

viapath.co.uk/our-tests/act...

Reference range: >70*; * between 25-70 referred for MMA

Check for signs of B12 deficiency here

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

List any that you are experiencing to discuss with your GP. If he is reluctant to do further testing, push for it because they are supposed to go by symptoms not numbers. If he wants to do a Serum B12 test, be aware that you can have a decent Serum B12 result but that doesn't reflect how much Active B12 there is, and it's Active B12 that shows what's available for the cells to use.

Vit D - how much are you taking? You're below the level recommended by the Vit D Council - 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society - 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml) so you might want to aim for that.

Are you also taking D3's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?

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).

TSH is over range, this would suggest you are on your way to hypothyroidism (you would be diagnosed when it reaches 3 in some countries)

TPO antibodies are raised which suggests autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's which is where which is where the thyroid is attacked and gradually destroyed. Fluctuations in symptoms and test results are common with Hashi's.

TSH over range with in range FT4 is classed as Subclinical Hypothyroidism and where this is present, with raised antibodies, an enlightened doctor would start treatment with Levothyroxine.

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine (the magazine for doctors):

Question 2 asks:

I often see patients who have an elevated TSH but normal T4. How should I be managing them?

Answer:

The combination of a normal serum T4 and raised serum TSH is known as subclinical hypothyroidism. If measured, serum T3 will also be normal. Repeat thyroid function tests in 2 or 3 months in case the abnormality represents a resolving thyroiditis.

But if it persists then antibodies to thyroid peroxidase should be measured. If these are positive - indicative of underlying autoimmune thyroid disease - the patient should be considered to have the mildest form of hypothyroidism.

In the absence of symptoms, some would simply recommend annual thyroid function tests until serum TSH is over 10mU/l or symptoms such as tiredness and weight gain develop. But a more pragmatic approach is to recognise that the thyroid failure is likely to become worse and try to nip things in the bud rather than risk loss to follow up.

Treatment should be started with levothyroxine in a dose sufficient to restored serum TSH to the lower part of it's reference range. Levothyroxine in a dose of 75-100mcg daily will usually be enough.

You can obtain a copy of the article by emailing Dionne at

[e-mail]

print it and highlight question 2 to show your doctor.

Some members have found that adopting a strict gluten free diet can help when Hashi's is present, although there is no guarantee.

Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks.

You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.

Gluten/thyroid connection: chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

hypothyroidmom.com/hashimot...

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

Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.

[Islandlife1 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for taking the time to get back to me. I’m taking 2x800 vitamin d daily. Will I maybe put it up to 3 daily? This is all I take. I will buy the other supplements you recommended. I will also arrange an appointment with my gp. I just hope they accept my medicheck results.

[Marz in reply to Islandlife1]

Is your VitD prescribed by your GP ? - and does it also contain calcium ??

[Islandlife1 in reply to Marz]

Hi yes I get it prescribed by by my Gp

[Marz in reply to Islandlife1]

Does it contain calcium ?

[Islandlife1 in reply to Marz]

Sorry I don’t think it does just has d3 on box. They are gel tablets

[Marz in reply to Islandlife1]

It's just that we read here often that the D3 prescribed by the NHS contains calcium - so not enough D3 VitD improves the uptake of calcium from foods so really no need to add extra - hence my asking !

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Islandlife1]

Islandlife1

For your current level, to raise it to the recommended level, the Vit D Council suggests supplementing with 2,500iu D3 daily, so increasing to 3 x 800iu would be about right.

However, as you have Hashi's, or best absorption an oral spray is recommended (eg BetterYou) or sublingual drops (eg Vitabay Organics) so you might want to consider changing when you need to restock your D3.

I just hope they accept my medicheck results.

If you take the evidence from St Thomas' with you I don't see how they can not accept them, but if they do just invite them to do their own but ask that it be Active B12 (I don't think GPs can actually get Active B12 tested so be aware that you may only get Serum B12 tested and watch out for that coming back in range and being told everything is fine).

As for your thyroid results, your GP may be able to get TPO antibodies tested. Just make sure that if your GP runs a thyroid function test then you need an over range TSH to have any chance of a diagnosis so follow the normal advice given here

* Earliest appointment of the morning, no later than 9am

* Fast overnight after evening meal/supper, delay breakfast until after the test, drink water only until after the test.

If GP refuses, ask for a referral to an endocrinologist due to raised TPO antibodies.