Any help appreciated with test results - Thyroid UK

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Any help appreciated with test results

Jo_Joey profile image
5 Replies

Hello

I’m relatively new here. I’d been taking 4.5 grains daily of Naturethroid without issue for several years until the beginning of this year. I’m now taking 5 grains/pills of TR Man and I finally got around to taking blood tests to monitor this.

I was pretty much symptom-free on Naturethroid before it stopped working. I’m now maybe 80% well . I’m generally cold and tired a lot of the time, with random heart palpitations.

My Medichecks results are:

TSH <0.005 (0.27-4.2)

FT3 6.06 (3.1-6.8)

FT4 17.1 (12-22)

B12 36.7 (37.5-188)

Folate serum 4.49 (>3.89)

Bit D 75.5 (50-175)

Ferritin 73.7 (13-150)

Thyroglobulin 12.1 (<115)

Thyroid Peroxidase 15.6 (<34)

I also tested my adrenals. The first reading was below range, the rest were fine.

The B12 is low. I don’t know whether it’s worth a visit to the GP. They generally don’t interfere with my thyroid treatment as I guess it’s costing them nothing but I don’t fancy a visit where we squabble about thyroxine and don’t actually achieve anything!

If anyone could help interpret these numbers, I’d be very grateful.

Many thanks,

Jo

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SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Jo_Joey

Your thyroid results look OK, what one would expect when on NDT.

B12 36.7 (37.5-188)

Active B12 below 70 suggests testing for B12 deficiency according to Viapath at St Thomas' Hospital:

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

Check or signs of B12 deficiency:

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

List any that you have to discuss with your GP when asking for testing for B12 deficiency.

Folate serum 4.49 (>3.89)

"In range" but low, I'd want mine in double figures. After testing for B12 deficiency and B12 injections or supplementation commenced, you can start taking a B Complex which willl help raise your folate level and is needed to balance all the B vitamins when taking B12. Consider Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B, both are good quality brands with the bioactive forms of ingredients. Don't take one containing folic acid, methylfolate is the better form to take.

Vit D 75.5 (50-175) = 30.2ng/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).

To reach the recommended level from your current level the Vit D Council suggests supplementing with 2,500iu D3 daily.

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

Retest in 3 months.

As you don't have Hashi's, a good quality supplement at a reasonable price is Doctor's Best D3 softgels. Check out Dolphin Fitness, they are usually the cheapest.

When you have 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).

Ferritin 73.7 (13-150)

This is just about OK for a female, recommended is half way through range although I have seen it said that 100-130 is a good level for females. You could eat liver, liver pate or black pudding every couple of weeks or so which would maintain your level.

Don't start all supplements at the same time. Start with one, leave it 1-2 weeks and if no adverse reaction then add the second one. Continue like this. If you have any reaction then you will know what caused it.

I also tested my adrenals. The first reading was below range, the rest were fine.

Can't really comment because "fine" could mean anywhere in range. Was it a Regenerus or Genova test? If so you could add a picture of the graphic that shows your results and we can see how well you follow the normal curve.

Jo_Joey profile image
Jo_Joey in reply to SeasideSusie

Thank you so much for your response. It’s really kind of you to take the time to help me. I’ll list my adrenal results from Medichecks below. The reason I didn’t worry too much about them is that around five years ago, I had a Genova cortisol test and all four readings were way below range. I was in a really bad way. Cutting out gluten seemed to be a “miracle” cure and allowed the NDT I was taking to start working. The fact that only one reading was out of range last week was such a relief!

I’ll read all the links you sent and then visit the GP once I’m psyched up.

Cortisol waking 28.4 (6-21)

1200pm 6.39 (1.5-7.6)

1600 2.83 (0-5.5)

Bedtime <1.5 (0-2)

Thank you again.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Jo_Joey

Jo_Joey

Cortisol waking 28.4 (6-21)

Is that right? You said originally

"I also tested my adrenals. The first reading was below range, the rest were fine."

Optimal levels according to web.archive.org/web/2018083... are

• Morning at the top of the range

• Noon approximately 75% of the range

- yours is 80%

• Evening close to 50% of the range

- 51%

• Nighttime at the bottom of the range - who knows?

I don't rate Medichecks cortisol test I'm afraid. First of all, they don't test DHEA as well as cortisol and it's important to have both when testing adrenals. Also, for the evening test they have zero as bottom of the range, I honestly find it hard to believe that anyone with zero cortisol would actually be anything other than very ill. As for the nighttime test, you don't get a result. Just saying <1.5 means that it could be 0.1 or it could be 1.4 and there is a massive difference between those two results considering that the nighttime sampe ideally should be at the bottom of the range. 0.1 certainly is but 1.4 would be 70% through range.

Jo_Joey profile image
Jo_Joey in reply to SeasideSusie

Hello again

The levels I gave for the waking cortisol were correct. I should have said "above/out of range" rather than below as it's clearly not.

I've just got back from the GP and hes arranged a full panel of blood tests and says I'll need b12 injections to get my levels back up. I was totally expecting to be fobbed off so am pleasantly surprised.

Many thanks.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Jo_Joey

I've just got back from the GP and hes arranged a full panel of blood tests and says I'll need b12 injections to get my levels back up

Without the further testing for B12 deficiency/pernicious anaemia? Having a definitive answer would be helpful.

healthline.com/health/perni...

pernicious-anaemia-society....

Once on B12 injections then further testing will be skewed, so don't let GP stop the injections once you are in range.

Feel free to post any new test results, with ranges, for comment when you have them.

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