Thyroid Private Blood Test Results

[GardenerSue]

Results received from my recent private blood tests. Any interpretation comments would be gratefully received please. The results for vitamins showed my Vitamin D level to be low, verging on insufficient . I am now wondering if I’ve had low levels for a while and have been attributing the symptoms to my Hypothyroidism? If that is the case, would my fluctuating T4 etc be a result of having over replaced my thyroxine ? Kind of makes sense. T4 and T3 are now too high and I know it!!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

GardenerSue

From a previous post it seems as though you are taking 175mcg Levo.

Suppressed TSH and over range FT4/FT3 indicate you are overmedicated at the moment.

Thyroid antibodies are both in range; however, they're not particularly low. I wouldn't be surprised if you have autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's and you've tested at a time when they're on the lower side so in range. I would expect to see TPO antibodies over range at some point, although you can have Hashi's without antibodies being elevated.

If you've had TSH, FT4 and FT3 in range with that dose of Levo before, then this also can suggest that you might be in a Hashi's swing towards hyper, you say you've had fluctuating levels so this does seem to point to Hashi's.

Some members have found that adopting a strict gluten free diet can help, although there is no guarantee but it's worth trying.

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.

**

Are you taking any supplements or other medication?

Folate and Active B12 are fine.

Ferritin is over range. This can be caused by infection or inflammation (or you are supplementing too much, or you ate liver/liver pate/black pudding in the week before the test).

CRP is over range, again this can be caused by inflammation.

Vit D: 56.5nmol/L = 22.6ng/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 3,700iu D3 daily

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

As you potentially have Hashi's, for best absorption an oral spray is recommended, eg BetterYou, or sublingual drops, eg Vitabay Organics, as they bypass the gut.

Retest after 3 months.

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).

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.

PS - I've deleted the duplicate post.

[GardenerSue in reply to SeasideSusie]

All very concerning. I think it might be a good idea for me to locate a sympathetic endocrinologist and consult them, any suggestions? I am starting Vitamin D supplements today. 175 mcg thyorixine is a lower dose than I’ve been taking for a long time, I’m now reducing it to 150mcg as T4 and T3 are too high. I suspect unless the Vitamin D helps, that I shall be feeling hypo within a few weeks. My TSH has been suppressed for years. The comments on autoimmune results were that they were within the normal range.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to GardenerSue]

All very concerning. I think it might be a good idea for me to locate a sympathetic endocrinologist and consult them, any suggestions?

Well, the endo I saw was a total waste of space and oxygen and made me very ill. Other members have had mixed experiences, many bad ones, a few good ones.

I can't suggest anyone but you can send for the list of thyroid friendly endos from Dionne at ThyroidUK then ask for feedback by private message on any that you can travel to

[e-mail]

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Low vitamin D is extremely common with being hypothyroid, especially if cause is Hashimoto's

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/286...

Vitamin D deficiency is frequent in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and treatment of patients with this condition with Vitamin D may slow down the course of development of hypothyroidism and also decrease cardiovascular risks in these patients. Vitamin D measurement and replacement may be critical in these patients.

Would suspect you have had above range antibodies in past ....do you have online access to historic blood test results?

You are legally entitled to printed copies of your old blood test results and ranges.

UK GP practices are supposed to offer online access for blood test results. Ring and ask if this is available and apply to do so if possible, if it is you may need "enhanced access" to see blood results.

In reality many GP surgeries do not have blood test results online yet

Alternatively ring receptionist and request printed copies of results. Allow couple of days and then go and pick up.

Alternatively you may just wish to try strictly gluten free diet, it helps thousands with Hashimoto's

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

The obtained results suggest that the gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

88% benefit from strictly gluten free diet

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

Going gluten free is a strategy that everyone with Hashimoto’s should try. In some cases, we see a complete remission of the condition; in other cases (88% of the time), the person feels significantly better in terms of bloating, diarrhea, energy, weight, constipation, stomach pain, reflux, hair regrowth, and anxiety.

[GardenerSue in reply to SlowDragon]

I don’t know that Hashimoto’s disease was the cause of my hypothyroidism of the last 18 years? I’m also unsure if thyroid antibodies have ever been checked until now or if they were only about once. I feel that I need a diagnosis before trying to treat myself for something that I’ve not had diagnosed.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to GardenerSue]

To know if you do have Hashimoto's you would need to get access to historic blood tests see if antibodies were ever high in past

Or

Have an ultrasound scan of thyroid. This can diagnose Hashimoto's

20% of Hashimoto's patients never have raised antibodies

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Medics don't recognise any difference between idiopathic hypothyroidism and autoimmune hypothyroidism

About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is due to autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's)

Medically the treatment is exactly the same - replacement thyroid hormones

But patients find they make more progress by maintaining optimal vitamin levels and frequently find benefit trying strictly gluten free diet and/or lactose free diet

Lactose intolerance is also very common with Hashimoto's.

Personally I have never tried lactose free

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/240...

Lactose intolerance was diagnosed in 75.9 % of the patients with HT

read.qxmd.com/read/24796930...

These findings show that lactose intolerance significantly increased the need for oral T4 in hypothyroid patients.

[GardenerSue in reply to SlowDragon]

I can request historic blood tests from the surgery but need a sympathetic endocrinologist to look at them I think. The consultant I’ve seen before doesn’t appear very ‘interested’ .

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to GardenerSue]

Majority of endocrinologist are Diabetes specialists

Email Dionne at Thyroid Uk for list of recommended thyroid specialists

But you may be perfectly fine once you improve your vitamin D levels

As it stands there doesn't seem to be a reason to see an endocrinologist if you are basically pretty well

You might try strictly gluten free diet, to see if it helps.

If you have reduced your Levothyroxine, this may be why vitamin D has dropped

Or you may have had to reduce Levothyroxine because vitamin D was too low

Either way you need to retest thyroid levels 6-8 weeks after any dose change in Levothyroxine (or brand change in Levothyroxine)

Retesting vitamin D in 2-3 months

vitamindtest.org.uk

[GardenerSue in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes I know about retesting after changes in dose. I’m hoping that things will improve now I’m taking a vitamin D supplement. I do appreciate people's comments as would just like to be ‘sorted’. I don’t think until this week’s private blood test that my vitamin D level has ever been checked. The recent frequent changes in dose of Levothyroxine has been because my T4 was either too high or too low for me. I also understand that my low vitamin D level might be responsible for some of my symptoms currently attributed to Hypothyroidism. I am hoping that higher Vitamin D will relieve some of these. My TSH has been suppressed for years and no dr has seemed very concerned about this. I think I can try gluten free pretty easily as I don’t actually eat a lot of foods containing gluten and if I fancy the odd piece of bread then gluten free options are readily available. As a patient I just feel that I would like a Dr to tell me the cause of my issues. It is a shame that we need to rely on fellow sufferers to share their experiences, rather than be able to discuss matters easily with a sympathetic medic. I shall see how I get on with my current pill and diet regime.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to GardenerSue]

Medics dismiss autoimmune thyroid disease because it's complicated and they don't understand it

I was never aware of my vitamin D ever being tested in 24 years. Actually when I recently got access to historic blood test results, I saw it had been tested about 20 years ago and was severely deficient. I was never told, or prescribed or advised to supplement.

Only finally made progress when came here to this forum about 4 years ago and got FULL Thyroid and vitamin testing privately. More on my profile.