My GP blood results done in May 2019 ( been on levo 125mcg for 16 years) below:
TSH. 1.4 miu/L (0.3-4.5)
Free T3. 4 pmol/L (3.1-6.8)
Free T4. 17.9 pmol/L (10-22)
TPA. 9.4 kU/L (0-34)
GP states normal, no change to meds.
Medicheck results July 2019
TSH 0.846 miu/L ( 0.27-4.2)
Free T3 4.37 pmol/L (3.1-6.8)
T4 17.7 pmol/L ( 12-22)
TGA. 10 ( <115 ku/l)
TPA 9 ( < 34 ku/l)
So to me these look pretty similar, if anything TSH looks better in July and T3 is higher too slightly. The negative antibodies surprised me as I thought most people have Hashimoto disease and that this is what I had. I haven’t ever been hyper or had radiation therapy or other causes for hypo so now I am just really puzzled why I am hypo. My mum is too. Mine was diagnosed 4 months after giving birth 16 years ago. What type of hypo is this? Could it be iodine deficiency?
But also got vitamins tested and one jumped out as out of range- folate.
Here’s the other results, all designated normal range except folate.
CRP 3.33 mg/l ( <5)
Ferritin 99.2 ug/l ( 13-150)
Folate 2.16 ug/l ( 3.89-19.45)
Vit B12 Active 112pmol/l ( 37.5-188)
Vit D 63.3 nmol/l ( 50-175)
I expected Vit D to be higher in range as been taking 1000ug daily for a couple of years.
I read up on folate and am so surprised by this- I eat very healthy, lots of fruit and veg inc those high in folate like leafy greens, oranges and am not heavy drinker. Could it be a gut absorption issue?
Would really appreciate any help in understanding results and where to go next with this. I still have lots of symptoms of hypo ( fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, hair loss including eyebrows, muscle pain etc) but also worried as health has worsened, since diagnosis of thyroid have had breast cancer, gallstones, acute pancreatitis, now prediabetic! Despite exercise, following healthy diet, I just want some control back over my health and doctors fob me off with the usual eat less/ exercise more ( which I am doing but doubt they believe me!)
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Its not high, I mistakenly put 33.3 but its 3.33 which is normal range. Am in remission for 4 years, take anastrozole to prevent recurrence. Not sure how to go back and re- edit post to correct it!
I hope you can get them to look at it again with your CRP result being high- they should run more tests as it can indicate disease somewhere in body but could be antibodies causing it. Have heard gluten free can make big difference?
Hi, I too am hypo and have had Breast cancer. I found that aromatase inhibitors caused back pain that was so bad I couldn’t continue with them. They also made me gain weight. Maybe this is contributing to your symptoms? It’s always difficult to unpick things like this. Are you going to supplement folate? Your T3 could be nearer the top of the range. Maybe the addition of a little T3 would help? I was on thyroxine alone for 12 years after diagnosis and suddenly it didn’t work for me any more. I was lucky to have been referred to an endocrinologist who prescribed T3, but it sounds as though your doctor wouldn’t go along with that and of course prescribing T3 has been cut right back now. You ask about absorption issues. I’m not the expert but I’ve found that taking kefir really helps my gut. There are some kefir experts on the forum so do post for advice if you feel it would help. I don’t know if any of this resonates with you, but hope it helps.
I don't think I have a cat in hell's chance of persuading my GP to give me T3- I have asked about that and mentioned absorption issues before , he wont do it. I did see an endo a few years back after asking but he was hopeless, said he didn't see why I was there as my results were in range- wasn't interested that I had early menopause, hair loss, weight gain, fatigue, etc. I think he may have been a diabetic specialist though not thyroid
Is it possible that your antibodies were much higher years ago ?were they tested when you was diagnosed? Mine were over 600 but now are negative. Your T3 is low in range and you may have a conversion problem but I doubt your GP will act on that.
GP has never mentioned antibodies, its me that has asked him about it, he agreed to test for it once before, said it was ok and last time I was tested I just asked the nurse who did the blood draw, and she agreed to put that on the slip even though the doc hadn't, but it was negative for TPA. Its possible I have been higher but I don't think they tested it when I was diagnosed, I think I will ask GP for full set of test results going back 16 years...
B vitamins best taken in the morning after breakfast
Recommended brands on here are Igennus Super B complex. (Often only need one tablet per day, not two. Certainly only start with one tablet per day after breakfast. Retesting levels in 6-8 weeks ).
Or Jarrow B-right is popular choice, but is large capsule
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
Increase in vitamin D and adding daily vitamin B complex should help improve conversion
You look like you need dose increase in Levothyroxine
FT4 is only halfway in range and FT3 probably too low. TSH is likely a bit high over one
See if GP will agree 25mcg, or even 12.5mcg dose increase in Levothyroxine
Bloods should be retested 2 months after starting vitamins and especially if you do manage to get dose increase in Levothyroxine
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
Yes I took your previous advice on testing but I couldn't get enough blood on finger prick testing so had to redo it with a blood draw. I have switched to taking my levo around 5 am when I get up for loo as I had been taking all meds at bedtime, I take my anastrozole at night and Vit D ( going to switch time for Vit D) - when should I take other supplements, B vitamins if I start these? I wish I could persuade my GP to trial me on an extra 25mcg but been trying for years to no avail... I have not ever been offered a thyroid scan and no idea if my mum has antibodies, she wouldn't ask, But she is tiny compared to me ( height and weight) yet she is on 100mcg and until recently she took 125mcg every other day. I have taken 125mcg for years, no change. She must be about 5 stone lighter than me, is inactive due to arthritis whereas I am quite active. I thought dose is related to weight yet even though I am heavier they have not increased my dose ( despite eating a hell of a lot less and much healthier for years)
Thanks for the helpful advice though, I will keep trying to improve my health somehow whether docs agree or not! I know there are rules re posting info here but can you tell me by PM if you can buy levo privately in the UK? I would even give it a go myself and then go back to GP in a few months for testing and tell him I am doing that - I bet I would still be in range
The negative antibodies surprised me as I thought most people have Hashimoto disease and that this is what I had. I haven’t ever been hyper or had radiation therapy or other causes for hypo so now I am just really puzzled why I am hypo. My mum is too. Mine was diagnosed 4 months after giving birth 16 years ago. What type of hypo is this? Could it be iodine deficiency?
The majority of hypothyroidism is autoimmune, said to be approximately 90%, but certainly not all.
Other causes of hypothyroidism:
Surgical removal of the thyroid due to cancer.
Genetic - where the thyroid gland doesn't develop properly.
Glandular fever/Epstein Barr virus.
Major trauma - particularly to the thyroid area/neck/head.
Some surgeries.
Pregnancy.
Environmental - deficiency of iodine and possibly other minerals. Environmental toxins - flouride added to drinking water being one of them.
Certain drugs - particularly lithium.
Secondary hypothyroidism where the problem is due to the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland.
And of course iodiopathic.
Here are a couple of short articles which lists some causes of hypothyroidism:
I was diagnosed hypothyroid in 1975. My hypothyroidism is not autoimmune, I developed symptoms not long after the birth of my second child 46 years ago (when I was 25 years old). My mother suddenly developed hypothyroidism around the age of 60, hers was not autoimmune. My sister-in-law developed hypothyroidism when she was in her 40s, hers is not autoimmune. What we do all have in common is that we all come from Birmingham and it was the first city to to have flouride (which is industrial waste, not natural flouride) added to it's drinking water in the early 1960s. A study showed that Birmingham had a much higher incidence of hypothyroidism than Manchester which didn't add flouride to it's water.
Ferritin 99.2 ug/l ( 13-150)
This is OK. I've seen it said that 100-130 is good for females. It's said that it needs to be at least 70 for thyroid hormone to work.
Folate 2.16 ug/l ( 3.89-19.45)
Folate deficiency. See your GP who should prescribe folic acid.
This is good. Below 70 would suggest testing for B12 deficiency.
Vit D 63.3 nmol/l ( 50-175)
I expected Vit D to be higher in range as been taking 1000ug daily for a couple of years.
Have you also been taking D3's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?
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.
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
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 of 63.3nmol/L (25.32ng/ml) , based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 3,700iu D3 daily (nearest is 4,000iu)
When you've 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:
Estrogens have many positive effects throughout our bodies. Menopause reduces the endogenous estrogen available to perform these functions, which explains why so much disease increases among the aging population. This article provides extensive description of the beneficial effects. academic.oup.com/biomedgero...
I wish they would come up with a treatment / prevention for breast cancer that does not involve taking away all of estrogen's beneficial effects.
The Vitamin D Council (in Canada) have evidence of clinical trials whereby the results showed that when women raise their Vit D levels to 150nmol/L, it seemed to protect against breast cancer. If i can find the article I'll post it here.
Thank you, I also heard about this when I attended a breast cancer group after surgery, and all of them had been Vit D tested but my GP never mentioned it! I asked the hospital to test me which was when I found out I was deficient, I think I was about 25 or something so bought 1000mcg supplement and have been taking it since, but it doesn't seem to have got me as high as that! Obviously need more, I find it so annoying that a simple thing like Vit D is not even considered by GP even after BC!!
I also don't have antibodies and have had breast cancer. From what I have read not having antibodies keeps us more stable so a positive! I don't know when you had BC but I found I needed to up my dose after though I didn't need chemo so abit of an easier life but I dropped my dose back down after a year as felt I needed to so I put the need for an increase due to one or all of the following-shock of the diagnosis and from the operation and getting used to the Letrozole I was taking. A general anaesthetic also reduces B12 so I upped that slightly and I had a word with the pharmacist at the cancer hospital and talked about the Letrozole which she said can take a while to settle. I'd already made a point of taking it well away from my thyroid meds. But it is t always easy when something new is thrown at you to sort it out at first
Hi thanks for this, I don't understand though how you increased your dose, I have been asking for literally years for a trial on an extra 25mcg to my 125mcg but doctors are dismissive, because you guessed it!...my bloods are "in range". How do you persuade a doctor what you know you need but they don't believe you do??? Or have you bought it somewhere? I didn't need chemo either ( was borderline benefit so I opted not to) I couldn't cope with letrozole at all, terrible pains in my feet, was hobbling around like I was ninety! Also made me depressed so they took me off it after a few months, was on exemestane which was much better for ages but then started having insomnia so bad that I was going days without sleep ( this is an unusual side effect) so they switched again to anastrozole, been on that 6 months or so. Weight gain predates BC, even following slimming world I have regained nearly all the weight I initially managed to lose ( with difficulty- been trying for 3 years now and am only half stone under where I started) Am desperate to lose the excess, just want to be in overweight category, not super slim instead of obese. I did not have any weight loss issues until a few months before I was diagnosed, its been a struggle since but after first few years I managed to get weight loss of 2 and half stone which I was happy with. Am heavier now than I was before I was diagnosed ( and that was after giving birth!) despite eating very healthy low fat and exercising ( and still the docs don't believe me when I say it must be my thyroid)
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Blood test results - help please x
help with blood results
Blood test results - Help Please!
Help with blood test results please
Bloods Results help please
