I had the Medichecks Thyroid plus Ultravit done and the results are as follows:
CRP HS 4.32 (<5)
Ferritin 58.5 (13-150)
Folate-serum 13.02 (>3.89)
B12 71.6 (37.5-188)
Vitamin D 34.9 (50-175)
TSH 0.942 (0.27-4.2)
FT3 4.21 (3.1-6.8)
FT4 11.2 (12-22)
THYROGLOBULIN Antibodies <10 (<115)
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 12.1 (<34)
So I guess I'm back at square one as it isn't an autoimmune thing and my TSH is still within the normal range. I'm genuinely at a loss as to what is going on and I can't afford to go private to speak to a GP etc about the low T4. I very much doubt my GP will pay attention to these test results either as they're not from the labs my GP uses.
Any ideas? You were all so helpful last time I asked about everything.
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saltylu
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Agreed, vitamin D is much too low. If this is your vitamin D result at the end of the summer then you badly need to supplement and will probably always need a maintenance dose once you've got vitamin D3 to mid-lab range.
SeasideSusie has good advice in her replies on how much to supplement, read those and check out the Vitamin D Council UK website for more information. You need to take the cofactors with vitamin D3, these are listed on the website.
Looking at your previous results, this isn't the first time that you've had a below range FT4
I am not medically trained, and I am not diagnosing, but what could be indicated here is Central Hypothyroidism. This is where the problem lies with the hypothalamus or the pituitary rather than a problem with the thyroid gland. With Central Hypothyroidism the TSH can be low, normal or slightly raised, and the FT4 will be low.
TSH is a pituitary hormone, the pituitary checks to see if there is enough thyroid hormone, if not it sends a message to the thyroid to produce some. That message is TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). In Primary Hypothyroidism the TSH will be high. If there is enough hormone then there's no need for the pituitary to send the message to the thyroid so TSH remains low.
However, with Central Hypothyroidism the signal isn't getting through for whatever reason. It could be due to a problem with the pituitary (Secondary Hypothyroidism) or the hypothalamus (Tertiary Hypothyroidism).
Your GP can look at BMJ Best Practice for information - here is something you can read without needing to be subscribed
You could do some more research, print out anything that may help and show your GP.
As Central Hypothyroidism isn't as common as Primary Hypothyroidism it's likely that your GP hasn't come across it before. You may need to be referred to an endocrinologist. If so then please make absolutely sure that it is a thyroid specialist that you see. Most endos are diabetes specialists and know little about the thyroid gland (they like to think they do and very often end up making us much more unwell that we were before seeing them). You can email Dionne at tukadmin@thyroiduk.org for the list of thyroid friendly endos. Then ask on the forum for feedback on any that you can get to. Then if your GP refers you, make sure it is to one recommended here. It's no guarantee that they will understand Central Hypothyroidism but it's better than seeing a diabetes specialist. You could also ask on the forum if anyone has been successful in getting a diagnosis of Central Hypothyroidism, possibly in your area which you'll have to mention of course.
Your antibodies are negative for autoimmune thyroid disease but you can have Hashi's without raised antibodies apparently.
Ferritin 58.5 (13-150)
This is a bit low. 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.
You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet
This is just about OK. I would want mine in double figures. If Active B12 is below 70 then that suggests testing for B12 deficiency. As you are over that limit then I would consider supplementing with a good B Complex containing methylfolate and methylcobalamin. Good brands recommended here are Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B.
Vitamin D 34.9nmol/L (50-175) = 13.96ng/ml
This is very low. 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, based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 4,900iu D3 daily (nearest is 5,000iu)
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:
For best absorption from an oral supplement that is swallowed, use an oil based softgel (eg Doctor's Best) rather than tablets or capsules. Some people like an oral spray (eg BetterYou) or sublingual liquid and these are absorbed through the mucous membranes in the oral cavity and bypass the stomach.
There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council
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.
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Further to my recent post/2
Do my blood test results indicate a problem with my thyroid?
Update, changed doctors.
Update to my test results
Update to Previous Thread with Results
