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Blood Results

Angie56 profile image
16 Replies

Hi there ,

Please can someone help me with my blood results . I take 20mg T3 and 100mg Levothyroxine ..

Ferritin 180 Range 13-150

B12 - 647 Range 197-777

Folate - 9.6 3.9 -26.8

T4. 18:2. Range 12-22

TSH 0.02. Range. 0.27- 4.2

T3. 6.1. Range 3.1 - 6.8

I am dizzy all the time and so exhausted constant swollen lymph nodes .

Many thanks for taking the time to read this as I appreciate any advice at all so much .

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Angie56
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SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

How do you take your T3?

As split dose?

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).

When on T3, make sure to take last dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

No vitamin D test?

What supplements do you currently take?

Folate is on low side

Had look on profile page ....couldn't see any antibodies test results....do you have Hashimoto's?

If so are you on strictly gluten free diet?

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSlowDragon

Hi Slow Dragon ,

Thanks so much for your kind reply . I took my t4 and t3 24 hours apart but haven’t had vitamin d tested in a year . I am seeing my consultant in two weeks hopefully he will test it .. I was on iron tablets as my haemoglobin was low for three months . I didn’t get haemoglobin tested this time . I’m not sure Doc will give me folate tablets for my result as it seems to b only if it’s two or three they give folate tablets .

Many thanks 😊

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSlowDragon

Hi Slow dragon ,

I hope you are well!

I wanted to let you know I saw my consultant on Saturday he did a lot of blood tests though he has prescribed b12, folate , b1 thiamine and vitamin D. I also have swollen nodules which I hope will go away .

You were so right about Folate thank you.😊

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toAngie56

Do you have Hashimoto's? Diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies or by ultrasound

20% of Hashimoto's patients never have raised antibodies

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

If you have Hashimoto's are you on strictly gluten free diet?

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSlowDragon

Hi Slow dragon ,

Thanks for your reply , I don’t think I have Hashimotos though doctor tested for antibodies as I asked though haven’t got result yet .

Please could you tell me do nodules go away or what causes them ? I’m a Singing tutor as well so I’m hoping they go away . My gp said it was due to being run down .

Hope you are well yourself .

Thanks

Angels

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Angie56

Your thyroid results are good, what one would expect for someone taking a combination of Levo plus T3. Although some people are fine with a lower FT4 some of us need it in the upper part of the range when taking a combination (me included).

Your ferritin is a little high, this could be due to inflammation, or are you taking iron tablets, or maybe had an iron rich meal in the few days before testing.

Folate could be higher, at least half way through range is recommended. Do you take a B Complex?

As you are dizzy, I would consider doing the Active B12 test. Although your Serum Total B12 is good, your Active B12 might not be and it's the Active B12 that is available for cells to use. You can do a fingerprick Active B12 test with Medichecks.

What's your current Vit D level?

Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSeasideSusie

Hi Seaside Susie ,

Thanks so much for getting back to me I really appreciate it . I haven’t had vitamin d tested in a year and antibodies must be two years . I did have low haemoglobin levels and was on iron tablets for three months though haven’t had it tested this time just ferritin and folate .

I am not sure my doc will give me folate tabs as she might think that’s good result even though I feel rough .

I am not on b complex - I take b12 tablets though stopped them for two weeks to get blood tests done . Do I need to stop the b12 tablets to get these b12 serum tests ? My mum has pernicious anaemia ..

Thank you so much - hope you are well yourself 😊

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply toAngie56

When we are taking certain supplements, we need to test regularly to see if we are taking the right dose of supplement for our needs. The following two are important because taking too much can lead to toxicity levels as any excess is stored:

When supplementing with Vit D we need to test twice yearly.

When supplementing with iron we need to test every 2-3 months.

B vitamins are water soluble so any excess should be excreted. However, we need to know that we are taking enough so annual testing of folate would be a good idea.

I am not sure my doc will give me folate tabs as she might think that’s good result even though I feel rough .

Your doctor wont prescribe folic acid because you are in range, but you are too low in the range.

I am not on b complex - I take b12 tablets though stopped them for two weeks to get blood tests done .

When taking B12 we need to also take B Complex to all the B vitamins. If you start taking a B Complex this will raise your folate level. Consider Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B which contain the bioavailable forms of the vitamins - methylfolate and methylcobalamin, avoid folic acid and cyanocobalamin.

Do I need to stop the b12 tablets to get these b12 serum tests ?

To get a baseline B12 level we need to be off B12 supplement for 4-5 months. If we continue taking them then the result will reflect whether or not we are taking enough. This is what Medichecks says about B vitamins and testing:

Biotin supplements (this includes B Complex which contains Biotin - B7)

Biotin can affect the results of any test which relies on antibodies to perform the measurement. It is wise to assume that any hormone or vitamin test will be affected, which means that the majority of our test panels can be affected by biotin supplements.

The issue with Biotin only affects people who take high dose biotin supplements. The manufacturers of the laboratory tests define this as 5000 mcg per day or more.

We are recommending people do not take high dose biotin supplements for 24 hours prior to having their blood drawn.

If they are taking high dose biotin for medical reasons (e.g. multiple sclerosis) then a shorter washout period of 8 hours can be used.

Note - previously Medichecks advised leaving off Biotin for 7 days and I think it's still prudent to do this.

Vitamin B12 supplements.

The answer to this depends upon what they are wanting to assess.

To work out whether B12 supplements are meeting the body's requirements we recommend not taking supplements for one week prior to having their blood drawn.

If a customer wants to assess whether they have an underlying B12 deficiency then it can take months (and potentially up to two years) for levels to fall to their natural levels after stopping supplementation. In this instance we would not recommend.

As your mother has PA then I would certainly consider the Active B12 test but you would need to be off B12 supplements for a few months to get back to baseline otherwise you wont get an accurate result and B12 deficiency/PA could be missed.

If you have had positive antibodies show in a previous test then there's no need for further testing, once tested positive that confirms Hashi's.

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSeasideSusie

Hi Seaside Susie ,

I’m so sorry I’m only replying now I lost all my emails and just got them back . I asked my doc for folate and she refused and she also said that she thinks my thyroid levels are too high and I need to lower my t3 or t4 though thankfully she can’t do that without my consultants permission .

I will look into getting the b complex you mentioned as I’m so tired dizzy and migraines nearly every day .

Thank you so much I appreciate your advice 😊

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply toAngie56

I asked my doc for folate and she refused

Of course she has, as I said your result shows your level to be within range and they wont prescribe if it's in range. They have no concept of "optimal levels", they are just taught that anywhere within range means everything is perfect, which is why we have to help ourselves.

Don't forget to leave off B Complex for 7 days before any future blood tests as the biotin it contains can cause false results.

Did you give any further thought to the Active B12 test considering the family history of PA? If you want to do it then don't start the B Complex yet. If the Active B12 result comes back below 70 then that suggests testing for B12 deficiency so leave off the B Complex until any further testing has been done.

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSeasideSusie

I’m not sure I could stay off the b12 that long as I am so exhausted at the moment and back teaching so need all my energy . I will ask the consultant to test my vitamin d as I haven’t been taking it in a wee while .

I bought a tonic called Metatone to see if it would help it has Potassium in it .

Thank you ..

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSeasideSusie

Hi Seaside Susie ,

Hope you are keeping well 😊

I wanted to let you know I saw my consultant on Saturday he said I was run down did blood tests . I showed him my results he said Folate b12 wasn’t high enough he prescribed both those and vitamin D.

I also have thyroid nodules which I hope will go away or shrink they aren’t too big under a cm think it’s only one .

Thanks so much for your advice and giving me the courage to query my results .

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply toAngie56

Thank you for letting me know and I'm pleased your consultant has done something about your low levels although surprised that he said B12 wasn't high enough. Is this an NHS consultant?

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSeasideSusie

No he’s private though think he does NHS as well . My own Gp wouldn’t prescribe folate or vitamin d though as soon as I seen him I got them this week thank goodness .

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply toAngie56

I had a feeling he wasn't NHS :)

Angie56 profile image
Angie56 in reply toSeasideSusie

He’s Chinese and thinks outside the box thank god as before I saw NHS consultants and they didn’t look at vitamins at all or t3 he gave me that .

I would recommend him to anyone .

I discovered I have nodule as well so hoping it goes away once I get my levels up and am stronger . I can’t understand how the gps didn’t think my vitamin d could be low with how many infections I am taking .

Hope you are keeping well yourself 😊

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