Thyroid blood tests

[Wwerty]

Can anyone tell me the best site fore blood tests please

[Marz]

Click onto About Testing in the link below ...

thyroiduk.org

[Wwerty in reply to Marz]

Thank you, I’ve looked and the clinics are all down south, I’m East Yorkshire, do drs take notice of blood tests do through medichecks ect, Or is there anywhere private that I can get a blood test today

[Lora7again in reply to Wwerty]

My GP does not take any interest in my medichecks results and always insists in doing a NHS test which is not as detailed and is just the TSH and T4 if you are lucky. The labs usually see the TSH is in range and refuse to test anything else. This has been happening to me for the last 12 years that I have suffered with Graves' disease. Unless the NHS changes its guidelines this will continue I am afraid. I use medichecks for my own records because the NHS have not helped me in the past so I have to help myself .... sad isn't it? Unfortunately this is happening all over the UK and in other countries as well and I have no idea if it will ever change.

[Wwerty in reply to Lora7again]

Thank you for replying, I’m having the same issue, they stopped my levo 12 weeks ago and It’s been the worst 12 weeks of my life but because my tsh is in range they won’t give it back, even after they contacted the Endo who thinks I have Hashimotos because of my positive antibodies they still won’t let me take it because my tsh is in range. I’m at my wits end, I’ve practically been housebound for the last three months, anxiety, depression(which I’ve never suffered before) horrible fatigue, shaking, feel like My insides are trembling, agony with my joints and thigh muscles, weak legs the list is endless, but because my tsh is in range they just close the book.

[Lora7again in reply to Wwerty]

How much Levothyroxine were you taking? I would go back and tell them how ill you feel and you need them to reinstate it straight away. Once you start Levothyroxine you don't stop it especially if you need it. I would do a full thyroid blood test with medichecks and then post the results on here for advice. Their turn around is very quick and if you need a nurse to draw your blood they will tell you where to go to in your area and charge you about £20. I actually had my last blood test through medichecks at my local hospital which is 15 minutes from where I live. I was able to get there for 8.30am and was one of the first to have my blood taken. You need to not eat anything before your test and just drink water.

[Wwerty in reply to Lora7again]

I’ve been back every week plus several phone calls and emails they just say it’s in my head

[Lora7again in reply to Wwerty]

Same old story up and down the UK because of the NHS guidelines which are wrong and are keeping a lot of people ill ... I know I was bedridden for over 2 years so I self treated because I had no choice.

[Wwerty in reply to Lora7again]

What do you treat with

[Lora7again in reply to Wwerty]

I treated myself with Thyroid S from Thailand but I am in remission at the moment so I am taking nothing.

[Mamapea1 in reply to Wwerty]

Have you got any results (and ranges) to post on here so people can advise you? If GP is only testing TSH as they usually do, it's useless. I would send away for a Medichecks Thyroid Ultra Vit blood test or similar, and then post the results in a new post. Many members have been in your position, and some have eventually had to resort to sorting out their own health.

The ignorance of some Drs re thyroid conditions often leaves us extremely ill. You have to learn as much as you can so that you understand your condition. It can be very difficult to take it all in, but there's lots of info and help on this site. It's also possible that you have a B12 and/or other deficiencies, as these are very common in hypothyroidism, and could explain at least some of your symptoms.

Again, the 'test guidelines' your GP is using for vitamins and minerals may be too low for optimal health, and will be declared as 'ok' but may not be, especially when hypo. This happened to me, so I know. You will get more constructive help and advice if members have access to all these results. It may help to change GP, although most of them seem to be keen to just dole out antidepressants, etc.

As soon as you mention palpitations, (which can happen with hypo) or depression/anxiety, they will automatically assume you are hyperthyroid or a hypochondriac...a sad state of affairs. Before the thyroid blood tests were devised, you would have been treated with thyroid meds by symptoms alone, which you clearly have. Don't worry if the GP won't accept your private testing...members here will, and there is much you can do to help yourself with their advice. It can be a bit of a battle, but don't give up...it can all be sorted out😊

[Wwerty in reply to Mamapea1]

Thank you for your reply, gp only going tsh and it was 3.1 a few weeks after stopping levo but didn’t test t4, my b12 is well in rang as they gave me one injection stating that could be the problem but then wouldn’t follow it through with loading doses so I bought my own from Germany and gave myself another owner so my b12 is well over range, I just can’t get through to them that I started feeling like a do a week after they stopped the levo, it’s like looking for rocking horse poo, I’m in the middle of writing a lengthy complaint as we speak because the last three months have been unbearable, not just for me but it’s affecting my family also, I’m desperate to do things with my little girl x

[Mamapea1 in reply to Wwerty]

Good grief! They gave you only one B12 shot, then nothing? What were your results for B12 in the first place? Have you raised this issue on the PA forum? And what about folate, which is an essential cofactor of B12? I was very low (below range) in folate, and it caused a terrible B12 deficiency. Do you have any results at all? You must never accept them saying things are 'ok' or 'in range' ~ you are legally entitled to copies of your results, and you should always ask for copies of all of them. If they're not even testing T4, you're going to get nowhere...all thyroid tests should include TSH, T4, T3 and thyroid antibodies, and should all be measured at the same time, ideally along with vitamins, but the NHS are very unlikely to do this.

I suppose it's good you've received the B12, but perhaps you should be taking a methylated B complex too. Was your Vit D in range....do you take Vit K2 and magnesium? You really do need a comprehensive private test, because I don't think your GP knows enough (or indeed anything) about this, and you'll get nowhere following her protocol.

[Wwerty in reply to Mamapea1]

My b12 was 349 which is nearly mid range but they said that could be the problem, they didn’t check active b12 just gave me the injection then told me I don’t need any more, my vit d is nearly top of range as I supplement with that due to low vit d last year because my diagnosis, my magnesium is just above mid range, I don’t know about vit k or what it does, I had my antibodies tested in July when first told I was under active and they said they won’t test again, gp wrote to Endo for advice because I wanted to go back on levo, he thinks it’s probably Hashimoto but wouldn’t treat at the moment and to give me antidepressants and councilling so I’m just stuck feeling like my life is a mess, too scared to self medicate and no more fight left to argue with the Drs x

[Mamapea1 in reply to Wwerty]

My B12 was 362 when NHS tested it, but I suffered awful neurological symptoms and was extremely ill, due to low folate which had been ignored, and a Vit D level of 4. I hope you find the antidepressants and counselling helps, but to my mind, it's no substitute for optimal thyroid hormones. In my experience, antidepressants weren't the answer.

If you're supplementing Vit D, you should also take Vitamin K2 MK7 (it directs the extra calcium that's produced to bones and teeth where it's needed, and away from soft tissues) and magnesium, as they are both cofactors for Vit D. It's not a good idea to just take large doses of D on it's own when hypo. Try and read around the forum so you get a better understanding of it all...although I realise it can be difficult when you're feeling so ill😕 Post questions for help with it.

If you get nowhere with your GP, and your situation worsens, don't be afraid to self medicate...many of us have had to do this after years of misery, but you'll never know what you need to take without proper testing. It really is the next step for you to regain your health...as Marz says, you can order a home finger prick test👍

[Marz in reply to Wwerty]

Home Testing Kits are available.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Very popular here are Medichecks and Blue Horizon. I use both and am happy with my experience with both of them.

You can do most tests either by fingerprick at home or by venous blood draw (costs extra) which you can either arrange yourself or arrange home phlebotomy or use one of their partner clinics. Both have details on their websites.

I use the fingerprick tests and find them easy to do, some people do struggle with them though.

Medichecks: medichecks.com/

Blue Horizon: bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk/

Some doctors accept these private test results, others don't. However, if there are any results which show up problems then you can always invite your GP to repeat the test themselves.

The NHS has recently introduced a testing service for the public for certain tests, basic thyroid panel included. These tests are done at an NHS lab. They are meant to be accepted by GPs. One member recently reported that her GP wouldn't accept them because the reference ranges were different from the one at their surgery. If this is a GP's objection then the obvious response would be that because ranges vary from lab to lab then work out the percentage through each range to compare them. This service is Monitor My Health:

monitormyhealth.org.uk/#

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As you have Hashimoto's it's Absolutely essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Getting all four vitamins optimal by supplementing can improve symptoms

Also frequently increases TsH so that GP should restart Levothyroxine

As you have Hashimoto's (raised antibodies) gluten intolerance is extremely common

Gluten intolerance can cause anxiety too

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...

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

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Come back with new post once you get full Thyroid and vitamin results

Make sure to get blood test done as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water