Hi, I've shown signs of subclinical hypothyroidism for years, hovering around the 5-6 kind of area. No dr has ever been concerned. Between October last year and now it's gone from 6 to 10.7, the highest it's ever been. According to my current doc, that's "slightly raised" and we can test it again in 3 months, if I want.
To me, that looks a LOT raised, and I think I read somewhere that the NHS considered over 10 to be the 'officially maybe hypothyroid' line. I also have raised ferritin and have had that for over a year. While that has gone down a little it is still raised higher than it was to start out with (it was originally 348, then 585, 615, and is now down to 438, so still not good).
The bloods were taken at the back of 11am and I had only been up for 45 mins, with nothing to eat or drink, so I don't know if that's played a part.
I have a LOT of health problems and am waiting for a rheumatologist appt (been waiting 6 months). Top of my list is fatigue and muscular pain, so I'm thinking my thyroid COULD be an issue, but my doc's lackadaisical response makes me wonder. Is this a genuine concern, or is it something to do with when the bloods were taken and probably a fluke? Frankly, I'm not sure I should wait 3 months, but I also don't want to go to the doc with yet ANOTHER complaint if it's still considered too low to be meaningful - or treatable.
Is it worth asking for a trial of levo? And anyone any idea of why my ferritin should be constantly raised - any connection to the thyroid? Any insights most gratefully received.
P.S. The high ferritin is not hemochromatosis (I have no other iron markers). My Free T4 was 11. When my TSH was at 6, the Free T4 was 12.
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Chancery
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Can you post all your blood results with ranges? We need the TSH, T4 and T3 and any vitamin levels - B12, Iron and Ferritin, Vitamin D and Folate. That will give members more information so they can advise you. Just to add I have high Ferritin it is double what it should be and I think it indicates that I have inflammation in my body because I have very high antibodies and a multi-nodular goitre. High Ferritin can indicate other things like drinking too much alcohol or if you have another inflammatory disease. Just to add my ferritin is over 300 and has been for a number of years and my GP tells me the time to worry is when it gets to 800. I am only passing on what I was told by my Doctor but you might want to ask for further investigations to find out the cause.
Thanks, Lora, but I only had very limited testing done: I'm afraid I only have the two thyroid measurements. My B12 is fine, as is my folate, iron and probably Vit D. I've only been having problems with TSH & ferritin and, once, LDH. That has gone back down but is still at the high end, so my guess is whatever is causing the inflammation of the ferritin is also causing some cell death.
As you know I have always thought you to be Hypo and your bloodtest certainly confirms this. Too many associated conditions where low thyroid could be the underlying cause.
Did you ever have your anti-bodies tested ? TPO & Tg - to rule out Hashimotos ? Sorry cannot remember.
So your Thyroid is being hammered by the TSH and still it cannot produce enough T4 to make you well. The T4 being a storage hormone is inactive and needs to convert into the ACTIVE hormone T3. A hormone needed in every cell of your body. So with a low T4 it usually follows you will have a very low T3
Raised Ferritin can suggest inflammation - Hashi's can cause inflammation. If your anti-bodies are negative then a scan of your thyroid is important.
Meanwhile I would start Levo at 50mcg and test again in 6/8 weeks and increase. Do not allow the Medics to set you up for failure by starting on too low a dose.
B12 - Folate - VitD all need to be optimal for your T4 to convert into T3.
Fatigue and muscular pain are very much part of an undiagnosed thyroid along with associated deficiencies.
I would not wait 3 months - this has been going on for too long. Can you add the ranges of your results above as labs do vary - I can see the T4 is low but how low ?
Hi Marz - yes, I know, you've always been convinced my thyroid is off and I've long suspected you're not wrong. I've always felt though it's because something else is afoot, but I never get a clear indication of what that is/might be. I'm a master of the generalized symptom and the vague test result.
I did have the antibodies tested around 2014, I think, but they were all negative. I never show any antibody activity for anything!
The test ranges were TSH 0.2-4.5, so as you can see mine is well over, and Free T4 9-21, so mine's is on the low side, though not low enough to be 'faulty'.
I think Coronavirus has probably done for me taking this any further at the moment, since my docs has just stopped patients going in for anything other than actual doctor's visits and I read today that they are expecting a lot of docs & nurses to come down with it, so they're lining up back-ups amongst retired and student medical staff. Not the ideal environment for talking a doc into letting me trial levo.
I'm trialling some new eating regimes so I might use the 3 months wait to see if it brings that TSH down any. If not, I think it's time to have something done about it.
If your car was not going well and you took it to the garage - and the mechanic said everything is normal - what would you do ? I think you would be very cross. You know that you must dig deep and have the FULL Testing done. Your FT4 is VERY low and needs to be at the very least three quarters through the range - which is 18.
Having a Low T3 - which yours will be - is a very serious matter and if you do not want any further conditions added to the list, then I would address it. On another Forum I am sure I suggested a book by Hugh Hamilton about Impaired Sensitivity to Thyroid Hormone - did you manage to read the e-book ?
No amount of healthy eating will restore your thyroid hormones at this late stage. It has gone on too long .... greygoose may pop along and explain how you can have Hashimotos without raised anti-bodies. You probably didn't have both tested anyway ... Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg. You need a Thyroid Scan in the absence of anti-bodies.
The TSH responds to the levels of T4 and T3 circulating in the blood - how do you think that will improve the TSH ? If anything it could get worse. Please read up on how LOW T3 affects the heart - the brain - the gut and is needed in every cell of the body. Why are you so resistant to taking a replacement hormone - it is not a drug in the true sense of the word
You can buy T4 on-line and self-medicate - why wait for these neglectful Medics. ?
I remember the days when I was so ill and slept for hours every afternoon . I really appreciate having learnt from others who know more than me. Once diagnosed at 59 in 2005 I read and read and mostly have sorted my own health - why wait for others - you know your body better than anyone ... be your own advocate.
Thanks, Marz - you are absolutely right and I do appreciate the amount of worry (and frustration!) you put in for me. I do listen to you, honestly. I respect your opinion immensely. I just have so many things going wrong and none of them MESH, I can't get a cohesive picture of anything to go to docs with and I am a) reluctant to do lots of different visits for lots of different complaints and b) to fight over something when I'm not convinced it's the underlying problem. That my thyroid is out of whack I think is fairly self-evident, and has been for years, but some of my problems, like rashes and itching and flushing don't seem to fit it. It's a chicken or an egg situation - do I have my problems because of my thyroid, or do I have thyroid problems because some other more mysterious/serious s*it is going down?
I am inching forwards, or I will be when I see this mythical rheumatologist. You have my word that if this elevated TSH nonsense continues unabated, particularly with the high ferritin, then I will ask for a levo trial. Enough is enough.
It's not about bringing the TSH down, it's about raising thyroid hormone levels enough to give you a decent quality of life. And, whilst nutrition is important, it really isn't going to do that.
Your FT4 is only 16.67% through the range. That is low. In a euthyroid person it would be about 50%. And, if your FT4 is that low, your FT3 is probably lower. And, that's why your TSH is so high.
You had your antibodies tested in 2014? That's six years ago. An awful lot can happen in six years. Besides, you could just have caught them on their day off! A week later, they could have been over-range. We always say that at least three antibody tests are necessary to catch them at their highest - possibly more. Plus, as Marz says, there are two different Hashi's antibodies - did you have them both tested? Plus, as she also said, 20% of Hashi's people never even have over-range antibodies, because the antibodies are not the disease. These people are diagnosed with an ultrasound.
But, antibodies apart, you do need thyroid hormone replacement, and your GP wants shooting! Your TSH is not 'slightly raised', it's very high, because in the real world - i.e. anywhere that isn't ruled by the NHS - you are hypo when your TSH reaches 3. So, all that time it was 5/6 you were, in reality, hypo.
It's a pity about the corona virus scare, which is disrupting normal life everywhere (our little town has been on semi-lockdown for two weeks now, with all that that implies) but I really don't think you can go on putting off the evil day, when you have to confront your doctor, for very much longer - not if you value your health. And that seems to have already taken quite a knock! rashes and itching and flushing do fit. They can be hypo symptoms. And I very much doubt that rashes and itching and flushing caused your thyroid to fail, it would be far more likely to be the other way round. I don't know what other health issues you have, but I'm willing to bet that long-term untreated hypo has caused a lot of them. So, if you don't want to go back to your doctor at this point - for whatever reason - I really would suggest you buy your own levo and start self-treating to see how you feel. It's going to be a long haul, now, so the sooner you start, the better.
Thanks, GG, I'm going to go for one more retest, and try some diet/exercise modifications, but if they don't positively impact it then I'm going to ask for a trial of Levo' and antibody tests. Fed up with worrying about these test results....
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin levels and thyroid antibodies if these haven’t been tested yet
You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3 £29 (via NHS private service )
Consider starting levothyroxine at a dosage of 1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (rounded to the nearest 25 micrograms) for adults under 65 with primary hypothyroidism and no history of cardiovascular disease.
Many thanks for all that info, Slowdragon. I did have the antibodies tested some years ago, but it was negative. Because of the current 'health crisis' I might sit out my 3 month wait but if the TSH is this high, or God forbid, higher again, I will ask to be retested for antibodies and to trial lveo'.
You might consider testing BOTH antibodies privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative
It’s more common to have high TPO antibodies or high TPO antibodies and TG antibodies
But a significant number of Hashimoto’s patients only have high TG antibodies
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
Getting vitamins tested and supplementing to optimal levels can help improve symptoms
Have you had a test to measure your CRP (C-reactive protein)? This is a marker of inflammation. If this is high, your ferritin level can be appear to be high without any other iron markers being elevated.
If you are suspected to have rheumatism, this could point to the fact that you have an underlying inflammation going on, which could elevate your CRP and ultimately your ferritin.
You also need your thyroid sorted, you must feel exhausted with a TSH of 10, agree with others that you should be offered a trial of levothyroxine.
Not this time, tina, but it was tested in October 2019 and was fine, although ferritin was elevated at the time. I've never had a high test result for CRP, that I can recall. And yes, I am permanently exhausted. I get what I've christened Sudden fatigue Syndrome, where I'll be out walking and feeling (relatively) good then suddenly my legs turn to lead and I keep tripping and staggering into hedgerows. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, as Shakespeare once said, I just don't know what's causing it. And the horrendous wait for a rheumatologist is not helping that any...
Whats your Cholesterol (another symptom of Hypo) as mine was raised for over a decade but normal again once on Thyroid replacement.
My Ferritin is also raised now Hypo.
You have lots of Hypo symptoms. I think its cruel to make you wait longer. I felt so ill when my TSH was 6.1! I just dont get why he/she wouldn’t start you on replacement now as a longstanding problem.
Also because I was poorly treated for so long I have other health problems, some resolved (like nails dropping off and enlarged lymphs) and some not, like I numb areas now in my breasts and chest and nerve pain in foot and suddenly recessed gums. You dont want that to happen. I would see a different GP in the practise and see what they say.
Three months is a very long time when youre feeling ill. It boils my blood!! x
Thanks, Michelle. I've been feeling horribly ill since the summer of 2018 when my already low state got a lot worse, with rashes, muscular pain and drug hypersensitivity (I was reacting to everything). Mast Cell Activation Syndrome was suspected and I actually got a referral for that, but I chickened out and cancelled it because I couldn't face trying to convince a specialist all my symptoms were related. Not a day goes by when I don't regret it since my self-diagnosing has gone through psoriatic arthritis to dermatomyositis back to MCAS, after another allergic reaction to a teeny course of standard antibiotics (3 days) causing a burning painful rash right up to my knees and gut disruption like you wouldn't believe along with a host of my normal typical nightmares (facial flushing, insomnia, eating disorders, acid reflux). EVERYTHING flared at once and made me realise that it really does resemble MCAS most and I was a fool for not going to that appt in 2018.
However, I have learned my lesson and will be going to my rheumatologist's appt, if I ever actually GET one, come hell or high water.
Hi Chancery my heart goes out to you with your unresolved health issues. I see youre still trying to get to the bottom of it all. But surely your Thyroid is involved with a TSH above 10. They should at least offer a trial. I see you had Pityriasis Rosacea. I had this too along with several other viruses before diagnosed ( I was only diagnosed because I insisted on more tests after Shingles for 2nd time and not getting well). I thought Pityriasis only lasted a week or two so makes me think yours wasn’t Pityriasis as yours lasted 8 months. You started with the Herald Patch so I’m sure you’ve considered Lymes? I think you should persevere with finding your answers. Have the most comprehensive blood tests you can afford and keep posting on here because the wealth of knowledge and caring on here is phenomenal. I wish I’d have known of it years ago. Try putting all your symptoms on and someone might piece it together. Of course you could have more than one condition. I have at least four lol x
Yes, I got what looked like rosacea after a course of prednisone. It said you could get a red face and flushing as a side effect, which I did, with a vengeance - big red balloon face, which took an age to go away, then kept coming back every thee weeks. It was those steroids that triggered my facial rashes that I still have now, on and off. Ironically, the steroids were great, I felt human for the first time since I was about 45 (I'm 63 now!) so they made me realise things hadn't been right for a VERY long time. Suddenly I could walk without pain and move all my joints without groaning and yelping. But, like I say, big red face, then horrible itching rashes round my eyes, collar bone, nipple and, possibly, vulva. Only steroid cream works on them. It also increased facial flushing in general, and I now flush routinely after eating - anything.
I always flushed after alcohol, and to a lesser extent tea and coffee (I don't drink any of them because they're so problematic) but now I just flush and burn after eating, full-stop, and it lasts for hours. And I have skin itching like nobody's business, all over. I'm the only person I know can itch AFTER putting hand cream on. I coat my entire body in aqueous cream after a shower to help damp it down, but temperature changes still trigger it. It can be VERY embarrassing on a bus after I've been out in the cold because my back and haunches will itch like mad when I sit down and I have to squirm about or sometimes openly scratch because it is SO bad.
Like I say, I think I might have a mast cell problem, which is only just beginning to be recognised in medical circles (hence me not wanting to go to my appt) , but hopefully a rheumatologist might be able to do some tests. I just hope I get one who takes it seriously. Itching and flushing don't sound like much of a problem till you're the one suffering it! I feel that maybe what's causing that might also be disrupting my thyroid, but who knows?
And yes, I did once have a target rash (around 2014-15?), which was diagnosed as erythema multiforme, caused by drug hypersensitivity to carbamazepine, but again, who knows? Maybe that was some long-standing Lyme disease manifestation! I grew up on the West coast of Scotland as one of my homes and I spent every weekend plunging about in shoulder high bracken. My cousin was always getting ticks, as were the dogs, so yes, I could once have been bitten and might now be suffering the consequences, although what I would do about THAT, God alone knows...
I hear that Germany has the most accurate testing for Lymes. I know it can disrupt your Thyroid. Skin rash sounds like Lupus which is also a symptom I believe. There is treatment if it is. A school friend was ill for years and wasn’t diagnosed until he went to work in America x
I've looked into Lyme's before, but if I have it, it would be the chronic, untreated variety (and looking at the symptoms, I certainly have them all except for heart problems - I even have neurological issues (trigeminal neuralgia), but like I say, I have no idea whether they could test for it now. Maybe one to run past the rheumatologist, so they can laugh at me...
Oh, I haven't respected doctors for years. Actually, that's part of the problem. I'm now scared that if one of them so much as rolls their eyes at me I'll just deck them! But yes, having relooked at Lyme's and seen just how much the symptoms fit mine, and with my high risk childhood (it would be miraculous if I HADN'T been bitten), then it's definitely a possibility to add to the list. In for a penny, in for a pound...
Why don’t you make an appointment to see a different GP at your practice and say you want a trial of Levothyroxine in line with NICE guidelines that you have many symptoms of hypothyroidism with a TSH of over 10.
I am going about a problem with my hand to the surgery and as long as I am not poorly with Corina virus like problems, I am allowed to see the GP about this.
It is time you got the medication you seriously need - you must be proactive, they will just leave you to rot if you don’t take action.
Thanks, TSH. I am definitely having it retested, and if it is still high (I am going to do some experimenting during this time - see my reply to Humanbean below) then I won't wait any longer. Enough is enough. If improved eating/exercise don't help then it needs some medical assistance.
Be aware that you could have a blood test in three months time and your TSH might be down to around 5 or 6 again. Many doctors insist on two sets of blood tests showing a TSH over 10 three months apart before they will treat. If your Free T4 is within range that may make them even more determined to make you wait for treatment. Thyroid treatment from the NHS is institutionally sadistic.
Regarding high ferritin, I wrote this in reply to someone else a couple of days ago :
Just for info, ferritin is a positive acute phase reactant or a positive acute phase protein. In other words it rises in the presence of anything which causes an increase in inflammation.
Imagine you have a bacterial infection somewhere in your body. The bacteria causing the infection needs iron in order to reproduce. By binding iron in ferritin the body reduces the amount of iron available to the bacteria.
There are various conditions which increase the risk of inflammation. Ferritin rises in the presence of such conditions, whether they are bacterial, fungal, viral etc. It's a protective mechanism.
Very interesting you should raise this, HB, because I dug out all my blood tests for 2018 till now and found some VERY interesting things. I found that on three occasions between high blood test results (5 - 6) I had normal results, twice of 2.6 and once, perversely more recently, of 2.3. I dug out diaries for the period to see what I was doing and found that on two of the three occasions I was fasting/not eating sugar and on one of them I was also exercising.
Obviously this is not categorical proof of anything, but it made me go Google 'obesity and high TSH' and I found some very interesting studies where researchers have been questioning the ideology that hypothyroidism causes weight gain and wondering if the reverse is true. This is particularly noticeable in subclinical hypothyroidism. I suppose, the thinking may be that it IS causal and therefore reversible, which some studies indicate it is.
I did a separate post on this last night and have since added links of what I could re-find (foolishly didn't note them at the time).
However, I do have to say I find the sudden jump to 10.7 still very worrying, but I think I will go for the three month retest, but perhaps do an eating/exercise experiment while I'm about it. Do some thyroid research vis a vis weight loss of my own....
I found some very interesting studies where researchers have been questioning the ideology that hypothyroidism causes weight gain and wondering if the reverse is true.
I suspect doctors will grab on to that kind of research with both hands and use it to beat women with at the first opportunity.
My suspicion would be that diet may make a difference - not in terms of total calories but in terms of macronutrients. I certainly feel better when I am able to kick the carbs for a while (it never happens for very long), and switch to a higher fat and higher protein diet.
Oh yes, fat bias is a very real thing, and fat women are a personal affront to many doctors, even including overweight women doctors who have internalised that fat shaming message. It definitely has inherent dangers.
That said, metabolic disorders are a fact of life and obesity leads to ill health a lot of the time. Possibly not because of the obesity itself, but because of WHAT the obese are eating to get there. It shames me to admit, that is definitely true of me. I gain weight via junk food, never eating 'real food'.
No, my biggest issue with this is I have an eating disorder from years of dieting and bingeing so food restriction is not an easy thing for me without loads of stress and strife - so not ideal circumstances. Nevertheless, a 10.7 test result means I need to take the sanest steps I can to try and help it. If nothing else it will be an interesting experiment in how to use diet to try and modify thyroid results while not making your eating disorder worse!
I don't know what it is currently, Marz. It was a good few months ago it was last tested (about March maybe?) and it had gone back down to the 5-6 mark, as I recall, and i was told there was "no need" to have it retested. That's where it normally sits and has done for years. Entirely coincidentally, I got a rheumatologists report today, after waiting more than 2 months for it to be sent form the hospital, and it credited me with a past history of hypothyroidism. News to me, since no doctor has ever so much as whispered the word.
Very rare to have a 'past' hypo condition. The letter should be enough to ensure your GP re-tests your thyroid - and correctly. A TSH can fluctuate with Hashimotos. A healthy person has a TSH around 2.
It was your post on the Fibro Forum that prompted me to check back over your thyroid story !
Gluten sensitivity VERY common with Hashimotos ....
Ah, you know they won't do that, Marz. The dreaded Covid has virtually put a stop to all but 'essential' medical treatment. I would have been thrilled if the rheumatologist's report had just diagnosed me with the same thing he diagnosed me with on the day. He told me, to my face, I had fibro and even gave me a leaflet for it. Report finally comes through, after I chased it up a dozen times - not a breath of fibro in my diagnosis. And this after a wait of more than a year, all told, to get it. Needless to say an assertively angry letter was penned to him last night. Had enough of this BS.
It's so shocking - without the correct testing thyroid issues cannot be ruled out. Once Fibro is on your notes every future condition will be blamed on Fibro. Your Thyroid may well be producing the inactive hormone T4 but if it is not converting into the ACTIVE T3 then you will eventually have many symptoms. If the T3 is low in range then it's like running a car on petrol alone - you need oil as well !! Whilst the Thyroid remains untreated Big Pharma rub their hands in glee as other meds are prescribed to deal with individual symptoms ...
I feel for you .. having had a long journey before finding answers.
I know. I actually didn't want the fibro' diagnosis, and still feel very unsure about it, but the way he has 'diagnosed' me in the report I feel is even worse. While the MCAS is a handy diagnosis because it means I can get help for adverse drug reactions, and I MIGHT be able to get doctors to take said drug reactions more seriously, having no other diagnosis for all my pain and tiredness just leaves me out on a limb, so fibro' is better than nothing, which is what I have presently.
I find it exceedingly difficult to deal with because I will be going along fine then suddenly, out of nowhere, I will be SO tired and sore all my plans go to hell. Suddenly walking and doing stuff in my home feels like a monumental effort. For the past few months I've been improving my diet and doing really well at it. I do fasting every day, very seldom eat sugar, only have two meals a day - I work hard at it all the time. Yet I'm seeing surprisingly poor results for it. I still can't get up at a half-decent hour, although I am sleeping better, and my body just WILL not lose weight. My appetite is very precarious and I frequently find myself thinking 'Oh, I'll just have one meal a day'. Which might not do me any harm, frankly, but I find it both depressing and perplexing that my body just will not let go of weight. I feel my weight is my biggest burden and if I could just get it down a few pounds to take me out of the obese category (I'm at 14st 8lbs currently) into 'overweight' then my body might feel a little better. The idea of getting actually slim seems SO remote. I mean, what would I have to do to get there, stop eating entirely?
I know I'm older so weight loss is harder but my body does seem to be determined to hold on to fat no matter what.
And, let's face it, I could be entirely wrong. Maybe weight loss is going help nothing. I have this fear that the whole weight thing is PART of the problem, rather than the source of the problem, and that I'm trying to 'cure' it the wrong way round. I confess I've often worried that I have Cushing's Disease but in a mild form, perhaps, and I will never get a diagnosis of that, or any help to dig out this quagmire. So you see, fibro is in some ways just a big cop-out, but it's all I've got to work with presently.
Yes I have kept up with you on the Fibro Forum ! - I am still able to access the posts but am not allowed to comment ! Talking about ranges and vitamins is taboo but a cocktail of harmful drugs is not. So many suffering when so many things have not been ruled out.
Weight gain is one of the biggest problems with low thyroid function. Reducing intake can make matters worse as T3 lowers in response to what the body perceives as an emergency. It is a way of conserving energy naturally - an evolutionary action - and possibly why some people need more T4 in winter as energy levels can drop. Hibernation ?? T3 being the active hormone needed in every cell of the body - the metabolism ! Your TSH and T4 may well be acceptable but the T3 could be low and the cause of your weight gain. Am sure you are so bored with me banging on about it so I will shut up .. !
Adrenals (Cushings) can be linked to thyroid - the adrenals are the gearbox and the thyroid your accelerator. Have you looked through the NICE Guidelines your GP is obliged to follow re thyroid treatment ? SlowDragon posts them from time to time . The section on the Thyroid UK website - Getting a Diagnosis - could be helpful.
I would soon be Restricted again ! I know of many TUK members who have had the same fate. Also people on the Fibro Forum have been banned if they dare to question ...
Oh dear ... I didn't realise I did join to post to someone who I had posted to on this forum because she was talking about skin cancer. I left afterwards because I don't suffer with Fibro.
I was diagnosed with Fibro in 2000 by a consultant Rheumatologist and Hashimotos in 2005. My health improved as my Thyroid health improved. However the 'experts' on the Fibro Forum suggested I had been wrongly diagnosed with Fibro. If so then why couldn't that be the case with hundreds of their members. Most have only had the TSH tested - hey ho Dr knows best along with the Admin ...
Is there some kind of mafia going on in the fibro' forum then??? And is Dr Lowe a good guy or a.... not-so-good guy? What could you POSSIBLY have suggested that got you chucked off, Marz? Just that some people might have been misdiagnosed with fibro and really had a thyroid problem? Doesn't sound that controversial to me. What were they afraid of, exactly?
I carefully replied to members who may have mentioned Thyroid. After asking what had been tested they didn't know and told all was normal. Of course my sherlock nose kicked in and I probed a little further - suggesting obtaining test results to monitor progress. Testing of vitamins and minerals was also suggested. Admin restricted me and when I enquired why - I was told I had an Agenda. I certainly did and it's called wellness. So important for us to take control of our own health and monitor our own progress. Even more important now Public Health is shrinking.
Fear is usually the biggest problem for humans - I guess the Admin felt threatened. Many of us on TUK have had the same problem when trying to help. I was glad to read your thread had evolved there ...
I read posts there everyday and read of many who could benefit from the correct thyroid testing along with vitamins and minerals. Basically people are being kept unwell whilst at the same time taking harmful drugs. Way beyond me ... sigh !
The Marz Agenda. I like the sound of that. Even if you had an agenda, I think we're 99% adults on here and quite capable of fending off any 'agendas' we are not interested in. You've been trying to convince me of the dire state of my thyroid since I started using Health Unlocked and I haven't died from your 'agenda' yet. I value your input and anyway, I'm not scared of you. You're a big pussycat!
P.S. Perhaps you should get a slinky cat suit and carry a white fluffy cat as part of your evil plan to rule the world, or at least these forums. I reckon you would rock that look...,,
Vitamin D is good, thanks. Well, it ought to be as I have been supplementing at a much higher rate than I used to - for the Covid monster, don't you know...
With regards to my dear old subclinical hypothyroidism I would actually be happy to try out treatment if I could get a doc who was even remotely interested in it. My present surgery is all-female but I wouldn't say they were (even remotely) female-friendly. It's as if they are all trained by male doctors, and male doctor ideology, and they see it as weakness to reject the male view of how women's bodies work. Of course, that's maybe far too fancy and intellectual. Quite possibly they are just too damn lazy.
If you've had anything to do with doctors during this Covid Pantomime you'll know that getting to see once face to face is impossible, and I'm not good on phones. The idea of trying to talk a bad-tempered doctor into letting me try levo', or worse, get 'fancy' testing.... just no. I'm not up to it, and that's the truth. I think that's why I'm trying so hard to get well through diet; I don't have to involve anyone else!
Very interesting ferritin links, HB, thanks. I didn't know about the ferritin increase due to infection (and neither did my doc apparently because I asked her if the constant colds I was having could have affected it and she said no!). That definitely explains the big jumps over the Xmas period where I had 3 colds in a row, then an eye infection then a UTI (as you can tell, very run down), but it doesn't explain the overall high ferritin for over a year, although that could be my new normal, with age. Nor does it explain why it's still higher than it was, unless my body is still fighting something right now. I have had a bit of a lurking sore throat and some sneezes, so possibly I already have Coronavirus and it's my body trying to fight it. I hope I'm joking...
it doesn't explain the overall high ferritin for over a year, although that could be my new normal, with age. Nor does it explain why it's still higher than it was,
I've read that the commonest sites for inflammation are (in no particular order) the lungs, the joints and the gut. I suspect that people aren't always aware that they could have inflammation and it could be raising ferritin. The fact that you have been referred to a rheumatologist suggests joints as a possible area of inflammation.
I get what I've christened Sudden fatigue Syndrome, where I'll be out walking and feeling (relatively) good then suddenly my legs turn to lead and I keep tripping and staggering into hedgerows.
This sounds very like a problem I suffer from. I've decided in my own case that the issue is related to cortisol levels and adrenal function. I haven't done a saliva cortisol test for a very long time though, mainly because I would struggle to produce enough saliva for the test.
I've got very painful musculature ALL the time - and I mean all, it even hurts in bed. And yes, joint pain too. I'm also an IBS sufferer and since my last antibiotic course (the cursed UTI) my gut has been more disordered than ever, with a lot of severe reflux pain, bloating etc, etc. And, of course, I had an allergic reaction to the standard-issue short antibiotic course (3 day), and that was more severe than normal (rash from ankles to knees) so any one of them could be reflecting that high ferritin figure - or maybe all of them together.
I thought my Sudden Fatigue Syndrome was part of my (undiagnosed) dermatomyositis, and maybe it is, I need that rheumatologist's appointment to find out. But if it's Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, which I've recently gone back to as more likely, given my level of infections and allergic reactions recently, then that could be tied into the gut problems - more histamines in my gut, more histamines in my system, more pain in muscles and joints. Hell, I've got to the stage of thinking it could be pixies... or Satan.
Either way, changing my diet and upping my exercise (that latter NOT appealing given my level of pain) can only be a good thing, no matter what the underlying problem is, so I'll check back in in three months and tell you all what it did to my bloods. Should be interesting, even if it does no good at all. At least it will prove 'healthy eating' and exercise isn't the answer.
P.S. I imagine my cortisol and adrenals are a joke, since I've been severely stressed and depressed for the past two and a half years (after splitting with a long-term partner and coping entirely alone - it was tantamount to PTSD!) But unfortunately that's not something the NHS, or any 'respectable' doc takes seriously. Plus, I've never had a clue what you're actually supposed to DO about it, other than not be stressed, to which I would reply - yeah, you try that.
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Advice on blood results - confused! Am I hypothyroid or not? 
Am I Hypothyroid ?
Results, now I feel flat, deflated and ready to give up!
Help with blood results please.
Reason for TSH to go up, 
