Does this sound familiar?: I had an mri done as... - Thyroid UK

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Does this sound familiar?

Mandy1311 profile image
16 Replies

I had an mri done as dr suspected carpal tunnel after autoimmune thyroid disease diagnosis. Just had results. Shows wear and tear at the top of my neck putting pressure on my spine. He said I needed another mri as after consulting with neuro they suspect alot more at the bottom of my spine. The dr made it clear to me just important this scan is and that there was a high chance I would need major treatment. This has all came as a huge shock to me as I'm not in any major pain. I had a phone call from hospital to say I would receive a letter with my appointment for 26th may but they felt I needed seen sooner so I have to go to a different hospital next thursday. Everything seems to be so urgent and iv no idea why. Does this mean anything to anyone who could possible give me any more info as this is all starting to sound scary

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Mandy1311
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Marz profile image
Marz

CTS can result from neck issues as the nerves come out of the spine - down the arm and into the hands. The wrist has a very narrow route through ...

In your post of 7 months ago you were going to post your Medichecks results - cannot see them.

I see you had low folate - how was your VitD - B12 and Ferritin. All need to be optimal for healthy bones. What supplements do you take ? How much Levo ?

Mandy1311 profile image
Mandy1311 in reply toMarz

Hi. My folate is within normal range now my b12 and ferritin is good. My vit d was very low but has now levelled out as I am taking vit d tablets. My tsh level is now at 0.66 and I'm taking 100mg of levothyroxine daily. My antibodies test showed levels of 4000. All seems to be settling down now. Thank you all so much for advice you all gave. I couldnt see any light at the end of the tunnel but I do now.

Everything seemed to say I had cts so my gp referred me to plastic surgery at my local hospital who wanted me to have an mri which iv had. Plastic surgery have now discharged me and I'm now under neurology due to this wear and tear in my neck putting pressure on my spinal cord. This news has all come out of the blue. Could this be connected to my thyroid?

Marz profile image
Marz in reply toMandy1311

So being within range or normal/fine/OK - does not mean you are optimal and have enough of everything circulating for your body to use. So is your B12 over 500 - your Folate and Ferritin mid-range ? Were you re-tested for Vitamin D ? Are you taking the important co-factors with the VitD ?

Cannot comment on the connection of your present findings ... if you posted your results and I saw a Low FT3 I may suggest improving that as it is needed for the healthy metabolism of all the cells in the body. Please can you post your results if you still have them - the ones from Medichecks.

Mandy1311 profile image
Mandy1311 in reply toMarz

This is where my other problem lies. My medicheck results didn't match my gp results so medichecks retested me and they still didn't match. My gp wont discuss it. Is there a way for me to upload a file on this? If so I could scan the results for you to see

Marz profile image
Marz in reply toMandy1311

Did your GP test T3 ? The your results with ranges - which is how most members do it 🤔

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMandy1311

Can you add actual results and ranges

Eg

Ft4 15 (12-22

Ft3 4.2 (3.1-6.8)

Were both Medichecks and GP test done under same conditions

Recommended to always test as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Mandy1311 profile image
Mandy1311 in reply toSlowDragon

Medichecks test 1 results. Test taken 24/10/19 10am (23 hrs after levothyroxine)

Crp hs 10.74 mg/L (<5)

Ferritin 194 ug/L (13-150)

Folate- serum >19.8 ug/L (>3.89)

B12 125.000 pmol/L (>37.5)

Vit d 44.6 (50-175)

Tsh 5.67 ml/L (0.27-4.2)

Free t3 4.79 pmol/L (3.1-6.8)

Free thyroxine 18.900 pmol/L (12-22)

Thyroglobulin antibodies >4000 klU/L (<115)

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies 329 klU/L (<34)

Medichecks test 2 results. Test taken 29/11/19 10am (23 hrs after levothyroxine)

Crp hs 16.02 mg/L (<5)

Ferritin 171 ug/L (13-150)

Folate- serum >13.07 ug/L (>3.89)

B12 110.000 pmol/L (>37.5)

Vit d 33.3 nmol/L (50-175)

Tsh 6.75ml/L (0.27-4.2)

Free t3 3.98 pmol/L (3.1-6.8)

Free thyroxine 14.4 pmol/L (12-22)

Thyroglobulin antibodies >4000 klU/L (<115)

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies 324 klU/L (<34)

Gp bloods taken on 26/10/19 at 10am(23

Hrs after taking levothyroxine) has no action required on thyroid and

Vitamin d so I decided to start taking vitamin d myself

Latest results taken on 2/2/20 taken at 10am (23 hrs after

Taking levothyroxine) show tsh 0.66mU/L and vit d at 98 nmol/L

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMandy1311

So what were the actual results from GP on 26/10/19?

What vitamin supplements were you taking before a Medichecks tests on 24/10/19 and 29/11/19?

Your high thyroid antibodies confirms autoimmune thyroid disease (hashimoto’s)

With Hashimoto’s thyroid levels can fluctuate wildly

Vitamin D is frequently deficient with hashimoto’s

How much vitamin D are you taking?

GP will only prescribe to bring levels to 50nmol.

ouh.nhs.uk/osteoporosis/use...

But improving to around 80nmol or 100nmol may be better

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/218...

vitamindsociety.org/pdf/Vit...

Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Test twice yearly via vitamindtest.org.uk

Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is very effective as it avoids poor gut function. There’s a version made that also contains vitamin K2 Mk7

It’s trial and error what dose we need, with hashimoto’s we frequently need higher dose than average

Government recommends everyone supplement October to April

gov.uk/government/news/phe-...

Also read up on importance of magnesium and vitamin K2 Mk7 supplements when taking vitamins

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

livescience.com/61866-magne...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

Vitamin K2 mk7

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/286...

Vitamin D deficiency is frequent in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and treatment of patients with this condition with Vitamin D may slow down the course of development of hypothyroidism and also decrease cardiovascular risks in these patients. Vitamin D measurement and replacement may be critical in these patients.

endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/...

Evidence of a link between increased level of antithyroid antibodies in hypothyroid patients with HT and 25OHD3 deficiency may suggest that this group is particularly prone to the vitamin D deficiency and can benefit from its alignment.

Mandy1311 profile image
Mandy1311 in reply toSlowDragon

I wasnt taking any supplements before the medichecks test. I started taking vitamin d on 12th dec 2019. That's also the date my levothyroxine was increased too 100mg daily from 75mg daily.

My gp has just been testing my tsh and t4. He only tested my vit d after alot of persuasion.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMandy1311

Doctors don’t learn about nutrients and importance of vitamin levels

They hate testing vitamin D. It’s a relatively expensive test

Vitamin D isn’t technically a vitamin at all...it’s a pre-steroid hormone

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

Many people with autoimmune diseases have vitamin D polymorphisms...genetic issues with making or using vitamin D

We either can’t make enough or use more than average population

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/230...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/287...

chriskresser.com/the-role-o...

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toMandy1311

So results on 2/2/20

What dose of levothyroxine and how long at that dose?

Clearly just testing TSH is completely inadequate

cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service )

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Carpel tunnel is extremely common hypothyroid symptom

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking?

The aim of Levothyroxine is to increase the dose slowly in 25mcg steps upwards until TSH is under 2 (many need TSH significantly under one) and most important is that FT4 is in top third of range and FT3 at least half way through range

NHS guidelines on Levothyroxine including that most patients eventually need somewhere between 100mcg and 200mcg Levothyroxine.

nhs.uk/medicines/levothyrox...

Also what foods to avoid (eg recommended to avoid calcium rich foods at least four hours from taking Levo)

Guidelines on dose by weight....even if we don’t start on full replacement dose, many/most patients will need to increase dose up until on full replacement dose

NICE guidelines

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng145/...

1.3.6

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.

BMJ also clear on dose required

bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m41

Do you have recent blood test results and ranges to add?

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

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)

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

For thyroid including antibodies and vitamins

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

All four vitamins need to be regularly tested and frequently need supplementing to maintain optimal levels

I had carpal tunnel, but I had a sort of manual test which seemed to measure the time it took for muscles in my hands to react to stimulus. The doctor was able to tell me the results immediately. Had both hands treated which cured the problem 95%+.

Sounds as if your problem is much more severe and I am unfamiliar with what it is.

Mandy1311 profile image
Mandy1311 in reply to

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm pleased to hear your doing much better

Batty1 profile image
Batty1 in reply toMandy1311

Maybe you have some type of arthritis in your neck/back and should see a Rheumatologist before you decide to have back/ neck surgery .... Maybe they should do a DEXA Scan to see how your bones are doing but know that doing this test could result in thyroid medication reduction.

Is your neck/back even bothering you or is this a new out of the blue diagnosis?

Mandy1311 profile image
Mandy1311 in reply toBatty1

I dont have any pain but I get tingling and pains and needles down my left arm and through my whole legs to my toes. Iv had the leg ones a while. Yes this has came completely out of the blue

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