I had my thyroid removed 2 months ago. I’m now experiencing severe hair loss, to the point where I’m worried I’m going to be completely bald within a year. Every day when I brush my hair, my hairbrush disappears under a HUGE pile of hair that’s fallen out. No matter how often I vacuum my floors, they’re constantly covered in a blanket of hair. I’m honestly amazed I still have any left.
I take 150mcg Levo and 2,000IU vit D3 a day
My last blood tests were on 8 June:
TSH: 0
FT4: 11 pmol/L (9 - 23)
FT3: 3.3 pmol/L (2.5 - 5.7)
Vitamin D3: 60 nmol/L (no range specified)
Iron: 16 umol/L (9 - 30)
Ferritin: 39 ug/L (10 - 120)
Transferrin: 2.7 g/L (1.7 - 3.4)
I also have quite a few out of range results to do with my red blood cells...
RBC: 5.5 (3.73 - 4.96)
MCV: 79.3 (83.5 - 99.5)
MCH: 26.5 (27.5 - 33.1)
MCHC: 334 (315 - 350)
RDW: 16.6 (10 - 16)
Platelets: 123 (135 - 400)
GP says everything is fine and there’s no need to investigate anything further. Any ideas as to why I’m feeling so crap and am well on my way to being bald?!
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UnderactiveMe
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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 did this test?
Do you remember to take levothyroxine everyday
(Weekly pill dispenser very helpful)
And always take levothyroxine on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after?
Always get same brand of levothyroxine?
Results show you are under medicated and need 25mcg dose increase in levothyroxine
Ft4 is only 15% through range
Ft3 only 25% through range
Helpful calculator for working out percentage through range
The aim of Levothyroxine is to increase the dose slowly in 25mcg steps upwards until TSH is under 2 (many patients 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.
Low vitamin levels when under medicated are extremely common
Low ferritin and/or low iron often linked to hair loss
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
I have had extreme hair loss 2 times and the first time it happened my ferritin was very low but my GP told me it was ok. He also told me my thyroid was "normal" which was also wrong. I joined a well known hair loss site and the ladies advised me on there that ferritin had to be over 80 for hair growth. Also your thyroid levels have to be right for you if mine are slightly too low or too high my hair falls out and my nails lift off their beds. My hair has been growing back for over a year now and although I think it is not as thick as it once was someone actually admired it (before lockdown obviously) so it must look ok. I too thought I might go bald because I was losing hundreds a day so I had some hair extension put in by Lucinda Ellery which cost me £800! There are cheaper hair dressers btw. This helped me cope with a very traumatic time for me. Hair is quick to fall out and slow to grow back I'm afraid.
You feel dreadful because your results are so low. As SlowDragon says in her first message
Results show you are under medicated and need 25mcg dose increase in levothyroxine
Ft4 is only 15% through range
Ft3 only 25% through range
The words "in range" and "normal" must rank as some of the most dangerous in the English language! It's not being in range that's important - it's where you are in range. And for most of us, that means being in the top third of the free T4 and free T3 ranges, often the top quarter, not languishing at 15% and 25%.
The only good news I can see in your results is that you convert your free T4 to free T3 well - so an increase in levo now, followed by more testing in 6 - 8 weeks, and a further increase then if needed, should be a HUGE help to you.
GP says everything is fine and there’s no need to investigate anything further.
RBC: 5.5 (3.73 - 4.96)
MCV: 79.3 (83.5 - 99.5)
MCH: 26.5 (27.5 - 33.1)
MCHC: 334 (315 - 350)
RDW: 16.6 (10 - 16)
Platelets: 123 (135 - 400)
I would ask your GP how can everything be fine when MCV, MCH and Platelets are below range with RDW above range. As him to look into iron deficiency and microcytic anaemia.
Your ferritin is quite low in range at 26%, you would feel very different if it was over half way through range.
I agree with all the comments about ferritin and healthy diet, but adding collagen peptides to my diet was the only thing which stopped my hair falling out.
I hope that given time, you will be on this website offering help, with a different name as you will get help here and need to change your pseudonym.
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with approximately 100 T4 + 10 T3. T4 is Levothyroxine and is a storage hormone that needs to be converted by your body into T3 - Liothyronine. T3 is the active hormone that the body runs on and read it is about four times more powerful than T4 and most people use about 50 T3 daily, just to function.
In order for your body to convert the T4 into T3 you do need a strong core strength and ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D need to built up to and maintained at optimal levels.
Some people can get by on T4 alone, some people simply stop, at some point in time converting the T4 into T3 and some people simply need both these vital hormones dosed and monitored independently to bring both T3 and T4 into balance and generally most people need both these essential hormones in the upper quadrant of their relevant ranges.
The thyroid is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation including your mental, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.
It is essential that you return to your doctor and ask for help with the issues highlighted already with regard to vitamins, minerals and red blood cell count.
Your T4 needs to be built up into the top quadrant of the range so aim for around 20 .
This will happen as you slowly increase your Levothyroxine by 25 mcg dose increases every 6 - 8 weeks after further blood tests, testing and measuring as you build, and as your T4 rises so will your T3 and it is the low T3 that gives you the symptoms that you are suffering.
You haven't detailed a TSH blood test result, but generally as T4 goes up, TSH goes down and most people feel at their best with a low TSH of around 1.
The ranges are simply that, ranges, and if you fall in the range you don't qualify for a NHS prescription. When unwell, especially with hypothyroidism we need everything ' optimal ' as your bodies aren't normal - and generally speaking optimal is high in a range numbers which you will learn about as you read and learn on this amazing website and start to understand where your optimal levels are.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
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