I had half my thyroid put for a nodule four weeks ago. It was benign. Please can anyone help re my latest bloods.
My Tsh is 1.77 (it was 0.15 pre op)
Free T4 is 16.9 (it was 22.7 pre op)
Free T3 is 3.3 (no pre op info)
Vit d is 151
All other tests in mid normal range. The doctor signed me off for a year. I feel well but my energy fades quite quickly as it did before the op. I know my T4 is in a better range but could anyone help with the rest.
If my T3 is too low can I help it nutritionally? Does going gluten free help? And what vitamins could help.
Thanks so much.
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Lillywing
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If the unit of measurement for Vit D is nmol/L then you have reached the top of the recommended range and you now just need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
Are you taking D3's important cofractors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?
My Tsh is 1.77 (it was 0.15 pre op) Range 0.27 -4.2
Free T4 is 16.9 (it was 22.7 pre op) Range 12 - 22
Free T3 is 3.3 (no pre op info) Range 3.2 to 6.8 (is that a typo and should e 3.1?)
The aim of a hypo patient on Levo, generally, is for TSH to be 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their reference ranges.
However, we advise retesting 6 weeks after starting Levo, and 6-8 weeks if dose is altered, this is to give levels time to stabilise. Your test has been done too early and your levels may change in the next few weeks. They are currently showing that you are undermedicated, and even if you did retest in a few weeks I think your results will still show undermedication.
Ferritin 55 range 16-30
That is not a ferritin range. Should it be 16-300?
Folate 5.7 range 4.6-18.7
Folate is recommended to be at least half way through rangte so yours is very low.
Folate and B12 work together so it's important that B12 is tested before any suggestion can be made about how to improve your folate level. If your B12 was low and suggested B12 deficiency, then taking a supplement for your folate would mask signs of B12 deficiency.
I’m on no medication for thyroid. The surgeon said my thyroid had picked up the slack. It obviously hasn’t. I will retest in a few weeks privately. My surgeon was excellent and it’s disheartening to see he thinks i should be ok when clearly it’s no wonder I get exhausted easily.
What about your Ferritin? What is the correct range? Ferritin is recommended to be half way through range, but there is no ferritin range as narrow as 16-30, they are always either 13-150 or 15-300 or similar. If your ferritin is not half way through range then you could experience symptoms of fatigue from that.
And are you taking D3's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?
hey sorry that should read 15-300. what is ferritin?
Ferritin is your iron store.
So your ferritin at 55 is low, ferritin is recommended to be half way through range - 158+ with that range but I've also seen it said that 100-130 is a good level for females.
Ferritin article including symptoms of low ferritin:
Iron deficiency is shown to significantly reduce T4 to T3 conversion, increase reverse T3 levels, and block the thermogenic (metabolism boosting) properties of thyroid hormone (238-242). Thus, iron deficiency, as indicated by an iron saturation below 25 or a ferritin below 70, will result in diminished intracellular T3 levels. Additionally, T4 should not be considered adequate thyroid replacement if iron deficiency is present.
However, a ferritin level below 70 does not confirm iron deficiency. I have quoted that to show that conversion of T4 to T3 will likely be impaired if ferritin is below 70, hence why you see it quoted on this forum that ferritin needs to be 70.
You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet
You should not supplement iron yourself, testing for iron deficiency/iron deficiency anaemia should be done first and then GP should prescribe and monitor regularly.
Why would ferritin be low if red blood count is good and I’m not iron deficient?
Have you had a full blood count and iron panel tested to know this?
A full blood count would show if you have anaemia.
You can have iron deficiency without anaemia. It can take some time after iron stores are depleted before haemoglobin and red blood count are affected and iron deficiency anaemia develops.
Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron, ferritin stores and releases iron - think of it as the pantry, the pantry needs stocking with food, you take food out of the pantry as and when you need it and it has to be restocked. Your body takes iron out of ferritin when it's needed.
Generally, the following applies although upper end of range varies between males and females (male range goes higher) and also for pre menopausal and post menopausal women. Also, different labs have different ranges and I don't know why.
Low: Less than 15 ug/L
Borderline: 16 – 40 ug/L
Normal: 41 – 400 ug/L
High: Greater than 400
So your level is classed as normal at 55 by the medical profession but it is considered on the low side for us Hypos, as mentioned above conversion of T4 to T3 can be impaired with ferritin below 70.
My ferritin is on the low side, last tested it was around 57 although it has been around 70 previously. I am not anaemic (full blood count is fine) and I have done an iron panel a few times and those levels are good and do not show iron deficiency. So I have lowish ferritin for some reason, I can't tell you why but I eat liver regularly to try and raise it. Obviously I can't tell you why your ferritin would be low either.
Thanks Susie. So I had half my thyroid out because of a large nodule. It was at the high end of normal before the op... T4 was 22 in range of 12-22. But now with only half levels are dropping and I’m on no meds. My blood count is very good so maybe it’s all just rebalancing. I’m more concerned by the T3 conversion I’m finding out about as I’ve no previous readings of this before the op but have been suffering with energy burn out very quickly for two years so thinking it could be due to the low T3. I will see what next test comes back with and get b12 included.
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
What are current B12, folate and ferritin results and ranges
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 .
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 your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
You seem to be experiencing similar problems that I had when half my thyroid was removed in 1989 for benign goitre.
The remaining gland was very slow to start working again properly and GP was on point of prescribing me levo, when he suggested as a last resort to buy some Orovite tablets.
They worked absolutely marvellous, returned to me the energy I once had 25 years earlier when thyroid exploded into life.
Trouble was I returned to "normal" within a couple of weeks.
That is the one and only occasion that vitamins have ever worked for me, and how they did work!!!
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