I'm finally, finally having much better days. I could weep with relief. I'm so thankful. I still have symptoms though and don't feel back to full health.
My latest blood are from being on 100mcg levo for 6 weeks.
I'm already gluten free and am supplementing with spatone, vitamin D oral spray, Ingennus B complex, selenium and magnesium spray.
I think my ferritin could be better so will work to improve this.
Is there anything else I could do?
Can I expect to continue to see improvements or is a plateau likely?
Looking at my bloods I don't think a dose increase is appropriate.
I'm also nervous that when my NHS bloods get back to the GP (TSH only) she'll want to reduce. Which I will strongly oppose.
Thank you to all on this fab forum xx
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RickGrimes
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I didn’t realise you’d retested already - ignore my response on your Dec thread! Great to see your improvement It looks like you are getting awesome conversion from T4 to T3, which is great! I guess you did your test 24 hrs from your last dose of levo as I get the impression you are very much taking control of this, which is wonderful. As T4 and TSH are both a teeny bit outside range, GP may push back... But you could refuse to drop the dose and offer to retest in 6 weeks to give things a chance to stabilise, perhaps, as a negotiating tactic? And you were feeling quite unwell on 75 mcg, which is another good reason... I just wonder if it is a slightly funky result. We saw someone get two quite different FT4 results from the same blood test sent to different labs earlier today...
Indeed I did take my last dose more than 24hrs before test but I take the suggestion the result could be funky. I will use this possibility to ask for a retest if my GP wants to reduce. Thanks for the suggestion!!
Results and symptoms should continue improving over coming weeks
Especially if ferritin continues to improve
Delay getting NHS test for as long as possible. And get test done as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
I've already had the NHS test ( result due in day or two) and I'm kind of kicking myself now for dutifully going along for it. In fact I think my Levo is on repeat for 12 months so I might have gone under the radar for a while. I could have just monitored privately. I wonder if GP practices actively check that there's an in rangeTSH before issuing a repeat?
It can take a while to feel better even when medication is optimal. Your body’s got to make a lot of repairs now that it’s got the “fuel” to do so. But you should slowly start to feel better over the coming months.
Rick- congrats on feeling better! Got 2 questions for you, please (of which 1 is silly, maybe): the autoimmunity testing you did, is one for Hashi and the other for Graves- if so, which is which? The silly question: did you get the blood for all the above drawn in one sitting? I get a bit queasy with the whole blood testing, and if the above would take a large number of vials, they'd have to scrape me off the floor. Thanks, hope your improvement is sustained!
All of the results came from a finger prick blood test I took and home and posted to the lab. Both the antibody tests were for hashimoto's. There is a different one/s for graves. The Thyroid UK site has helpful information.
Hi Rick, I'm on 100mcg but only for 2 weeks so far. I've had some improvements but still have all those symptoms you list. I think it could take more like 3-6 months to normalize. I could only hope for your T3 levels!
I am blown away by the T3 level tbh. I feel so lucky that I appear to convert well.
I hope you still continue to see improvements. I was feeling perkier around two weekend in then dreadful at three weeks, then seeming to improve again in the last two weeks. I've read other posters reporting this phenomenon.
Seeing at least some improvement really helps to give hope that feeling well *is* possible. I have had some pretty dark days where I feared Is be living this half-life forever.
Thanks Jonathan, I too have seen that advice (I have devoured most threads on here looking for help). I use a topical magnesium spray before bed, so well away from Levo. And I think the interaction is less of a risk than with oral supplements?
I hope your wife's brain fog has improved with the new regime!
Hi Rick glad you are feeling improved. My Docs were insisting that I had a blood test before they would issue the annual prescription for call off at the Chemist in the surgery. I said I was waiting for my Medichecks test and would let them know the result. My Doc who listened to me and accepted my blood test spreadsheet has recently retired so am in the lap of the gods hopefully I will get a similarly good GP but am not hopeful. My hospital has stopped doing private bloods so I am waiting for a private nurse to come to my home so not sure if they will issue a new prescription without having the results, but yes I am on an annual review. Hope your better news continues.
I'd give it 6 months to see if further gradual improvements happen in how you feel . I often feel better the longer i stay on a steady dose. and changing it often upsets me for about 8 weeks anyway, so yes you might feel better as time goes on if you can persuade them to leave you alone.If they are not willing to continue current dose , try suggesting it in terms of "i think it takes me a long time to settle after a dose change , i've only recently started to feel much better, can we leave it for 6 months to see if my results are the same once i've had long enough to stabilise on this dose ?"
The GP has left me on my current dose and I'm having a retest in 6 weeks. I wish I'd put it as elequantly as you did but instead I went in all guns blazing!
No matter, I've got the result I wanted and I've pursuaded them to 'leave me alone' as you say. For now.
Diet is definitely an area I can improve upon. But being so knackered it's hard to plan and eat well! But I've ordered a ginormous gluten free black pudding to be getting on with. I'm not sure about the livers😬. Although I eat pate so maybe not so different?
Hey there - it's so quick and easy - defrosted - 10 minutes tops flash fried and then whizzed down into a pate using a little mayo to help this medicine go down.
Try an autoimmune protocol diet, this really helped me. Stay away from nightshade vegetables too. Keep well hydrated with lots of water, cold or warm. Avoid additives so cook from scratch whole food. Good luck
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It looks like you are getting awesome conversion from T4 to T3, which is great! I guess you did your test 24 hrs from your last dose of levo as I get the impression you are very much taking control of this, which is wonderful. As T4 and TSH are both a teeny bit outside range, GP may push back... But you could refuse to drop the dose and offer to retest in 6 weeks to give things a chance to stabilise, perhaps, as a negotiating tactic? And you were feeling quite unwell on 75 mcg, which is another good reason... I just wonder if it is a slightly funky result. We saw someone get two quite different FT4 results from the same blood test sent to different labs earlier today... 
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