I have been having symptoms for around 2 years now which include anxiety, weight loss, thyroid nodules and swollen lymph nodes. pain in neck running up to my right ear and collarbone, acid reflux etc. I took the Medichecks test as my doctor has been so slow in any kind of diagnosis and I am struggling big time now. I was convinced this would validate all my concerns and the doctor at Medichecks has signed these off as ‘excellent results’ 😔. Any help very much appreciated.
Thanks
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Heartgal151
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Having read through other posts I’ve noted that should have vitamins checked too... these were my last tests, not taken at same time as thyroid test but was symptomatic at this time too (to a lesser extent than I am now. 😔)
A normal healthy person would have a TSH of no more than 2, often nearer 1, with FT4 around mid-range-ish. Your FT4 is 41% through range but that may be your "normal", none of us are tested when we are well for a baseline so don't know what's normal for us.
So all in all your thyroid results don't really show a problem.
Vit D: 42.4nmol/L
This is in the insufficiency category. The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L.
To reach the recommended level from your current level, you could supplement with 5,000iu D3 daily.
Retest after 3 months.
Once you've reached the recommended level then you'll 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:
Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3.
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and Vit K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking D3 as tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.
I like Doctor's Best D3 softgels and Vegavero or Vitabay K2-MK7.
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking magnesium as tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
Don't start all supplements at once. Start with one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Again, wait a week or two and if no adverse reaction add the next one. Continue like this. If you do have any adverse reaction then you will know what caused it.
Is it possible to have extensive symptoms while all bloods show as normal? I have confirmed thyroid nodules and I am really struggling with symptoms and can’t seem to get any answers 😔 my thyroid is noticeably swollen and my throat has been sore for months. Xx
I have confirmed thyroid nodules and I am really struggling with symptoms and can’t seem to get any answers 😔 my thyroid is noticeably swollen and my throat has been sore for months. Xx
It is possible to have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto') without raised antibodies, so even though your antibody levels are low it doesn't completely rule out Hashi's.
I don't have experience of Hashi's or nodules so I will tag SlowDragon who knows a lot more about Hashi's than I do.
You haven't said what your ferritin and folate levels are.
Thank you. I haven’t tested my Ferritin or Folate, I’m thinking I might get a Thriva test which does them all as I have realised since reading this forum that I didn’t take my Medichecks test at the right time of day and I had eaten and drank coffee by the time I took it.
I am just desperate for answers now. Looking back at previous Medichecks test from 2019 my TSH was 2.81 so it has reduced but don’t know the significance of that. I didn’t get FT4 or 3 measured at that time.
I don’t think I need another ultrasound as the NHS one has already confirmed swollen lymph glands and thyroid nodules, but no further action as yet due to delays caused by Covid.
I’ve not tried gluten free, would this be of benefit? X
I don't use Thriva, I don't like their website and I think it's confusing about their "subscriptions", etc, I prefer to just choose what I want when I want and the ease of ordering without any commitment offered by Blue Horizon and Medichecks.
Looking back at previous Medichecks test from 2019 my TSH was 2.81 so it has reduced but don’t know the significance of that.
You can't deduce anything at all from it. If the test wasn't done under the exact same circumstances then the TSH is going to be different as time of day makes a difference, as can eating and drinking coffee or other caffeine containing drinks.
When doing thyroid tests, we advise:
* Book the first appointment of the morning, or with private tests at home no later than 9am. This is because TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. If we are looking for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or looking for an increase in dose or to avoid a reduction then we need TSH to be as high as possible.
* Fast overnight - have your evening meal/supper as normal the night before but delay breakfast on the day of the test and drink water only until after the blood draw. Eating may lower TSH, caffeine containing drinks affect TSH.
* If taking thyroid hormone replacement, last dose of Levo should be 24 hours before blood draw, if taking NDT or T3 then last dose should be 8-12 hours before blood draw. Adjust timing the day before if necessary. This avoids measuring hormone levels at their peak after ingestion of hormone replacement. Take your thyroid meds after the blood draw. Taking your dose too close to the blood draw will give false high results, leaving any longer gap will give false low results.
* If you take Biotin or a B Complex containing Biotin (B7), leave this off for 7 days before any blood test. This is because if Biotin is used in the testing procedure it can give false results (most labs use biotin).
These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with doctors or phlebotomists.
No it wasn’t, it was advanced thyroid but no vitamins at all, the vitamin test was done at an earlier date.
I think Thriva offer the full thyroid screen, vitamins, ferritin and folate as one test so probably cost effective for me. I’ll be sure to follow all the testing instructions x
I think Thriva offer the full thyroid screen, vitamins, ferritin and folate as one test
That is the exact same test that both Blue Horizon and Medichecks do, the tests I mentioned above - TSH, FT4, FT3, Thyroid antibodies, Vit D, B12, Folate, Ferritin.
Medichecks is £79 less 10%
Blue Horizon is £139 less 30%
They all use the same lab for processing the test.
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Help with interpreting results please
Help interpreting results :) 
Help interpreting results - Hypothyroid
Help interpreting results please
