I have been having constant headaches for a few weeks now and got some blood tests ordered from my doctor which I collected the results for yesterday, and had a consultation with the doctor this afternoon.
Unfortunately they only tested TSH which is within the range, I asked for FT3 and FT4 but unfortunately the GP was not willing to give me those as the TSH levels are normal (1.6, range 0.2-5.5) I had managed to have a phone discussion with an endocrinologist who has suggested to get FT3 and FT4 tested as their is little point in him having a consultation with me if those levels are fine. I have therefore ordered them from Medichecks with a clinic appointment (I have had problems with the finger prick test in the past).
I have had a few other standard blood test results but unsure which are relevant to post on here.
For reference here are the range of symptoms I have noted over the last few weeks (a number of them have been occurring sporadically for longer):
Headaches- varies, sometimes a dull throb, sometimes a sharp stabbing pain, can be forehead, behind the eyes, through the temples or across the back of the head and up behind the ears.
Dizziness
Lack of energy
Slowness of thought or mild confusion
Numb and cold small and ring fingers on the right hand with a tingling feeling on the back of the upper bicep
Sensitivity to light and noise - makes the headaches much more severe
Feeling cold or shivery in a normal temperature room
Slight nausea/abdominal pains - this may be related to the amount of ibuprofen I have had in the last 3 weeks
Muscle spasms - hypnagogic jerk
Generally feeling down
Hair thinning
To note: I am male and 33 years of age if that helps.
The GPs suggestions (as well as that I could not get the FT3 and FT4 checks mentioned previously) were to stop the ibuprofen, get an eye test and to come back in a few weeks. These symptoms are such that they are interfering with day to day life including being able to get into the office.
Are there any suggestions or other tests that I should be pushing for to diagnose or rule out any thyroid problems?
Thanks
Written by
echosand
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I would suggest that you ask Medichecks to change your basic thyroid test to their Advanced Thyroid Function Blood Test which includes the full thyroid panel including antibodies and the nutrient tests Vit D, B12, Folate and Ferritin. Some low nutrient levels or deficiencies can have symptoms which overlap with symptoms of hypothyroidism.
OK, as these tests were only done last month, don't worry about repeating them, just go for the standard thyroid test but it might be worth including antibodies so that would be the Thyroid Function with Antibodies.I'm off to bed now, will pop back in the morning to comment on those results.
My Ferritin on 05/02/2021 was 199ug/l (optimal 30-200)
On 23/03/2021 this was 95ug/l (range 25-300)
Presumably 2 different labs? One NHS and one private? Which is which? For some reason this big difference is common even when the same unit of measurement and it's something I've never got to the bottom of. I find it's better to just use one lab and stick to it.
Do you take iron supplements?
Do you take a B Complex?
Vit B12 on 05/02/2021 was 125pmol/l (optimal 37.5-188)
This is a good result.
Was Folate also tested? B12 and folate work together.
VitD on 05/02/2021 was 77nmol/l (optimal 75-120)
The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L.
Personally I would supplement to improve this level especially as it has been mentioned that a good vit D level helps protect against Covid.
To reach the recommended level from your current level, you could supplement with 2,500-3000iu D3 daily and 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.
For D3 I like Doctor's Best softgels, they contain just D3 and extra virgin olive oil to aid absorption.
For Vit K2-MK7 I like Vitabay or Vegavero.
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.
Hi echosand. Those symptoms sound a lot like migraine to me, regardless of whether or not you have thyroid problems as well (they can be linked). It's not just a headache as many people believe, and can cause all sorts of symptoms. In particular I get the dizziness, confusion, numbness in my little fingers (and the nails turn blue), sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and depression when I'm having a migraine attack. May be worth investigating.
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