Too high?

[bluehaven201]

Please can anyone advise?

[fuchsia-pink]

How do you feel?

These results show TSH is suppressed (which is pretty normal as I think you're on NDT) and low free T4. Did you test free T3? I'd say that's the most important result, especially if you're on NDT ... And are your key nutrients good? - ferritin, folate, vit D and B12

[bluehaven201 in reply to fuchsia-pink]

They haven’t tested me for any of the others. I’ve asked for tests but they say they are not required 😢

[bluehaven201 in reply to fuchsia-pink]

I feel like I need more as I’m fatigued, in pain, depressed and putting weight on again.

[fuchsia-pink in reply to bluehaven201]

Well I'm not surprised with free T4 that low.

Can you treat yourself to private testing and see how dreadful free T3 is? And add some levo to the mix or increase your NDT until both frees are nice and high?

[bluehaven201 in reply to fuchsia-pink]

I’ve tried on several occasions with medichecks. I cannot get enough blood from my fingers for the test. I get one drop, then it stops even if I massage my finger. The endo wrote “your recent blood test is showing signs of excess thyroid hormone replacement. I understand you are now taking ThyroGold but I am uncertain of the dose. In any case the dose should be reduced”. I was about to increase it by one capsule until my Thyroid S arrives as I don’t feel I am doing well on this dose (or TG in general)

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to bluehaven201]

You need to pay for private blood test including private blood draw

Or try just TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 via Monitor My Health as cheapest option

Just testing TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate, especially on NDT

Previous post shows good vitamin levels

Hashimoto’s confirmed

Are you on strictly gluten free diet?

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 .

If/when also on NDT make sure to take last third or quarter of daily dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

Is this how you do your tests?

cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

[fuchsia-pink in reply to bluehaven201]

Ignore the comment on "excess" meds - that's just looking at TSH and noting it's suppressed without noticing or caring (a) what meds you're taking (and that these will suppress TSH because that's just what they do) and (b) your woeful free T4 result.

SeasideSusie gives some great tips (and a video) on how best to get bloods done at home, so click on her name and check out her replies to people x

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to bluehaven201]

bluehaven201

To save you searching through my previous replies, here are my tips, I hope they help:

* Be well hydrated, drink plenty of water the day before, and before you do the test.

* Some people take a shower before hand, some run up and down the stairs to get blood flowing. Personally, as I can't run up and down the stairs, I circle my arm round, windmill style.

* Have a bowl full of hot water, dip hand in and out, swish around, hand needs to go red. If blood flow stops, you can always swish round in the hot water again.

* Stand up to do the test. Make sure your arm is straight down when collecting the blood. Either use a small step stool to raise yourself well above the work surface, or put the collection tube on a lowish shelf. One member uses an ironing board so she can get the perfect height.

* Prick finger on the side, not the tip. I find that half way between the nail bed and tip is about right, or maybe slightly nearer the nail bed rather than the tip. I use my ring finger, but middle finger is next best for me.

* Do not squeeze your finger to get the blood out, it can damage the blood and it may not be usable

I've recently done 2 tests. The first one there was very little blood coming out which was unusual for me so I used a second finger and between the two I gradually filled the tube. However, when I checked the prick site for the first finger the actual cut was very small and as I've had some of these lancets fail before I put it down to that. When I did the second test this is what I did

* Prick my finger as usual, at the same time try and make a very slight twist with the lancet (the blade retracts very quickly so you have like a nano second to twist the lancet). I'm not talking 90 degrees or anything, just a very slight twist to make the cut just slightly bigger, it doesn't hurt or cause a blood bath! This made a big difference, 11 generous drops of blood filled the tube in less 2 minutes.

If you supplement with Biotin, or a B complex containing it (B7), leave it off for 7 days before doing any blood tests as it can give false results when biotin is used in the testing procedure, and most labs do use it.

Video showing how to do a fingerprick test:

youtube.com/watch?v=w2JzToZ...(Not working as expected?)