My full health story

[ChoH]

I did have some blood tests done recently on the 2nd June 2021.

My results are as follows :

- vitamin B12 : 762 pmol/L (145 - 569)

-serum folate : 30.5 mmol/L (8.8 - 60.3)

- Vitamin D : 34ng/mL (sufficiency = >20ng/mL

- MCHC : 32.2L (32.7 - 34.9

-MPV : 12.1 H (7.3 - 11.3)

-triglycerides: 0.95mmol/L (optimal = <1.7 mmol/L)

-HDL : 2.02 mmol/L (optimal = >1.2 mmol/L)

-LDL : 2.70mmol/L (optimal = <3.0 mmol/L)

- Total cholesterol : 5.5 mmol/L (<5.0 mmol/L)

- TSH : 0.78 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.20)

- free T4 : 20.0 pmol/L (12.0 - 22.0)

-thyroglobulin : 18.7 ug/L (3.5 - 77.0)

- Anti-thyroglobulin Ab : 214 H U/mL (<115)

Initially when I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem which was in October 2018 my results were :

-TSH : 8.27 uIU/mL (0.35 - 4.94)

-FT4 : 9.5 pmol/L (9.0 - 19.0)

-S-Iron : 21.4 umol/L (9.0 - 30.4)

-S-Ferritin : 34 ng/mL (15 - 160)

-triglycerides: 0.7 mmol/L (<1.7)

-HDL: 1.8mmol/L (>1.2)

-LDL: 2.6mmol/L (<3.0)

-total cholesterol: 4.7mmol/L (<5.0)

I was started on Euthyrox 0.05mg and 1.0mg on alternative days. I was on this treatment for one year (2019 - 2020) my TSH levels then became too low (0.02 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.20)) and free T4 became high (free T4: 26.8 pmol/L (12.0 - 22.0). I was then changed to Euthyrox 0.025mg from January to April and on 7th April I went for bloods again. My TSH became too high (11.97 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.20)) and free T4 was within normal range (free T4 : 14.3 pmol/L (12.0 -22.0)). I was then switched to Euthyrox 0.05mg which I have been taking since April till now in June.

My TSH and free are within the normal range as shown above in my first paragraph. My thyroid antibodies are high, my total cholesterol level is high. My vitamins are within normal range. My symptoms of my thyroid issues are :

-hair loss

-brittle nails

-feeling cold

-menstrual issues (absence of period or light bleeding)

-feeling cold

-loss of weight

-high cholesterol

-occasionally muscle pains

-stomach sensitivity : pain and bloating (sensitivity to milk, cream and spicy food)

My current medications that I take are :

- Euthyrox : 0.05mg

- Minesse (oral contraceptive)

- gastrochoice probiotic

-multivitamin

-Omegq 3,6,9 (flaxseed brand)

I have tried to give a full picture of my thyroid issues and health. I need help to try to get things under control especially all the symptoms and the high cholesterol.

The dr has told me to continue with 0.05mg Euthyrox and to go for bloods again in July.

At the moment I am not sure if the Euthyrox dose that I am on is the best dose for me. And also not sure how to deal with the other problems. I’ve been trying to do some research on what health changes I can makes or what natural products I can use to help my cholesterol and thyroid issues and for my hair loss, but I am also afraid to mix natural products with my current medication, any advice on that as well ?

[Giraffes]

Hi ChoH,

Just at a quick glance, I would be looking at your vit d level.

I have the same symptons, but found research on google scholar about vit d and hypothyroidism

My levels need to be in 100 to feel better over all.

This may help, but no expert.

[humanbean in reply to Giraffes]

Be very careful when discussing vitamin D. Europeans and Americans use different units of measurement.

Optimal for vitamin D is :

100 - 150 nmol/L

OR

40 - 60 ng/mL.

The two suggested optimal ranges are equivalent.

[Giraffes in reply to humanbean]

Thanks for update

[shaws]

Good morning ChoH,

There's no background history on your 'page' which just has your name.

So that members don't need to ask you the same questions in the future, if you copy/paste some of the above into your 'page' members can look at it before answering.

Our cholesterol level can rise and it is due to being hypothyroid but with small increases in our in dose it will gradually reduce. Some doctors seem to prescribe cholesterol reducing medications which we don't need.

This is the method for blood tests:-

Always get the earliest blood draw (even if apointment is made weeks ahead). It is a fasting test and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose of thyroid hormones and the test and take it afterwards. This gives us the best results.

Always get a print-out of your results, for your own records. If you have a query you can post the latest results.

[ChoH in reply to shaws]

Thanks shaws, I have posted some info in my bio. Also my latest blood results were those done on the 2nd June, which I did post above when I started my story

[shaws in reply to ChoH]

Thank you and it also saves us who post, that members can read the history without us having to repeat it often.

[greygoose]

The missing link here is the FT3 result. That is the most important number, and your doctor should not be dosing by the TSH. That is the surest way to keep the patient sick!

Your cholesterol is more than likely high because your FT3 is low. Cholesterol is made in the liver and the liver keeps cholesterol production steady, adjusting to the amount you consume. But, when T3 is low, the body cannot process cholesterol correctly and it tends to mount up in the blood. And, there are no 'natural' remadies you can adopt to fix either of those two problems, all you can do is raise your FT3 level with exogenous hormone - which, by the way IS natural.

There's no such thing as a too low TSH. Either the TSH is adapting to the level of your thyroid hormones, or there is a problem with your pituitary - TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. Either way, TSH does not cause symptoms, nor problems with hearts and bones, as doctors think. But, there is no way your doctor can know what your FT3 level is by looking at your TSH. It needs to be tested.

You can have a suppressed TSH and an over-range FT4, and still have an FT3 that is too low. T4 (levo) is a storage hormone, basically, which has to be converted into the active hormone - the one that causes symptoms if its too low - T3. Not everyone is very good at that. But, you cannot tell how well you convert just by looking at your FT4 and TSH. You need to test the FT3.

Time to set your doctor right, because he's doing it all wrong!

[ChoH in reply to greygoose]

Thanks so much for the advice, the Dr did request for T3 to be measured as well, and the labs didn’t measure it, but the Dr also failed to them motivate and speak about that. Basically I feel drs just look at the normal way of treating a patient, it’s like ok thyroid problem - levothyroxine, cholesterol problem -statins, and I don’t like that they just look at what’s wrong in a one way view. Thanks for your help, will get my T3 measured ASAP and will post it here

[greygoose in reply to ChoH]

If you want to know how well you convert, you need to test your FT4 and FT3 at the same time, so that we can compare them.

Also, it's very rare that a GP knows that high cholesterol is linked to low T3 because, for a start, they have no idea what T3 is or what it does, and secondly, they believe that cholesterol levels are linked to diet. Which it isn't. And, they also want to push statins as much as possible because they get financial incentives for prescribing them. They get nothing for levo!