Have just got my Medichecks results back (thanks to the lovely people here...didn't even know that was an option). Never thought I would be celebrating abnormal results but I am euphoric. I'm NOT a mad hysterical woman....I'm not imagining it.... I have a reason why I have felt so horrible for so long.
But I need some help with the results please. I have bad brain fog all the time (a symptom of thyroid problems I am beginning to understand) and I need more simplified language and what, in real terms, the results imply.
Thank you in advance
CRP - 1.8
Iron status/ferratin - 167 -outside normal range
Vitamins normal - but showing towards low end for Vit D and folate serum
Thyroid hormones -
TSH - 5.04 - outside normal range
free T3 - normal - 5
free thyroxine - normal - 16.2
AUTOIMMUNITY -
THYROGLOBIN ANTIBODIES - 552 - outside normal range
THYROID PEROXIDASE - 233 - outside normal range
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PurpleNel
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We always need the reference ranges with the results so that we can interpret them accurately, ranges vary from lab to lab.
I know the Medichecks ranges so can comment, but not everyone does.
CRP - 1.8 (<5)
This is an inflammation marker so the lower the better, this is fine.
Iron status/ferratin - 167 -outside normal range (13-150)
Ferritin can be raised when there is infection or inflammation. Or maybe you are taking an iron supplement.
Vitamins normal - but showing towards low end for Vit D and folate serum
** "Normal" just means they are somewhere within range. Please post these results, they are as important as the others - see below **
Thyroid hormones -
TSH - 5.04 - outside normal range (0.27-4.20)
free T3 - normal - 5 (3.1-6.8)
free thyroxine - normal - 16.2 (12-22)
AUTOIMMUNITY -
THYROGLOBIN ANTIBODIES - 552 - outside normal range (<115)
THYROID PEROXIDASE - 233 - outside normal range (<34)
Your raised antibodies suggest that you are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's which is where the immune system attacks the thyroid and gradually destroys it.
Fluctuations in symptoms and test results are common with Hashi's.
Most doctors dismiss antibodies as being of no importance and know little or nothing about Hashi's and how it affects the patient, test results and symptoms. You need to read, learn, understand and help yourself where Hashi's is concerned.
Some members have found that adopting a strict gluten free diet can help, although there is no guarantee.
Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks.
You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily is said to help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
For a diagnosis of Primary Hypothyroidism most doctors wait until TSH goes over 10. When the TSH is over range with raised antibodies then an enlightened GP should diagnose autoimmune thyroid disease and prescribe Levo as suggested by Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, who states in Pulse Magazine (the professional magazine for doctors) in answer to Question 2:
Question 2 asks:
I often see patients who have an elevated TSH but normal T4. How should I be managing them?
Answer:
The combination of a normal serum T4 and raised serum TSH is known as subclinical hypothyroidism. If measured, serum T3 will also be normal. Repeat thyroid function tests in 2 or 3 months in case the abnormality represents a resolving thyroiditis.
But if it persists then antibodies to thyroid peroxidase should be measured. If these are positive - indicative of underlying autoimmune thyroid disease - the patient should be considered to have the mildest form of hypothyroidism.
In the absence of symptoms, some would simply recommend annual thyroid function tests until serum TSH is over 10mU/l or symptoms such as tiredness and weight gain develop. But a more pragmatic approach is to recognise that the thyroid failure is likely to become worse and try to nip things in the bud rather than risk loss to follow up.
Treatment should be started with levothyroxine in a dose sufficient to restored serum TSH to the lower part of it's reference range. Levothyroxine in a dose of 75-100mcg daily will usually be enough.
You can obtain a copy of the article by emailing Dionne at
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
print it and highlight question 2 to show your doctor and ask to be prescribed levothyroxine.
** Regarding your vitamin results:
Hashi's and gut absorption problems tend to go hand in hand and can very often result in low nutrient levels or deficiencies. Optimal nutrient levels are required for thyroid hormone to work properly.
Please post these results so that comment can be made and suggestions for supplements where necessary.
FOLATE SERUM - normal range 2.8 - 14.5 - mine is 4.5
This is low. Folate is recommended to be at least half way through range so that would be 9 plus with that range
Eating folate rich foods can help, also supplementing with a good quality, bioavailable B Complex containing methylfolate, eg Thorne Basic B.
When supplementing with B Complex we should leave this off for 7 days before any blood test, this is because it contains biotin and this can cause false results when biotin is used in the testing procedure, which most labs do.
B12 - normal range 25.1 - 165 - mine is 92
This is OK. I like my Active B12 to be over 100. There will be B12 in the B Complex which should push this level up a bit.
VIT D - normal range 50 - 200 - mine is 56
This is just into the "adequate" 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 4,000-5,000iu D3 daily.
Retest after 3 months.
Once you've reached the recommended level then a maintenance dose will be needed 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. This can be done 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. You will have to buy these yourself.
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 D3 softgels, they are an oil based very small softgel which contains just two ingredients - D3 and extra virgin olive oil, a good quality, nice clean supplement which is budget friendly. Some people like BetterYou oral spray but this contains a lot of excipients and works out more expensive.
For Vit K2-MK7 I like Vitabay or Vegavero brands which contain the correct form of K2-MK7 - the "All Trans" form rather than the "Cis" form. The All Trans form is the bioactive form, a bit like methylfolate is the bioactive form of folic acid.
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.
Thank you so much for all your time. I may have misunderstood (think I am in a slight state of shock and not really taking it all in ) but from what I have read so far of Hashi's it can cause problems with absorption of nutrients. So will taking supplements help if my body can't absorb them anyway?I have a very healthy and balanced diet and am aware of the need for various nutrients and their food sources (in fact this used to be part of my job as a professional sports coach) so I don't know why I am missing things. Also, very mystified why I have high iron. I only occasionally eat red meat and don't eat anything else which should affect this .
Sorry to ask so many questions. I know I need to understand as much as I can and this forum seems to have so much knowledge.
So you have high antibodies this is known by medics here in UK as autoimmune thyroid disease. Technically it’s Hashimoto's (with goitre) or Ord’s thyroiditis (no goitre). Both variants are autoimmune and more commonly just called Hashimoto’s
Hashimoto's frequently affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Obviously vitamin D and folate need improving
Poor gut function with Hashimoto’s can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal
Before considering trial on gluten free diet get coeliac blood test done FIRST just to rule it out
If you test positive for coeliac, will need to remain on gluten rich diet until endoscopy (officially 6 weeks wait)
If result is negative can consider trialing strictly gluten free diet for 3-6 months. Likely to see benefits. Can take many months for brain fog to lift.
If no obvious improvement, reintroduce gluten see if symptoms get worse.
The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported
In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned
Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.
Eliminate Gluten. Even if you don’t have Hashimoto’s. Even if you have “no adverse reactions”. Eliminate gluten. There are no universal rules except this one.
Only make one change at time - eg any diet changes or adding vitamin supplements
i remember 'that' day.. then one where you realise you're weirdly happy because you 've had actual confirmation that your immune system has got confused and is attacking your thyroid gland... ... even though that's pretty rubbish news.. it's a heck of a lot nicer to find that out, than it was to think you'd just turned into lifeless moaning minnie with 'nothing wrong with you'. Doesn't feel quite right to say 'congratulations'.. but ...... welcome to the club , you're allowed to feel hopeful now instead of hopeless.
Key here is your elevated TG and TPO antibodies. Two most likely causes of this are that you have something in your diet which your body considers a toxin; or you are carrying persistent toxins, e.g. mercury. You may need someone other than an allopathic MD, to figure this out. Hopefully, you can get those antibodies down until they do yet more damage to your natural thyroid function.
Gluten, dairy, and soy are generally seen as the most common food-based toxins. Unfortunately a "formula" allopathic MD will probably not help you with this sort of problem.
I am confused. Isn't it the Hashimoto's that causes the high antibodies which then leads to me needing to change some things in my diet (which is already very low dairy - was diagnosed with ME many years ago and found taking gluten out of diet helped)?
It's the other way around! Once the TPO and/or TG antibodies have increased to their "threshold" level, you are then diagnosed as having Hashimoto's. However, the typical allopathic doctor can't diagnose what is causing the increase in antibodies; the principal remedy for Hashimoto's which these docs use is to put you on levo, which reduces the stress (caused by production of thyroid hormones) on your own thyroid.
Thank you for that info. Just don't have the money to go down that route. I am a freelancer and my ability to work has been so impacted my income is severely reduced. And i have no partner to help. Spent all i have on a private consultation i have in Oct so fingers crossed.
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