GRAVES BLOOD RESULT

[NIKEGIRL]

Hi, my blood result was this whilst on 115mg of PTU a day on 20 July 2021

T4 7.0 range 10-22

T3 6.4 range 2.0-6.0

5 weeks later and I took 81mg of PTU a day and got this result 26 Aug 2021

T4 12.0 range 10-22

T3 7.4 range 2.0-6.0

I don’t know what to do now? I feel fatigued. I’ve had a UTI infection in the last week and my feet have started to look better and not so dry and scaly.

My nice GP has gone so I don’t know if the replacement GP will call me. I don’t know what to do from here?

I am gluten free and dairy free. Big sigh

Any suggestions? Thanks 😊

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Assume your TSH has remained <0.01 throughout?

The GP or specialist will likely want to increase you PTU dose as FT3 still over range & TSH not in range.

Where do you feel most well?

Any more thoughts on block and replace? I’m wondering if this will be what’s necessary to level out your FT4:FT3 as your FT3 is always high, the endo hasn’t offered any explanation for that.

I do think you should be sticking with same daily dose & making small adjustments gradually as this will be the only way to know where you feel best.

[kittyelen]

I'm not sure how much gluten and dairy free affect it, I have graves but wasn't told to do that and levels now in range. I wonder if things could be getting complex and you don't know if the fatigue is from diet or the thyroid? The UTI could have made you feel run down too and fatigued, I'd ask to speak to someone about what dosage to take

[radd]

NIKEGIRL,

You must still have very elevated antibodies driving those continuing fluctuations of thyroid hormones, and you must feel terrible. Adopting a gluten/diary diet will only help if that's your trigger, and it's finding the trigger(s) that can be difficult.

I have hashi but I know pennyannie is a Graves sufferer with loads of good advice. Sending you best wishes 😊

[NIKEGIRL in reply to radd]

This is what I have been doing recentlyT4 range 10-22

T3 range 2.0-6.0

I can’t get balance of my T4 and T3.

BASELINE RESULT

19 May T4 26.0 and T3 21.3

19 May-15 June 133mg PTU

T4 11.0 and T3 8.7

15 June-22 June 125mg PTU

T4 8.0 and T3 7.1

22 June-06 July 105mg PTU

T4 8.0 and T3 7.2

105 = stayed th same in 2 weeks

06 July-20 July 116mg PTU

T4 7.0 and T3 6.4

20 July-24 Aug 81.4mg PTU

T4 12.0 and T3 7.4

24 Aug-21 Sept 53.50 mg PTU

T4. and T3

I’m just stuck

[radd in reply to NIKEGIRL]

NIKEGIRL,

And thats most likely because the antibodies are fluctuating. Also as you must know, with Graves you can have several different types of antibodies and they are all driven by stress.

Being ill is stressful enough but I know you have had much other going on in your life and it must be difficult to manage, but you are doing well by taking the positive step of going gluten/dairy free, and keeping notes on meds & symptoms.

I can't advise re your meds because I really don't know. PurpleNails has asked what seem to me some very relevant & important questions? 😊

[NIKEGIRL in reply to radd]

Yea PurpleNails has and I PM her back. I’m just stuck between over T3 and in range T4 or just in range T3 and under T4. I’m stuck and lost as to my next move. I don’t know who I am waiting on. As far as I know no one is looking at my case. Big sigh. I feel quite calm. Mentally pretty good. Thanks for your reply. I’d like that T4 higher but to get that I would need to drop my PTU dose in the hopes T4 will rise higher than T3. Currently T4 is only 16.67% in the range

[tattybogle in reply to NIKEGIRL]

hi x

What's your thinking behind lowering PTU dose from 81 .4 mg (?mcg) to 53.5 ?

Based on you previous tendency to have fT3 relatively high compared to fT4 i would be expecting that lowering PTU further may mean that fT4 comes up but at the cost of fT3 going way over.

My gut feeling is that for some reason you just make lots of T3 and that AT drugs alone will always leave you with low T4/ high T3, and if you adjust PTU to get one in range it will be at the expense of the other .. (which wouldn't worry me if you happened to feel OK like that. ) .... so if Block and Replace is being discussed it does make logical sense to try it when you feel ready. (as the chances of ending up with fT3 over range on just Levo are presumably slim)

I think you'll never know if more equal fT4 /fT3 levels will feel better than current low fT4/ high fT3 levels unless you try B & R.

( I also wonder if it is too soon after a UTI/ treatment to change anything else yet ? did you have antibiotics ? )