Please could you help me interpret these blood test results?

[Sewsewer]

Hello,

I’ve just received these test results from Blue Horizon. I took the test due to an increasingly enlarged thyroid and feeling awful. The TSH test that my GP three weeks ago was 0.82 (don’t know the range I’m afraid) so that seems to be going up. He didn’t want to investigate further hence the private test.

Do these numbers suggest an autoimmune problem? Can anyone throw any light on what kind of problem is indicated?

Thanks so much X

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Sewsewer

Do these numbers suggest an autoimmune problem?

Yes, indeed they do and just goes to show why testing just TSH alone is not enough.

TPO antibodies: 180 (<34)

Tg antibodies: 509 (<115)

There is your problem. Your raised antibodies confirm that you are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's which is where the immune system attacks the thyroid and gradually destroys it.

The problem you now have is that you wont get a diagnosis and treatment until your TSH goes over range.

Primary Hypothyroidism is diagnosed when TSH goes over 10. Autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) can be diagnosed when TSH is over range (but not reached 10) along with raised antibodies.

At the moment your TSH, FT4 and FT3 are showing euthyroid (normal) and although you have Hashi's there is not yet enough damage to your thyroid to raise your TSH high enough or lower your FT4 enough, in other words you are producing an adequate amount of thyroid hormone naturally. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that you wont have symptoms.

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.

Gluten/thyroid connection: chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

hypothyroidmom.com/hashimot...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily is said to help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.

**

Hashi's and gut absorption problems tend to go hand in hand and can very often result in low nutrient levels or deficiencies. It's essential to test Vit D, B12, Folate and Ferritin and address any problems. So from your nutrient tests we can see:

Ferritin: 28.7 (13-150)

This result is dire. You need to speak to your doctor about this, but don't let him say that because the result is within range everything is fine because:

From: cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anae...

In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.

You need an iron panel which would show iron deficiency and a full blood count which would show if you have anaemia. Your GP should address this rather than you self supplement. Let us know what he says.

**

Vit D: 56nmol/L

Low but not deficient so GP wont do anything about this.

The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L, with a recent blog post on Grassroots Health mentioning a study which recommends over 125nmol/L.

To reach the recommended level from your current level, you could supplement with 4,000iu 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:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

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, and large doses of D3 can induce depletion of magnesium. 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.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...

**

B12: 233pmol/L = 316pg/ml

According to an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:

"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".

"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."

Do you have any signs of B12 deficiency – check here:

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

b12d.org/submit/document?id=46

If you do then list them to discuss with your GP and ask for testing for B12 deficiency and Pernicious Anaemia. Do not take any B12 supplements or folic acid/folate/B Complex supplements before further testing of B12 as this will mask signs of B12 deficiency and skew results.

**

Folate: 7.82 (8.83-60.8)

Below range, again discuss this with your GP who may prescribe folic acid. If he doesn't then come back here for further guidance.

Do not take folic acid before further testing for B12 and B12 injections or supplements started.

**

Testing magnesium is unreliable. About 99% of magnesium is stored in bone, muscles and soft tissues, leaving about 1% in the blood. So testing what's in the blood isn't giving an accurate picture of our magnesium status.

Most Hypos have low magnesium anyway and the magnesium supplement needed as a cofactor of D3 will help there.

**

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.

**

I think if you work on optimising your nutrient levels then repeat the test in, say, 3-4 months, we can see what difference this has made.

[Sewsewer in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I will do everything you suggest and let you know in a few weeks how I’m getting on. X