Had partial thyroidectomy 7 weeks ago and now TSH is 7.2. Thanks to all who helped me when I was feeling terrible post surgery!. The irony is now I feel great.
The doctor wants me on Synthroid (he will not prescribe generic ( Levo) 75 mg.
I had ferritin tested and Vit D by my request. (Thanks to all of your advice). Ferritin was 20 (Range 10 - 200) Vit D was 54 (range 35 -100) Doctor refuses to do T3, T4 or folate.
Should I take the Synthroid, insist on the generic (which is cheaper) or wait and see if the other half of the thyroid can someday produce enough hormone?
Before surgery the TSH was 2.5. This doctor considers anything up to 5 as normal.
Written by
montieth
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In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency
Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones
Thanks, I will request a full iron panel. I was already told by the nurse on the phone that my ferritin is "fine" so I expect a fight. Or maybe I will be better off searching for a different doctor to get all the tests I need. I have been eating red meat very rarely and chicken or fish only a couple of times a week. For the last 3 weeks or so I started eating red meat twice a week to bring it up so this low ferritin reflects the last three weeks.
Ok, thanks. Will most likely take the thyroid hormone then. I have been thinking of delaying it - hoping that the other lobe would eventually produce enough hormone.
I have not started levo yet. The doctor said that if half the thyroid is not producing the amount of hormone needed now (7 weeks after partial thyroidectomy), it most likely won't. Do you think it is okay to delay the levo while I do something about the nutrition or do both at the same time?
If you go on the Thyroid UK website who are the charity who support this forum there is a section listing private companies who will action the appropriate blood tests for you, and at an extra cost even range a nurse to come to your home and organise the blood draw.
When your metabolism isn't sitting " quite right " it does become more difficult extracting essential key nutrients from your food irrespective of what you eat and it does take time building back up your core strength.
The thyroid is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation including your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin plus a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg plus a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg.
T4 - Levothyroxine/ Synthroid is a storage hormone that needs to be converted by your body into T3 the active thyroid that the body runs on which is said to be about 4 times more powerful than T4 and most people feel at their best when both T3 and T4 blood test results show both these vital hormones, in balance and in range, at around a 1/4 ratio - T3 / T4 .
For T4 to work effectively you do need optimum vitamins and minerals and I now aim for a ferritin of around 100 : folate around 20 : active B12 75 ++ and vitamin D at around 100- range dependant - but general rule of thumb a good 50% + through the range :
I found my ferritin down at 22 and was told by my doctor that I was fine as I was in range but prescribed iron tablets. I then tried various iron bisglycinate products as I found the prescribe iron tablets too harsh on my stomach.
I now keep my levels maintained at optimal by eating 1 pot of Asda frozen chicken livers a week - they are mild, and when defrosted, flash fried and whizzed down into a pate a dollop of Hellmans this helps this medicine go down.
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