Medi check full thyroid test results

[TeeDee63]

Hello everyone,

Following on from recent posts, here are my results from Medichecks. Your interpretation of these will be most helpful,

Many thanks T xxxx

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

TeeDee63

I understand that you don't have a diagnosis and not on any thyroid medication.

CRP is nice and low, as an inflammation marker then the lower the better.

Ferritin:13.1 (13-150)

This almost certainly confirms iron deficiency and is likely to be causing symptoms. See:

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 should show this result to your GP and ask for an iron panel which should include

Serum iron

Transferrin saturation percentage

Total iron binding capacity

Ferritin

Symptoms of low ferritin include:

◾Weakness

◾Fatigue

◾Difficulty concentrating

◾Poor work productivity

◾Cold hands and feet

◾Poor short-term memory

◾Difficulty remembering names

◾Dizziness

◾Pounding in the ears

◾Shortness of breath

◾Brittle nails

◾Headaches

◾Restless legs

Symptoms of iron deficiency:

◾Persistent fatigue

◾Pale skin

◾Shortness of breath

◾Headaches

◾Dizziness

◾Heart palpitations

◾Dry skin

◾Brittle hair and hair loss

◾Swelling or soreness of the tongue or mouth

◾Restless legs

◾Brittle or ridged nails

If you have any of these symptoms then list then to discuss with your GP.

Don't consider taking an iron supplement yourself, you need to do an iron panel, if you already have a decent level of serum iron and a good saturation percentage then taking iron tablets can push your iron level even higher, too much iron is as bad as too little.

Folate: 5.10 (3.89-19.45 - this is the full range for Medichecks)

This is low, not folate deficiency but low. Folate is recommended to be at least half way through range. Don't supplement for this at the moment due to your B12 result.

B12: 28.6 (37.5-150)

Again show this to your GP. GPs don't do the Active B12 test, only the Total B12, but the Active B12 test measures what's available for the cells to use. Your result is absolutely dire, definitely shows B12 deficiency. Your GP should test your for B12 deficiency and Pernicious Anaemia (PA), PA being one cause of B12 deficiency. PA is an autoimmune condition which affects the stomach and stops nutrients being absorbed. You may need B12 injections and if it's PA this is for life.

Do not supplement with B12 or B Complex or folate or folic acid until further testing has been done as it will skew results.

Vit D: 78nmol/L

This isn't too bad but a bit low. 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.

If you want to improve your level then to reach the recommended level from your current level, you could supplement with perhaps 3,000iu 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. 90-100mcg K2-MK7 is enough for up to 10,000iu D3.

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.

If looking for a combined D3/K2 supplement, this one has 3,000iu D3 and 50mcg K2-MK7. The company has told me the K2-MK7 is the Trans form

natureprovides.com/collecti...

It may also be available on Amazon

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...

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.

TSH: 5.82 (0.27-4.20)

FT4: 12.1 (12-22)

FT3: 4.19 (3.1-6.8)

Over range TSH suggests hypothyroidism, bottom of range FT4 suggests hypothyroidism, both of these results should suggest to your GP that you should start on Levothyroxine now. If your FT4 was 11.9 rather than 12.1 I think the guidelines might state that you should be prescribed Levo if your TSH was also over range, your FT4 level is so low that there's really no question. Most GPs wait until TSH goes over 10 but I really don't think there is any justification for that with your results.

Is this your first over range TSH? Your GP may want two over range TSH results but I would push to a prescription based on your FT4 level.

Thyroid antibodies are low which doesn't suggest autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) which is quite surprising considering your dire nutrient levels. Hashi's causes gut/absorption problems which can result in nutrient deficiencies. However, it is possible to have Hashi's without raised antibodies.

[TeeDee63 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much for your extensive knowledge. I have blood tests to be taken that the doctor ordered so will post the results on here when I get them back.Many thanks, your input has been invaluable

T xx

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Previous post

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

shows a consultant had written to GP that you were hypothyroid and B12 deficient

You have been badly let down by GP

Standard starter dose of levothyroxine is 50mcg

Best to avoid Teva brand levothyroxine initially unless you are lactose intolerant as Teva upsets many people

Once you have had testing for Pernicious Anaemia you will highly likely need loading B12 injections

That’s a number of B12 injections over few weeks, then one injection per 2-3 months

Iron is extremely low

GP should be doing full iron panel test for anaemia

Are you vegetarian or vegan?

Come back with new post once you have seen GP and update us

[TeeDee63 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you so much. I will take this on board and have blood tests tomorrow which the doctor has ordered. I had to ask for the thyroid blood test, which she wasn’t too happy about, and have full blood count and test for Sjorgrens.Many thanks for your invaluable input.

T xxx

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to TeeDee63]

Hopefully your thyroid test is early morning

Come back with new post once you get results and what GP is going to do