Recently I went to get blood work done after experiencing some lethargy, lack of focus and brain fog. Pretty much everything came back within the normal range except for my LDL and total cholesterol which were slightly elevated but nothing too out of whack (LDL 125, HDL 50, total 207) . My doc said I could easily bring them down to a decent level by being more physically active and doing moderate aerobic exercise 3-4 times a week.
My B12 came back at 791 pg/ml. Folate is 17.5 ng/ml, ferritin 180 ng/ml, iron 75 mcg/dL, vitamin D 40 ng/ml, RBC 5.77, WBC 9250, hct 49.2%, hgb 16.0, HbA1c 5.18, CRP is good, liver and kidney function all normal. Electrolytes are also all within optimal/normal ranges. Mg is a bit on the lower side but still normal.
My TSH is also good now. It sits at 2.32 while being all the way up at 4.5 back in Feb. I think main culprit was lack of iodised salt in diet as my antibodies came back negative. Since I started consuming more iodine, tsh has normalised but brain fog and fatigue haven’t lifted. FT4 is 17, FT3 - 6. Cortisol am serum - 460 nmol/L.
Based on those readings I think anaemia, adrenal and thyroid problems could almost certainly be ruled out as a potential cause. One test that I didn’t get done though was homocysteine. Would you say I need to get that checked out with my current B12/folate status or would it most likely be a waste of money? Also, are there any other lab tests worth doing? I’m well aware of testosterone/estrogen and plan on scheduling an appointment to test those soon.
Any help is well appreciated.
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Plat992
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Never been diagnosed nor have I taken any replacement. My TSH just turned out high and out of range back in February at 4.5. My T4 was also on the lower side of the range at 14, T3 was 5. Doctor didn’t say anything. Nonetheless I had hypothyroid symptoms like brain fog, chronic fatigue and hair loss. So what I did is I decided to start adding iodised salt to all my meals in case iodide deficiency was a factor and then order a full thyroid panel in a few months to see if there is any effect and what the situation is with my antibodies. My TSH now appears to be well within the normal range, along with all other biomarkers and I have no antibodies. None of my physical or mental symptoms have resolved though. That’s why I’m looking for another cause by conducting more blood tests. Just not sure what’s there left to test.
Those results look fine, all in range. You do not have positive TG or TPO antibodies, but antibodies can vary greatly. A positive result confirms an autoimmune issue, but a negative doesn’t prove categorically there is not, or that one day an autoimmune issue could develop.
When the TSH was high is range what were FT4 & FT3 results? Usually it means they are low. The TSH a pituitary hormone rises to stimulate the thyroid to work harder.
Iodine can affect thyroid unpredictable, causing hyper is some hypo in those susceptible. So it it possible it use affected you.
If you have a normal diet low iodine is quite unlikely. Have you had iodine levels tested?
Pleas can you add ranges for nutrients?
Please put country in profile. Is relevant if we add links to private testing companies.
You can have a look at my latest readings down below. I’ve got to mention that I've never been diagnosed with thyroid disease nor have I ever taken any medication for it though. My TSH just turned out high and out of range back in February (4.5) and my FT4 was also on the lower side at 14. Doc didn’t make anything out of it but I figured might be hypo as I already had some weird symptoms like fatigue, brain fog and hair loss. Instead of getting a full thyroid panel at that time though, I decided to start adding iodised salt to all my meals in case iodine deficiency had something to do with it and then order a comprehensive panel in a few months. My TSH now appears to be fixed but none of my physical/mental symptoms have resolved. That’s why I’m trying to find the problem elsewhere.
That was a really dangerous thing to do without getting your iodine level tested. Iodine is not a cure for hypothyroidism. It actually used to be used to treat hyperthyroidism before antithyroid drugs were invented. So, I don't in the least suppose it 'fixed' your TSH.
In any case, it's not about 'fixing' the TSH. TSH is not a thyroid hormone. It's produced by the pituitary to stimulate the thyroid to make thyroid hormone when necessary. So, there's absolutely no point in trying to bring the TSH down without bringing low thyroid hormone levels up. TSH does not cause any sort of symptom. It's low T3 that causes symptoms like fatigue, brain-fog, hair-loss and high cholesterol.
Your FT3 is not abnormally low in those results, but it does take an abnormal amount of TSH to stimulate the thyroid to make that much T3. So, your thyroid is struggling, even though you don't appear to be hypo when that test was done.
Your antibodies are negative, but you cannot rule out Hashi's on the basis of one negative blood test because antibodies fluctuate, and it is possible to have Hashi's without antibodies ever going over-range.
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[i][b]'Brain fog' sufferers to be tested for lack of B12 [/b][/i]
