CRP HS <0.3 mg/L Tested 3 times in last year - never above 0.5
Ferritin58.5 ug/L. This was tested in June 2021 and was at 48.4 ug/L I historically have low iron levels since being a meat eating teenager, veggie adult, pre periods, heavy periods and then on depo for heavy periods so no periods for 15 years (then menopause). All made little impact on my iron. I supplement with a multivit but intend to change that so especially looking for advice on a vitamin regime.
Folate - Serum 9.64 ug/L Last tested in Feb when it was 8.6
Vitamin B12 - Active 94.3 pmol/L Last tested in Feb but looks like a different test? Serum vitamin B12 level 282 ng/L Range = 197.0 – 771.0
Vitamin D X 41 nmol/L Insufficient - should I see GP about this or buy over counter? Last test in July 2022 showed 68 nmol/L so a bit bummed about this.
TSH 1.21 mU/L Last done in early Aug and was 1.6 - I've had about 4 of these in the last year and they are steadily dropping from a high of 3.9 back in June 2021.
Free T3 4.07 pmol/L This was the most important one to me - obviously it's in range but is it optimal?
Free Thyroxine 14.6 pmol/L This has gone down from 16pmol/L in early Aug (it was also 16pmol/L when done in June 2021)
Thyroglobulin Antibodies 48 IU/mL I've never been tested for this before, is this significant?
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies X 211 IU/mL Done in June 2021 and was 152 so higher now.
Medichecks doctor notes say no problem with thyroid - symptoms probably from vitamin D insufficiency. Supplement and if no change in 3 months go and see my own GP.
Was this an early morning, fasting blood test with any B complex or multi Vit stopped 7 days before?
If you search the forum for Vitamin D society advice you will find links to read more. I had similar‘insufficient’ results, my GP wasn’t interested and suggested an 1000iu OTC tablet. Which according to the vitamin D society advice won’t do much other than maintain low levels. Since understanding more about my Hashimoto’s (I see your antibodies are raised - have you tested these before?) I’ve opted for Better You Vit D with K2 (also MK-7) oral spray which I have found cheapest on Amazon. Each spray is a 1000iu dose so I can do the loading dose 4 sprays a day and then drop down after 12 weeks and re testing. I have it on subscription from Amazon now which has made it cheaper than buying in Boots. They spray made my mouth water a lot at first but I’ve gotten used to it. 2 pumps in each cheek seems to work for me. I had my adult kids tested and both their Vit D was lower than mine (and we are quite outdoorsy) they are on drops of Vit D with K2 of differing strengths again loading doses and we’ll test again in October and then April.
Multivitamin - yes I’ve read here that the combinations of vits in multivitamins can be counter productive plus you can’t tailor to your own needs. I was always a bit anti supplements as I thought I had a super healthy diet, turns out I was completely wrong and I’m so much healthier 8 weeks in.
Other helpful advice I was given is to introduce supplements one at a time, a fortnight apart. It real helped me as i am definitely the sort that will take everything on day 1 and then wonder which thing gave me terrible wind 🙈.
Good luck, let us know the answers to the questions at the top and you’ll get some more detailed suggestions from people with more experience than me 🦋💚🦋
This was a fasting blood test but was done later than I would have liked. It was done at 10.40am but was the only timeslot available for some weeks so I felt I had little choice but to take it.
I stopped taking the multivit 2 weeks prior to the test. I continued with the probiotic though.
I have a ton of mildly irritating symptoms from about October 2021, they keep coming and I've been referred all over the place to try and find a cause or causes but to no avail so far. Lots of them seem thyroid related but as I am 'euthyroid' GP just checks TSH annually (I assume) until my TSH shows I should be medicated.
I am on no thyroid medication.
I am taking 6 Sando-K potassium tablets daily (the low potassium was accidentally found in June 2021 when I had general blood tests done regarding a goitre that had just appeared. I started on a one tablet for 5 days in July and the dosage has been slowly going up. 6 tablets have kept me stable at 3.5 for the last 2 months (the range being 3.5 to 5.3)
I am also taking 5mg ramipril as my blood pressure is now high, the diastolic one being particularly stubborn. The GP thought it was a bit high in December but in Feb it started to go high enough to need some medication.
I take a multivit without magnesium or calcium as my levels of those are on the high end of normal. I take it because I was not able to give blood as my iron was on the low end of normal but too low for the donation to go ahead so I thought that as vegetarians can be low in the B vitamins, I'd take a multivit.
I also take a probiotic as my digestion in the last few months has gotten very noisy and gurgly. I've recently been diagnosed with too much bile in my stomach after an endoscopy so I'm going to stop the probiotic as this diagnosis probably explains my symptoms. My probiotic is taken 3 times daily so I'm just reducing it by one a day over a few weeks until it's down to zero (I'm on two a day currently).
I'm waiting for a celiac test from my endocrinology who is stumped where all the potassium is going after two urine tests and a blood test have come back as normal but when I've done that test I am going gluten free anyway to see if that makes a difference to my symptoms.
Thanks again for the detailed response. I'm going to put together a new vitamin regime and your tips are very useful.
Have you had coeliac blood test done Still waiting for an appointment. I'm going to write a letter to the endocrinologist reminding him of this today, he probably won't respond but it makes me feel as if I'm doing something. My next blood test is 15th September (to check potassium) so perhaps he'll respond in time to have it done then?
Or Are you already on strictly gluten free diet No but I will be trying it after the coeliac blood test.
Are you still vegetarian? Yes, I also eat plant based milk usually oat occasionally soy. If I'm still symptomatic after 3 months of gluten free then I intend to cut out soy products for 3 months. That will make me very sad though because I love tofu.
Suggest you get full iron panel test for anaemia
Vitamin D needs significantly improving
I think I'll write a letter to my GP enclosing the results of the medicheck test and ask for vitamin D supplements and an full iron panel test. If I have no joy then I'll buy them myself and get the tests done privately again.
Thanks for your help as always SlowDragon. All useful pointers.
I've not tried it myself yet but if you like to be creative in the kitchen you can make a chickpea flour version of tofu that you can use as an alternative in stir fried meals etc. There are lots of recipes that don't use chickpea flour but use lentils for example. Have a search for 'soya free tofu alternatives' you'll get some interesting recipes 😊 Regenallotment
I used to eat tofu quite a lot but once I found this forum and consequently realised I had a possible thyroid problem I now replace the tofu with cashew nuts or chickpeas when I cook a stir-fry.
Chickpea flour is fantastic. It's naturally gluten free. I've been using it for many years in all kinds of savory and sweet dishes. One of my favourites is chickpea frittatas (spelling?) little mini vegan quiches...lovely! I'll stop as I'm slightly obsessed with chickpeas but they are a staple of mine..... couldn't live without houmous.
Love chickpeas myself Hedgeree. They're my main bean 😍 I did see a tofu equivalent using red lentils. We do a lot of home cooking so I'm up for the challenge. 💪
ETA - I even make my own soy tofu starting with dried soy beans.
Wow... never made my own tofu before though did once spend about six hours making mock duck....I won't be repeating that again though tasted terrible! Ha ha.
I'm...what's that word? tight? no frugal, that's the one 😉And it costs less than 50p to make home made tofu rather than the £2 or so to buy it so it's a no brainer for me. I don't use any fancy coagulant - just white vinegar so the texture is a tiny bit softer but it tastes exactly the same.
Also did you suggested previously getting tested for pernicious anaemia? I checked through my blood tests and in June 2021 was tested for various antibodies including Parietal cell autoantibody level which was negative - is that the pernicious anaemia test?
The present review of the literature regarding B12 status among vegetarians shows that the rates of B12 depletion and deficiency are high. It is, therefore, recommended that health professionals alert vegetarians about the risk of developing subnormal B12 status. Vegetarians should also take preventive measures to ensure adequate intake of this vitamin, including the regular intake of B12 supplements to prevent deficiency. Considering the low absorption rate of B12 from supplements, a dose of at least 250 μg should be ingested for the best results.3
supplementing a good quality daily vitamin B complex, one with folate in (not folic acid). This can help keep all B vitamins in balance and will help improve B12 levels too
Thorne Basic B recommended vitamin B complex that contains folate, but they are large capsules. (You can tip powder out if can’t swallow capsule)
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
In week before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate methyl folate supplement and continue separate B12
With serum B12 result below 500, (Or active B12 below 70) recommended to be taking a B12 supplement as well as a B Complex (to balance all the B vitamins) initially for first 2-4 months.
once your serum B12 is over 500 (or Active B12 level has reached 70), stop the B12 and just carry on with the B Complex.
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
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing. It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron
I'm taking these, I've linked to a customer review because she's attached a picture of what is in the tablets. amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-re...
I don't eat fish at all. I don't eat cow's milk or yoghurt, I eat mostly oat milk and soy yoghurt. I probably eat soy products as in obvious products like tofu, yoghurt etc about 2-3 times a week. Probably more like 3-4 in the winter when I eat more stirfries. I do eat eggs and cheese though.
Is it best to cut out gluten or soy first? I don't want to go on a total elimination diet in the first instance because I'd like to try each elimination for a few months before expanding it. So gluten first and then soy if I don't feel better and then possibly the rest of the dairy depending on how I feel after excluding soy.
I also want to concentrate on getting the vitamins right too and that's my current priority.
Click on "Read the list of available tests" and on page 3 of the pdf you'll see
Urine Iodine Test:
Specimen requirements: Urine
Cost: £71.00
Order Code: END25
Turnaround time: 5 - 10 days
Iodine is an essential trace element, vital for healthy thyroid function. Adequate levels are required to enable the production of T3 and T4 thyroid hormones, whilst also being required in other areas of health.
Deficiencies can lead to impaired heat and energy production, mental function and slow metabolism. Urine iodine is one of the best measures of iodine status. This test is not performed as a loading test, but can be used to establish existing levels or to monitor iodine supplementation.
However even if iodine deficient……you would need to be under care of iodine specialist endocrinologist. And it’s rare that they recommend supplements
Iodine use to be used to treat hyperthyroid patients. It can cause hypothyroid patients to feel much worse
You may see improvement just by stopping multivitamins
How long have you been vegetarian/ no dairy? I've been vegetarian since I was 20 so 34 years now. I've not had cow's milk for the last 5 years. I only have milk in coffee though so not a vast amount in a day (and I only have a 1/4tsp coffee in my drinks - it's too bitter otherwise) This year I've started eating plain chocolate mostly but not much because I find it bitter, occasionally vegan milk chocolate and soy yoghurt. I do still eat eggs and cheese though.
Where in U.K. do you live? I used to live in Bristol until 9 years ago but now live in Lincoln. (I see from a quick google that ironically the South West is a low iodine area but Lincolnshire is not mentioned ukiodine.org/iodine-in-the-....
Also may or may not be relevant but I started menopause symptoms at around 48, pretty much sailed though with just a few hot sweats at night. Came off depo at 52 (on depo for heavy periods at 35) and developed the goitre at 53. Until a couple of months ago I ran a bit warm after menopause (a comfortable temperature was around 18/20) but these last few months my hands and feet have been cold even when the temperature is around 21/22 and I seem to have developed Raynaud's syndrome mostly in my left hand occasionally. From what I've read, it seems menopause can be a trigger for some people with a family history of thyroid problems (my mum had hypothyroidism).
Ok, I'll stop the multivits today (only just started them after the two week break required by Medichecks.
Having had a think about all the responses so far, I think I'll go ahead and buy the vitamin D spray with K2 as suggested by Regenallotment's experiences and start that straight away. In the meantime I'll get a full iron panel done privately, just to expedite things, and after the results of that comes back then I'll post them on here with a view to adding an iron supplement.
Thanks for the schedule suggestion, I'm trying to digest so much information so I am very grateful when someone makes it easy for me.
Re the magnesium, I'll do that after the B vitamins as I had 3 tests for serum magnesium in July/Aug and Sept of 2021 - test results were:
July 1 m/mol/L (range 0.7 to 1)
Aug 0.95
Sept 0.95
My endo wants another test done as low potassium can be caused by low magnesium (even though I had low potassium while my magnesium was at the top of the range but the potassium is worse now) so I'll look at supplementing that once I have the results in. He hasn't sent me the form I need but hopefully I can take the letter in which he mentions he wants me to have the test in with me for the next GP blood test on the 15th Sept. I'll mention it in the letter I'm gearing up to send him today.
Thanks for the thought SlowDragon. I'm always interested to hear suggestions re my potassium problems.
I'm already on a banana a day (two if they're small ones) plus 6 sandoK potassium tablets. Each tablet is worth 470mg of potassium so in tablet form alone I'm getting 2820mg. Plus I eat a varied vegetarian diet including nuts and seeds, lots of fruit and veg, beans (of course). I eat tomatoes 4-6 times a week (love them in the summer raw plus lots of tomatoey sauce. Soy beans are a really good source too. Plus I'm on ramipril which is an ACE inhibitor and encourages a body to hold on to its potassium. The (kind of) recommended dose is 3500mg daily in the UK - I'm almost getting all of that from tablets alone and only barely making the 3.5mmol/L which is at the very bottom of the range. I'm seriously considering switching to a salt alternative because my sodium is at the top of the range and lo salt alternatives often use potassium instead of sodium.
Whatever is going on seems to be getting gradually worse as over time I keep having to increase my potassium tablets. It stabilises for a while then drops under 3.5, sometimes under 3 and I end up at A&E with heart palpitations. Last time they put me on a drip to bring the serum potassium up to normal.
I've asked for a target potassium level of 4 but as soon as I hit the 3.5, the NHS is 'you're in range now, nothing more needs doing' I had to beg for regular blood tests and after months of stonewalling, a GP took pity on me and suggested fortnightly tests. I'm on every 3 weeks now because I've been stable on 3.5 for a couple of months.
We're all finding it very frustrating, me, the GPs, the endocrinologist so any input from others welcome.
Good luck! I've followed Slow Dragon's advice closely and feel the most well I've felt in years. I was put on HRT first until I literally couldn't function, had two periods a month and a different GP ran some blood tests. Its taken over 12 months to get past the starter doses of Levothyroxine but I am way way better, I've gone gluten, dairy, soy, sugar and now sweetcorn/maize/corn free. Mostly alcohol free too, I manage about a thimble full of expensive red wine a week. I did elimination the other way around, eliminated everything for 2 weeks then tried re-introducing 1 thing every 3 days. Turns out I need to stay off the gluten, dairy and soy, if I have a bout of bilious/windy/IBS I can usually now figure out what it is, often a tiny ingredient in some crisps or GF bread. I hear you on the soy, my work lunch was basically tofu in miso soup 3 days a week. With stir fries for tea or terriaki salmon etc. Had to have a total re-think, its expensive but via Izabella Wentz books I've discovered Coconut Aminos, which tastes a lot like soy sauce and can be used in cooking. I also take Betaine with Pepsin with any protein heavy meals as this stops my burping and bloated feelings - read up - its a game changer. I was recently advised by the GP to try ant acids, but luckily from advice here on the forum I said no thanks, upped the Betaine and Pepsin instead and felt better, Hashi people often have LOW stomach acid not high. I used to be veggie in my early 40s but not anymore, I've even forced some liver down weekly recently and its doing the trick. I've realised I need a very different diet, meat, veg, fruit etc. The auto immune / paleo seems to be the answer. keep posting - let us know what works for you! 🦋💚🦋
I was offered HRT but at the time I assumed the worst was over and said no thanks.
My digestion has gotten terrible in the last few months though. Really gurgly stomach and intestines, slight diarrhoea or slight constipation so I'll definitely read up on the Beatine with Pepsin. I lost a couple of stone this year and now have a BMI of about 27, I'd still like to lose another stone but weight loss has stalled over the last two months (not going up thankfully though) but that weight loss resulted in moving from pre-diabetic to normal blood sugar and stopped the acid reflux dead in its track. Unfortunately I had to have a gastroendoscopy two weeks ago (one of the most unpleasant experiences I've ever had) and that seems to have really stirred things up again from a reflux point of view.
Thanks again, I'll definitely keep you posted and will be asking tons of questions (probably to the point of being annoying 😛)
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Endo appointment next week Low T4
Medichecks test results thyroid B12 etc please help?
Blood test results for vitamins and minerals from doctor
Test results are back from medichecks help please.
