I am Hypo after RAI in 2004 and have been on Levothyroxine since 2005. for the last 18months i have started feeling unwell with the usual Hypo symptoms, but now has progressed different from usual. My GP wanted to reduce my 100mgm levothyroxine even though i have gained weight have extremely dry skin hair loss can't sleep, fatigued its endless.
On 22 January 2021 my T4 was 21.0 pmo / L (11.0 _ 26.0} TSH 0.03 mU/L ( 0.27 - 4.2)
In the meantime, I still feel rotten lots of weight gained excessive sweating fatigue ect anyone any ideas what is going on? I Take B12 complex Vit D and will be having a medicheck vit blood test this week. I presume the GP will still want to reduce me. Mary
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The medichecks test should include FT3 and this is what you need to know. Levo has to be converted to FT3. Its a more powerful & active hormome. good nutrients helps levo to work well.
So we can advise more once you have further results.
Thanks for your reply SlowDragon Yes always same brand Levo also vits to be checked in medichecks test. Just looked now and discovered there is 400mcg of biotin in the B12. I only started the B 12 a few weeks ago but I did take it on the run up to the blood test. Just to say i had a bloods done prior to the most recent one which was before taking B12 and the T4 was 17. I will wait one week before having this medicheck blood test . Thank You
Your doctor is working from a THS reading which is totally inappropriate if the patient has Graves Disease and post RAI thyroid ablation.
Your HPT axis - the Hypothalamus - Pituitary - Thyroid feedback loop on which this TSH reading relies, is broken as your thyroid has been disabled and this feedback loop, this circuit, is broken and not complete as your thyroid has been burnt out in situ.
I was in a similar situation in 2014/16 and in an ever decreasing circle of wellness being dosed and monitored on a TSH reading - I am with Graves and post RAI in 2005 - see my profile page.
It is essential that you are dosed and monitored on your Free T3 and Free T4 blood test results and we generally feel at our best when our T4 is up in the top quadrant of the ranges as this should in theory convert to good level of T3 as it is T3 that runs the body and not T4.
Your ability to convert the T4 into T3 i your body can be compromised by non optimal levels of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D and inflammation, antibodies, any physiological ( emotional or physical ) depression, dieting and ageing can also hinder optimal T4 to T3 conversion.
The thyroid is a major gland and controls the synchronisation of all your body's functions including your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.
A fully functioning 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 with T3 said to be around 4 times more powerful than T4.
Some people can get by on T4 - Levothyroxine alone.
Some find that T4 seems to stop working as well as it once did and find by adding back in a little T3 - replacing that little bit lost when the thyroid was ablated they feel better.
Some people can't tolerate T4 and need to take T3 only - Liothyronine.
Whilst others find their health improved better taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as the thyroid gland and derived from pig thyroids dried and ground down into tablets.
So first things first we need a full thyroid panel to include all the above and if your doctor can't help you with this there are private companies listed on the Thyroid UK who are the charity who support this amazing forum and where I started my learning curve around 6 years ago - thyroiduk.org
It's a massive learning curve but there is much you can do for yourself and first and foremost we need the full thyroid blood test and just start a new post with the results and ranges and you will be talked through your next best steps to better health.
It's where we all start off and a base of information that we work from , and just like a jigsaw our thyroid journey starts to take shape as we build back up our health, one piece at a time.
You might like some reading - Thyroid UK has a recommended reading page - some of these maybe there ?
Elaine Moore has Graves and went through RAI back at the end of the last century and finding no help with her continued ill health started researching this poorly understood and badly treated auto immune disease herself . Elaine has several published books and now a leading researcher with a world wide following on all things Graves and auto immune thyroid. elaine-moore.com
Barbara S Lougheed has Graves and went through RAI - similar story and her book title simply highlights the problem in one sentence - From Hyper to Hypo to Healing - Breaking the TSH rule.
My goto other book is written by a doctor Barry Durrant-Peatfield who wrote to equip thyroid patients to better advocate for themselves and is a basic, easy to understand explanation of how the body works together and very relevant though we haven't this amazing little gland anymore - Your Thyroid and How To Keep It Healthy.
It's not just you - this research paper says it all but there is a way back and you can get back your ' you ' :
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Please can I have some feedback on these results
Please can I have some feedback back.
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