Bloods results help please: I finally had my... - Thyroid UK

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Bloods results help please

bajmon profile image
17 Replies

I finally had my bloods dubs by GP. Obviously no vitamins etc. What do you think about them?

When I saw my Endo in Nov. he was concerned about TSH fluctuations;

Oct.22 TSH 2.89

Nov.22 TSH 0.73

This week TSH 1.78

I sent him this week's results and asked again about the fluctuations and this time he said they are within UK recommendation norm. It's like taking to two different people.

Tests are always done before 9am, last Levo always taken at least 24h before.

I supplement vit D, B12, zinc and magnesium.

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bajmon
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Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator

Free T4 (fT4) 16.1 pmol/L (10.5 - 21) 53.3%

Free T3 (fT3) 4.9 pmol/L (3.5 - 6.5) 46.7%

Most people feel well when their TSH is at or under 1. Yours has a little room for improvement so I would ask for a 12.5 or 25mcg dose increase.

What supplements are you taking?

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply toJaydee1507

My Endo wanted to put me on extra 25 to have 6x 75 and 1x 100 but my last TSH was 0.73 and I was really irritated all the time. No changes were made and my tsh is now 1.78 No idea why this changed. Just as before it went from 2.98-0.73 again, with no dose changes.I usually feel well at some 1-1.5.

The only thing I can this of is if I'm regular in supplementing and how soon I have coffee/good after Levo. Sometimes it's only 30 minutes- 1h

Perhaps that's the reason?

What do you think about the T3 and T4 levels?

My Endo said we could try to work on those (though previous email said he's happy with levels 🙈) but this is only if I'm not planning to get pregnant and I am.

I'm supplementing those on photo though vit C is a new addition.

I'm taking them in the afternoon after work except of B12 which I carry in my bag so use it any time I remember during the day, and magnesium I take in the evening.

Not sure what else should I take.

I'm going abroad in few weeks where I have ready access to private bloods and planning to do as much checks as possible.

What other minerals/vitamin levels should I check except of D, B12?

Photo of vitamins
Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply tobajmon

You could try taking your levo at bedtime which would allow plenty of time for absorption. Many find this works well.

When did you last have vitamins tested?

What was your last ferritin? Many find this gets very low without working on it with iron rich diet.

You haven't got anything there with folate. Its recommeded to take a good B complex which would also contain folate and then keep all the B's in balance. Look for an active or methyl type.

Magnesium should be taken at least 2 hours away from anything else or it will affect absorption.

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply toJaydee1507

Thank you for all the tips!I'll try to take Levo at bed time but I often get hungry late and I'm aware that you should have not eaten for 4h prior to taking Levo (?).

I was advised here to take B12 firstly for a period of time and test it and if it's on good levels to take B complex after which I'm doing. I use to take B complex only.

Here are my last vits years from November. I'm definitely going to test them all in free weeks when away but wondering if I should check selenium, iodine (I never had it checked and as child, we were all given iodine dose due to Chernobyl disaster not far away).

Blood test results
Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply tobajmon

I'm not seeing a B complex in that photo, just the B12 spray. Your B12 isn't great in last test, suggest adding B complex and continuing B12 spray.

Theres no folate blood result.

4 hours should be allowed after food to take Levo on an empty stomach.

Did you adjust your D3 dose up? D3 best at 100. You also should take K2 with that to help it go to the bones.

Ferritin should be around 90-100 so eat chicken livers/pate/iron rich foods.

Always worth checking selenium levels but its not a cheap test.

I have no experience with radiation. I'm sorry to hear you were near Chernobyl. Perhaps a question for a doctor. Under normal circumstances people get enough from their diet and don't need to take iodine, especially if they have a thyroid condition.

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply toJaydee1507

I'm not taking B complex currently at advised here but will go back in it. I'll have to find a different one than the one from Solgar as it upsets my stomach a lot. It gives me horrible aftertaste for hours.Vit Dv is the highest dose you can get over the counter. This one is 4000IU

I'll definitely get some K as well.

I'm trying to have some liver pate on today's to keep the iron levels up. But I'll look into more foods reach in iron.

With iodine, I'm more concerned to have taken too much as child which would suppress thyroid. We you to get iodine in everyone post radiation hence why so many people in Poland suffer from hypo now.

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply tobajmon

I think the instruction was to take a B complex in addition to a separate B12 lozenge/spray and then drop the separate B12 and continue with the B complex. So currently you are missing a B complex (that also contains the folate that you are missing). healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Solgar vitamins are good but very expensive. No real need to buy the brand.

I think the effects of the large dose of iodine have already taken their effect as you are now hypothyroid. Discuss concerns with a GP/Endo.

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply toJaydee1507

I have no issue with throng that brand as I don't know any others and his good they are. I'm hypo b for to Subacute Thyroiditis in 2020/21 as nothing was ever picked prior to that but thinking about it, I had hypo symptoms for at least 10 years before that. It's difficult to tell now. I'll get back in B complex. I misunderstood. Can you regiment other brand with getting please? I'm happy to take D and B12 from Solgar but their B complex is really not great for my stomach.

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply tobajmon

Thorne is another good brand. They have a product called Basic B which is very good. Also this one is worth trying. amazon.co.uk/Yipmai-Liposom...

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply toJaydee1507

Thank you. Just ordered the one from Amazon 👍

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle

Sub-acute throiditis post covid :

50/75 mcg

Oct 2021 ~ TSH 1.78 (0.35 -5.5] fT4 15.8 [10.5 -21 ]

Dec 2021 ~ TSH 2.94 fT4 14.5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

75mcg x6/100 x 1 ........Just checking ~ Was this test GP ..( you spreadsheet on earlier post shows all the tests at same ranges , but wondered if this test was actually endo/ diff ranges )

Feb 2022 ~TSH 0.18 fT4 17.3 healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... spreadsheet

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

50/75mcg

April 2022 ~ TSH 1.69 fT4 15.4

July 2022 ~ TSH 2.08 fT4 13.9

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

75mcg

7th Oct 2022 ~TSH 2.32 fT4 14.3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Same levo brand and test timing. after just one day of extra 25mcg taken ? if so , it seems highly unlikely that dose increase was responsible for the TSH falling here :

9th Nov 2022 ~TSH 0.713 ( 0.27-4.2) Endo test ~diff range from GP

T4 18.35 (12-22) ~diff range from GP

T3 4.4 ( 3.1-6.8 )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

assuming you went back to 75mcg daily after that test ? (you said you feel worse /tinnitus when TSH below 1 )

75mcg

Feb 2023 ~ TSH 1.78 [0.35 -5.5] fT4 16.1 [10.5 -21] fT3 4.9 [3.5 -6.5]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was that Feb 2022 test (TSH 0.18) done by endo or GP ?

i'm just wondering if the variation in TSH levels is actually more to do with the different test processes used .. since the unexpected low TSH 0.713 in Nov 2022 was Endo test (with diff ranges)

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply totattybogle

Hi, yes, those higher results were always fine by gp and I only had couple done privately by Endo; the one in November 2022 with TSH 0.73 and the one in Jan 2021 0.18. Those were fine at the same private lab in Spire hospital.I never changed to 1x100 after the Nov 2022 results as I didn't want to go any lower. So I'm still on 0.75 daily.

My Endo seems to be one concerned and the next time not worried about the same issues like tsh fluctuations.

I also suggested to him different labs as the train but he didn't pick up on this topic(we communicate mainly via emails with occasional apt. Last one was in Nov22).

Tbh, I'm still suffering from terrible tinnitus despite the last results of TSH1.7

our wrist than ever. The worst I had was when I was at TSH 0.18 but since it's a different range, I wonder what it would be really if tested by GP.

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply tobajmon

Well since both the unexpectedly low TSH 's were endo lab .. (and since it was easy enough for me to guess that correctly without knowing for sure about the Jan 2022 (0.18) test ... then you have a very good case for asking that endo to organise a direct comparison of Endo tests with GP tests .

It would need to be a proper comparison / no variables other that which lab tested the sample ~ so two samples need to be taken from same blood draw and one sample tested at each lab t show the comparison

The differences in TSH are quite significant . significant enough to affect treatment decisions ~ (both dose adjustment and diagnosis) ... and since the endo did previously comment on the TSH variation being odd ( before he changed his mind ).. then he 'ought' to be interested enough to find out the answer properly, since you now have evidence of 2 unexpectedly lower TSH's from his lab vs GP lab .

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply totattybogle

Only if this was easy. In his last response to me when I sent him the last results he said he's happy with them and the variation is still waiting the range. So unfortunately not really interested.

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply tobajmon

Well regardless of whether he can be bothered to be interested or not ( he bloody well should be , since it brings into question the accuracy of the main tool he uses for dose adjustment and diagnosis of his patients )

... you should keep this difference in mind when you are interpreting your results in future .. and keep good records..... if Endo TSH continues to be significantly lower than GP's then you should continue raising the subject with him ,and your GP.

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply totattybogle

Thank you. I'll write to him to see what he can suggest. Or, I'll try to find another one in the area 🙈

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply tobajmon

i'd be interested to hear his response if you do . please keep us updated .

TSH does have some big variations its true , over the day where anything up to about 40% is possible.......,and especially between different individuals where large differences are responsible for the 'normal' range being so large ....... but considering these were all pre 9am ,same dose, same patient .... then variations between o.5 ish to 2.5ish is rather more than you would expect the endocrinology profession to tolerate if it really is down to the lab process giving a diff result .and not a true variation in YOUR TSH levels.

The inconsistencies in results between different test methods for fT4 and fT3 results are well known, and have still not been resolved by the industry ... but the TSH testing methods are supposed to have been very much better standardised nowadays .... So differences of this scale between TSH results due solely to diff testing methods / labs should not be acceptable nowadays.

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