I’ve got back my thyroid results from medicheck and would like your input on them please 😊
My Vitamin B12 was 378 (200-900) in February but wasn’t total.
My TSH was 1.84.My TSH has never been this high(although in range)
I’m presently in 5mg carbimazole every other day and was discharged from specialist back 2018 with drs checking bloods every 6 months but never told what to do with carbimazole so I still take them.
Was positive TRab or TSI confirmed?
FT4: 15.2 pmol/l (Range 12 - 22) 32.00%
FT3: 4.5 pmol/l (Range 3.1 - 6.8) 37.84%
Both FT4 & FT3 are low in range, you need to speak to doctor and reduce if not stop carbimazole and allow them to rise.
Did specialist write with plan when discharged?
Your nutrients look ok.
Vitamin D could be improved.
Do you currently take any supplements?
No plan from specialist just to monitor and check bloods.
My results back in 2014
Is Trab negative? Typical range is 0 - 1. So unless range is lower I’d guess that was negative.
sorry but can o ask what trab is?
TSH receptor antibodies (TRab) measures blocking, stimulating & neutral antibodies affecting the TSH. Marker for Graves
There are other thyroid antibodies -
TPOab (Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies) autoimmune - Hashimoto’s (& Graves) Yours were positive.
TGab (Thyroglobulin antibodies) autoimmune- Hashimoto’s (& Graves) yours were negative.
Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) stimulating only & marker for Graves.
It’s possible your FT4 & FT3 have only been high when initially starting or recommencing carbimazole. Staying on it so long might not have been necessary. This occurs if doctors go by TSH which can often stay low after being hyper.
Have you tracked all levels throughout & ensured FT4 & FT3 have been in range?
Where in the range do you feel well?
I’ve just been left to it really.I’ve had 3 relapses but nothing since 2018 and was discharged back then and was told drs would test my bloods every 6 months.I just kept on carbimazole because previously was always taken off too early and relapsed ( never wanted rai)
My drs say just keep on it🤷♀️
To be honest I haven’t felt right over the last 18 months..sore muscles and stiffness amongst other things but keep putting it down to menopause.
your TSH has really fluctuated but what’s important is the FT4 & FT3 levels. The TSH is unreliable.
If doctors going by TSH only it’s possible your symptoms are related or worsen to low thyroid. Especially low FT3.
I only have T3 up to 2018 I think as drs stopped testing that.
T4
Difficult to follow when TSH, FT4 & FT3 shown on desperate chart.
The range may have varied between labs so it may not be entirely accurate either.
Best to show results by date:
Item result (range) %
Eg FT4. X. (X-X) %
Historical results are interesting if you have a record of what medication dose & supplements you were taking & can’t track symptoms and where you feel well.
What we can see if your current thyroid results are showing low FT4 & FT3 and you’d likely feel best if allowed to rise.
Cautious approach - spilt a 5mg or begin taking 1 every other day. Retest in 6-8 weeks. Otherwise stop altogether. Most doctors view 5mg per day lowest dose, but will leave you on 5mg as you are currently in range. Even if in range is not best for you.
Thank you for your help.I’ll try splitting the dose and taking 2.5 mg every other day as on 5mg every other day at present and then will re test and see😊
Hello Sheryl :
Looking back i see you were originally diagnosed in 2013 -
do you have the results from when first diagnosed as I'm not sure your Graves antibody at 0.6 is positive since most ranges take 1.00 and above as a marker for Graves Disease.
I see you have asked a few times questioning how long one should be on the AT medication ?
Funnily enough the most recent research is suggesting that the longer the patient stays on the AT medication the better the long term outcome for the patient :
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/338...
I was told back in 2004 at my very first hospital appointment that Carbimazole was too dangerous to stay on long term and that i was to have RAI thyroid ablation the following year.
I deeply regret taking this toxic substance and now self medicate as the NHs refuse to support me with any treatment options other than T4 - monotherapy and I had become very unwell.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/306...
All things Graves Disease and Auto Immune - elaine-moore.com
Hi Pennyannie
I think the ranges were different?
Ok - so this confirms Graves and it seems you also have Hashimoto's running alongside :
There is no treatment for Hashimoto's - it's an auto immune disease that just attacks the thyroid and causes erratic ' swings ' in T3 and T4 causing hyper type symptoms.
BUT these swings are transient and the T3 and T4 fall back down into range themselves
BUT the thyroid becomes progressively damaged and ultimately disabled with the patient requiring thyroid hormone replacement and prescribed T4 - Levothyroxine.
Graves is seen as life threatening if not medicated and the treatment for Graves takes precedence over Hashimoto's and an Anti Thyroid drug is prescribed to block your own daily thyroid hormone production an slowly your high T3 and T4 fall back down into range, and hopefully your symptoms are alleviated.
With Graves there are both blocking = TR ab = thyroid receptor blocking and stimulating = thyroid stimulating = TSI antibodies and either extreme can take control of your thyroid, and there will be phases where these antibodies burn themselves out with you feel relatively normal, for you.
So it's a bit like being on a Roller Coaster and going through the highs and the lows BUT the AT drug at the right level should be attempting to offset these extremes of hyper and hypo spikes so you can get on with your life.
Usually the AT drug is titrated on a regular basis, every 6-8 weeks according to T3 and T4 blood tests - but bloods are just a snapshot in time and run weeks behind symptoms.
If your health and well being are not well controlled on AT drug - definitive treatment should then be the next option and without a thyroid, as primary hypothyroid, you are routinely prescribed T4 - Levothyroxine.
The thyroid is a major gland and responsible for full body synchronisation including your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.
When metabolism is slightly off your body slows down ( hypo ) , or goes too fast( hyper ) and you will struggle to extract key core strength nutrients vitamins and minerals through your food, no matter how well and clean you eat- and this alone will compound your health even further.
I've Graves post RAI thyroid ablation 2005 and now know i need my ferritin at around 100 ; folate around 20 ; active B12 75 ++ ( serum B12 500 ++ ) and vitamin D around 100.
Looking at these graphs above your levels seem all over the place over these years and difficult to actually draw comparisons to and from but which likely look more like Hashimoto's rather than the Graves playing football with your thyroid and you will experience a mixture of both hyper and hypo symptoms,
How are your eyes - have these been affected at all ?
Thyroid UK - thyroiduk.org - have a list of both hyper and hypo symptoms on their website which might be of interest - though it's not that simply as some symptoms are experienced when in ' both camps ' .
Oh ok,I never considered Hashimos. Is this because of me taking carbimazole long term?Would you suggest stopping or reducing further?
You are only on a tiny dose of the AT drug which blocking some of your own natural daily production of thyroid hormones.
The body runs to it's own natural 24 hour circadian rhythm which logically means it makes sense to take as small a dose as possible every day.
Generally speaking once a TSH tips over 2 -people start experiencing the insidious symptoms of hypothyroidism :
So your TSH is over 3 - but the TSH not a reliable marker once on any form of treatment - especially if with Graves Disease.
You must be dosed and monitored to have both your T3 and T4 in the ranges at whatever ratio makes sense for you that restores your health and well being.
Currently the AT drug is down regulating your thyroid hormones as your T3 is at just around 38% with your T4 at just around 32 % through the ranges.
Normally speaking, we would expect to see a T3 and T4 higher in the range.
I know it's difficult to chop up those little tablets :
You could try listening to your body - and monitoring yourself on blood pressure, pulse and temperature twice daily, AM and PM just to see any fluctuations.
What symptoms are you dealing with - more hypo by the sounds of it ?
My symptoms are achey joints/muscles,hot flashes and night sweats( could be menopause)watery eyes( but I do suffer from hay fever)stiffness and tingling.Funny enough I’ve had lower pulse and feeling cold sometimes and I’ve lost my hearing in one ear( which is being investigated) and have come across info on hearing loss in thyroid patients.
There you go then - those insidious symptoms just creep in and we tend to live with things and make excuses - as for your eyes, please ensure that whatever lotions, potions, sprays, drops or gunky grease at night, you use - that everything is Preservative Free - even those that may have been prescribed.
The Thyroid Eye Disease Charitable Trust - tedct.org.uk - can advise you of your nearest specialist eye clinic - generally attached, I think, to the larger hospitals and where you may also find an endocrinologist working alongside the eye specialist in dose adjusting, as our eyes are an obvious symptom of the disease but also of our thyroid hormone levels.
Would you suggest stopping Carb for a few weeks or reducing down to 2.5 mg every other day?My drs are useless with anything thyroid and like you say just interested in TSH.
I think you should try cutting down the AT drug as this is blocking your own natural daily production of thyroid hormones.
Monitor on pulse, blood pressure, temperature - you are only on a tiny dose - so you shouldn't see too much change in these basic physical symptoms - watch out for whatever your symptoms of ' hyper ' were -
Loose bowel, faster pulse and heart rate, irritable, nervousness, insomnia, tremor on middle finger ???
Thank you for your suggestions.
I will cut down and monitor and up my vitamin D from 1000 u…would you recommend a spray or tablet for vitamin D?
I take Doctor's Best - vitamin D3 5000iu soft gels and you also need to take MK7- K2 which I understands directs the vitamin D towards bones and teeth rather than heart and arteries.
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