Confusing results and symptoms

[Fufulemare]

Hi thereAt the beginning of the year I had awful symptoms of heart palpitations, high resting heart rate and high heart rate constantly. I was shaky, anxious and was in a right state really. Had bloods done (NHS) and they showed TSH 0.04 normal T3 but low T4 of 9. I gradually felt better and got private blood test done and now that shows TSH 58.7, free T4 4.6, free T3 2.49 and antibodies of 526. All of those symptoms have gone.

All tests I have had private over the last couple of years have shown similar (but not such high TSH)

Showed my gp my results and he was very confused as the test was only about 4 weeks apart but such dramatic difference. He said it can happen but ordered me to have repeat on NHS blood labs.

No I'm wondering if this rings any bells with anyone on having such a big change and going from what doc said as almost hyper to hypo in such a short span?

He also said my thyroid is swollen so ordered ultra sound.

Thanks if you read all that. And any suggestions of what could be going on? (I will be going back to go of course)

[GlowCoach Administrator]

Welcome to the group. If you could complete your profile it helps members understand your thyroid journey. Click on your image icon to start.

Autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's disease can start off with a period of hyperthyroidism before you go hypo as you are now.

As you have positive thyroid antibodies you do have autoimmune thyroid disease. The NHS calls it that but thyroid patients generally refer to it as Hashi's. In the early stages thyroid hormones can fluctuate a lot. Over many years the thyroid gland is slowly destroyed and you will require life long thyroid hormone replacement.

Hopefully once your GP has done thyroid labs they will start you on Levothyroxine which is a life long hormone treatment. Starting dose is usually 50mcgs.

You should take your Levo on an empty stomach 1 hour before food, caffeine containing drinks or other meds. It is a very fussy hormone and doesn't like company. Many people find taking it at bedtime works well for them.

When hypo we get low stomach acid which means we cannot absorb vitamins well from our food, regardless of a great diet. For thyroid hormone to work well we need OPTIMAL levels of vitamins. Have you recently or could you ask your GP to test levels of ferritin, folate, B12 & D3? Private tests are available, see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

There is also a new company offering walk in & mail order blood tests in Crawley, Hove and Reigate areas. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Many with autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's benefit from a gluten free diet. A smaller percentage of those also need to remove dairy from their diet to feel well. These are intolerances and will not show up on any blood test. Worth trialing a strictly gluten free diet to see if it helps some of your symptoms.

[Fufulemare in reply to GlowCoach]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, really appreciate that. 😊 Yes vit d is (57) just is just in the adequate range and b12 is actually good (389). Folate again very low side of normal (11.1)

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Fufulemare]

Do you have the ranges for those tests? They vary from lab to lab so are important to quote.

I can then give you some recommendations of supplements to buy that will improve your levels. This will help some of your symptoms.

[Fufulemare in reply to GlowCoach]

I do,Thank you

The tsh mine was 58.7 - range .027-4.2 mul

T4 total mine 39.5 - range 66-181 nmolL

Freet,4 mine 4.6 - range 12-22 pmolL

Free T3 mine 2.49 - range 3.1-6.8 pmolL

Anti-thyroid peroxidase mine 526 - range<34IU ml

Vit d mine 57- range 50<75 nmolL adequate

Serum folate mine 11.1 -range 8.83-60.8 nmolL

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Fufulemare]

You can only be feeling terrible.

What about the range for B12 as even though you might think it looks OK the range for B12 is too wide and to me its looking low.

Are you vegan or vegetarian?

No ferritin result.

Vit D - you see although yours falls into the 'adequate' range that really isn't good enough to be symptom free and once you get some thyroid hormone in you for that to work well. Vitamin D should be around 100 - 150. Buy one that includes vit K2 to help it go to your bones. Some are available in oil or you can take it with an oily meal for better absorption. The Better You sprays are popular. Use this calculator to work out how much to take to get your level to 100-150. wildatlantichealth.com/vita...

Folate is too low. Needs to be over 50% of range, pref upper part.

When starting supplements start one at a time for a few weeks to see effects.

[Fufulemare in reply to GlowCoach]

Thank you very much for your help and advice.Yes my feratin 69.9 range 30-400ugl

B12 mine 389 - range 145-559 pmolL

Not veggie or vegan

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Fufulemare]

Ferritin isn't too bad although if you have inflammation in the body it can be falsly raised so keep an eye on that. It could be a touch higher at around 90-100 so start increasing iron rich foods in diet and eating them often. Chicken livers, pate, red meat etc

B12 - do you have symptoms of B12 deficiency? The reference range for B12 is very wide and cut off point too low. theb12society.com/signs-and...

If you do then you should discuss this with your doctor for further tests for Pernicious Anaemia.

If not, then start with a methyl B12 sublingual spray or lozenge for a week, then add a good B complex. Once you run out of the separate B12 just continue with the B complex.

gb.pipingrock.com/methylcob...

cytoplan.co.uk/vitamin-b12-...

This B complex has all the right vitamins at a not unreasonable cost for 90 days supply. amazon.co.uk/Liposomal-Soft...

Start supplements one at a time to assess effects.

[Fufulemare in reply to GlowCoach]

Thank you for taking the time to offer all this wonderful advice, I really appreciate it.

[ThyroidLadyLondon]

what has been happening in your life in these last few months?

illnesses, significant stresses?

[Fufulemare in reply to ThyroidLadyLondon]

Yes did have a stressful period and then all the symptoms just spiralled

[Sharoosz]

Just before covid started a 5g antenna went up on the roof of a Brit telecom building - 300m from my living room window. I started having chest pains and when we got locked down, heart palpitations/pains. I was teaching online, surrounded by electric keyboard, amp, computer and mic, and very close to a contact. After an hour of lessons I felt very bad. At one point I was doubled over in pain. That's when I called my doctor. Unfortunately I got a teleconsult with a terrible locum who refused to send me to hospital for tests. Then my sleep (and my husband's) was more and more disrupted. I noticed that things were worse when I was lying down. I started reading about 5G and eventually we bought an emf meter. Turned out our mattress springs were conducting electricity! Our electrical sockets were also emitting "dirty" electricity (that subject makes for an interesting read). I had to sleep on an inflatable mattress on the floor until we moved out. In the meantime, I moved my teaching setup a meter from the socket and found immediate, though not complete relief. I finally got my doctor three months later when I had bad chest pains again. He immediately sent me to hospital. Of course, they couldn't find anything. (continental doctors are more likely to know about radiation sickness or EMF sensitivity as it's now called). Before that antenna went up, we had no problems in that flat. During lockdown telecom vans were all over the Wirral (and probably the entire country), installing 5G everywhere. It would be worth checking your neighbourhood (and get a Trifield or other high quality EMF meter to measure your house and area). This may sound crazy to some but I assure you, it's real. We are living in electronic soup. And I'm sure it isn't helping my hypothyroid... Hope you find some relief. I live in the countryside now and generally feel much better.

[klr31]

Are you taking thyroxine?