Thyroid blood results and advice please

[Lilylui]

just had my recent blood results through

TSH which is down from 108 and is now 2.17

FT3 is 8.6

FT4 is not showing as only on T3 liothyroine

He is happy with the results and says stay on same dose 30mcg split into 2 (I have been adding 12 a day extra without him knowing)

But initially when I first went on it I lost over 2 stone, but now my weight is going up and I have put on a stone!

also I stopped Levo T4 as it kept sending me into AF he is okay with this but said I may have to add it back.

I don’t know the levels FT3 should be (I am in U.K.) and is there a way of getting these down?

As the blood test was done at the hospital I couldn’t get the results printed out and it’s over an hour away from me.

[GlowCoach Administrator]

If you email your Endo's secretary they might be able to email you a copy of your results.

When did you last take T3 before the test? We recommend 8-12 hours to show a stable blood level.

As you don't have any ranges it's difficult to comment but a TSH of 2.17 is too high and looks like your Endo treating you by TSH which won"t work when taking T3. Usually any amount of T3 suppresses TSH so you're probably not on enough.

Most people on T3 monotherapy take between 40-60mcgs to feel well.

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. No charge for blood draw in clinic. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Only do private postal testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.

[Lilylui in reply to GlowCoach]

thank you for reply I had taken at 4.30am and then had test at 1 pm that day, didn’t know I was getting bloods done.

I have increased my T3 myself as he won’t prescribe any higher dose. I know the range of tsh is 0.04 - 4 on my other blood test so that’s why he is saying I am in range he also knows I am worried of going into AF but it seems since it has come down it’s keeping it at bay, but he made out if 8nwent lower it would go into AF !

I do take lots of vits as advised on here previously, the GP won5 do another blood test due to cost. I wanted a private one done but cannot find anyone to do it and nearest private one when I checked list with medicheck think it’s called was 50 miles away. So no way of getting blood drawn tried chemist etc as well.

Could the Tsh at level be why I am putting on weight? It’s so depressing

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Lilylui]

That TSH range looks very low and possibly not correct.

Certainly low thyroid levels when hypo can be the cause of AF. Endo's often try to scare us about raising levels too high. There's a difference between too high and just right though. Perhaps ask about it on the AF group but you are currently under replaced.

The TSH will be the reason you are putting on weight.

Most private blood companies offer finger prick blood tests that you can do at home.

[Lilylui in reply to GlowCoach]

sorry am confused I thought tsh level was within range?I have been working to get it down, do you mean it should be lower? Or should be higher than 2.17?

What do you mean low thyroid levels? I find it all so confusing I know when tsh was up at 108 I had AF a lot, although I never felt tired like that’s do.

I am not sure whether to carry on with the increase of my T3 he said to stay at 30 mcg whilst I have actually been taking 42 mcg. I know it can go hyper if tsh too low.

Sorry just find it all so confusing

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Lilylui]

It can be confusing as when we talk about low thyroid levels that usually means your TSH is high like when you were first diagnosed. At that point your free thyroid hormone levels would have been low though.

With T3, it being the active hormone, your TSH should be low (not high), so below the range even which when its 0.01 is often called suppressed. Right now yours is within the range and if you are on T3 then that will mean that you don't have enough thyroid hormone and will be unwell, putting on weight etc Unfortunately most doctors/Endo's do not acknowledge this though and then start blaming other conditions such as fibromyalgia, ME/CFS etc

When on T3 only we usually look at TSH & FT3 levels. We don't have a range for your FT3 but your TSH needs to be below the range. I would carry on with the extra 12.5mcgs and you probably need more.

I hope I haven't confused you further!