New Thyroid results (July)

[sunflower022]

Hello there,

I have my thyroid and antibodies test results back, these are my most recent ones, so I hope these are all okay? and i hope there is all the tests I needed to see if my thyroid is all okay.

Sorry about the photo I had to pop them all together on one page.

Many thanks

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

How do you feel? Your results haven't changed much since 5 months ago. Has you dose changed at all?

Free T4 (fT4) 11.1 pmol/L (10 - 22) 9.2%

Your FT4 is far too low and with a TSH well above 2 you need a dose increase. You should be aiming for a TSH of 1 or just under where most people feel well.

How are your vitamins doing? What are yo taking?

What were your latest vitamin results?

[sunflower022 in reply to Jaydee1507]

So I actually never got popped on medication for my Thyroid from the last results as my doctors have always said all results I have ever had are all fine.

I don't feel much better, still achy l, lethargic, low moods etc, but my ferritin levels are now at 70ng and my b12 has gone up to 563ng. So both of those have gone up from taking iron tablets and b12 complex which is good.

Many thanks.

[sunflower022 in reply to Jaydee1507]

Hi,

Would you say I need supplements for my Thyroid? I need to get to the bottom of this and just unsure how if my doctors say I am all good.

I don't know how to get supplements without there content to it all.

Kind regards

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to sunflower022]

Your FT4 is very low. The way that guidelines for thyroid treatment are though would mean it unlikely unless your FT4 goes below range that you would be able to get treatment.

Also, getting Thyroglobulin antibodies would be very useful.

[tattybogle]

Hi Sunflower,

They haven't tested TGab (Thyroglobulin antibodies) ~ these are the other ones that people were asking you about on earlier posts which can be used to show autoimmune thyroid disease is present .

Most people with autoimmune thyroid disease will have raised TPOab (Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies) and your TPOab are normal ...... but a few people just have raised TGab, so that is why people were asking about your TGab

NHS won't accept raised TGab as definite evidence of autoimmune thyroid disease though, because TGab can be raised in other diseases too like rg Rheumatoid Arthritis.

but to be honest getting your TGab tested won't make any practical difference to you at the moment .....even if you did have positive TGab . your GP would not be able to offer you any treatment for hypothyroidism right now because your TSH is not over-range , it's not even borderline , and your fT4 is still in-range (just) .

So while it might be interesting to know if you have raised TGab suggesting you had autoimmune thyroid disease (meaning you were at increased risk of becoming hypothyroid in future).....it wouldn't get you anywhere with a GP until your TSH goes higher and / or your fT4 goes lower .

there is no treatment available for the autoimmune aspect of autoimmune thyroid disease ~ they can only treat the resulting hypothyroidism IF it develops ,and you are not hypothyroid yet (or rather ~your TSH and fT4 are not showing it convincingly enough yet).

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

But your fT4 is definitely 'unusually'/ suspiciously low .

............ there is another cause for hypothyroidism which has nothing to do with autoimmune disease ~ called Central/ Secondary hypothyroidism ~ this is when the pituitary gland is not making enough TSH for some reason.

TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is a message from the pituitary gland to the thyroid gland asking it to make more thyroid hormone (T4/T3)

When the T4 level in the body is too low , the TSH level should rise .

but if there is a problem with the pituitary (or hypothalamus) then the TSH doesn't rise appropriately, and the thyroid is not asked to make more T4 .

So you end up becoming hypothyroid (low T4 ) but the TSH doesn't rise .

Central / Secondary hypothyroidism is very difficult to get GP's to consider , and even harder to get a diagnosis ...... but if your fT4 continues to be this low / or goes below range you should start asking your doctor about possible investigations for central/ secondary hypothyroidism.

They will be reluctant to consider it because they are taught that it is very rare , and they will usually expect to see "a below range TSH and a below range fT4" before they will consider it ,, but if they are knowledgeable enough about it they will know that it can sometimes present with an 'in range' TSH.

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

Sorry this doesn't feel like e very helpful message , but when you have normal TPOab and TSH is not anywhere near the top of the range , NHS GP 's are not allowed to offer you any thyroid hormone replacement therapy unless central hypo is diagnosed, which needs to be done by an Endo.

[sunflower022 in reply to tattybogle]

Thank you so much for all your information about this.

I think I shall have to just let it go because I don't understand all this it is very much beyond what I can do. I am really not good at understanding all this.

I have had tests done again and again and this is what gets done but never get anywhere from it .

Maybe mu thyroid isn't even the problem.

It could be so many other things, I would probably suggest I need to try another path rather than it being my thyroid.

Kind regards

[tattybogle in reply to sunflower022]

i think if i were you , i would accept that for the moment, there is nothing you can get a GP to do about thyroid... but i wouldn't let it go entirely ...

those fT4 and fT3 levels really are pretty low, and that TSH is a bit higher than is common for healthy people (around 1 is by fat the most common level for healthy people anything over 2.5/ 3 is 'a bit suspicious' )..so i would recommend you keep an eye on your thyroid results over time , eg retest in about 6 mths time (privately if necessary it doesn't have to be very expensive .. Monitor My Health is only about £30 for TSH / fT4 /FT3)..

~see if the fT4 is getting lower, see if the TSH is getting higher .

See if there is a worsening trend over time . and if there is , present that info to GP.

~ and if fT4 goes below range but TSH doesn't rise.. present that info to GP and ask to be referred to endocrinology for investigation for Central/Secondary hypo.

[sunflower022]

Thank you for your reply. That is a good idea I think I will see how I go, I was hoping that me taking iron and vitamin b complex would have made me feel a bit better by now but unfortunately not much better with it.

With the Monitor my health would that be the antibodies as well you mentioned I needed?

Do you think with the results I have posted on here I might be able to go to see someone privately with those results?

Thank you I shall definitely keep that name saved and ask them if this still continues.

Kind regards

[tattybogle in reply to sunflower022]

MMH doesn't include TGab test ... probably would have to get it done as part of a more expensive package

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp... private-thyroid-tests-in-the-uk/

eg medichecks

medichecks.com/products/thy... (TSh / fT4 / fT3 TPOab / TGab ) Thyroid Function with Antibodies Blood Test £65.00

or :

medichecks.com/products/adv... (TSH / fT4 / fT3 / Vit B12 / Vit D / Ferritin / Folate / TPOab / TGab) Advanced Thyroid Function Blood Test £86.00

so not really worth worrying about getting TGab done until you are ready to do another full thyroid + vitamin test anyway .

There are some newer companies that i think may be cheaper than medichecks ,but i don't know if they include TGab . SlowDragon please can you add testing info for TGab if anyone is cheaper than medichecks ?

[sunflower022 in reply to tattybogle]

Excellent. Thank you so muchI shall have to have a think with all this but I do appreciate all your information and help. I have needed the help! So thank you very much.

Kind regards

[tattybogle in reply to sunflower022]

You're Welcome