Can someone please tell me is there anywhere on this site that just lists all the Thyroid Figures and other Blood tests and shows what is the level we should be aiming for at each.
I now know a few from reading through the comments - TSH - 1 or less etc, but if all these numbers were in the one place somewhere on the site I would love to know where that is, so that I can access it when I get my results each time and therefore knowing what I should be aiming for, for optimal health.
I find this site so good and I have learned so much from joining it. As only newly diagnosed, even though I was so-called borderline for years (2012) had I known this info years ago maybe all those years of thinking it was menopause I was suffering from and not thyroid, life would have been easier. (I only ever suffered from palpitations, anxiety, reflux symptoms from the start of menopause - all that have links to thyroid). I just can't believe what we have to do to get treated properly.
If info is not in one place - no worries - I will glean information as I read through each post and make out my own list over time.
Thank you once again you wonderful people.
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Sunflower535
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Thanks, but I was wondering what the Optimal levels are for things like Folate, Ferritin etc - that's what I meant. I do take 50 mg of Levothyroxine per day - only on it about 6 weeks.
Thing is its very individual. It's really about finding your 'sweet' spot re thyroid hormones. And everyone is different. So it's important to also consider your symptoms and signs, temperature and pulse first thing before rising are all good indicators.For example I'm better with my thyroid hormones in the top third or even top of the range. My TSH is always suppressed because I'm on a combination thyroid treatment.... T3 suppresses TSH.
What is important is finding the levels where you feel best. So keeping a careful daily record that includes the above but also thyroid hormones, mineral vits taken and copies of all blood tests will provide a useful record to look back at patterns/trends.
Also have a read. A good book is Barry Peatfields Living with your Thyroid.
In Hypothyroidism your body runs slow. This often affects temperature and pulse. So you temperature can be lower than the average and your pulse can be slower than normal. As your thyroid meds are introduced this should slowly improved. For example my temperature ran at 35C before treatment, when on optimal treatment for me it's back up to 36.7C.Doing this first thing before you rise gives a baseline as obviously during the day your temp. Pulse will vary due to how active you are or the level of stress you are under.
Just to add to your confusion in hypothyroidism my body runs fast. So when I was on too low a dose of levothyroxine my resting heart rate was 78 to 82 Properly dosed it is 68 to 69.
I know exactly how you feel. Like a pined post would be good? What I have done is like you asked the question so I can refer back to it, and taken screen shots of others.
As a newly diagnosed person with this it's all new to me but I'm amazed how much I have learned in 6 weeks but still so much to learn - just so I don't sound stupid when I speak to the doctor - I have never seen one - they just do telephone calls!!!! the more I know, the better chance they will listen to me and not try and dismiss me.
You are not alone. I’m Newly diagnosed too. Thankfully, the NHS website for conditions on hypothyroidism refers to Health Unlocked so many newly diagnosed people like us re finding it quite easily.
I’m still amazed how much more there is to learn! I think we all become mini researchers with this diagnosis!
Thanks Helvella. The calculators are very useful, only the optimal through ranges are not embedded in it and admins such as how Jaydee1507 has done above are having to quote these each time to different members. So a pinned post stating the optimal ranges would be beneficial for the likes of me and Sunflower535 .
I hesitate to state that this is not a request in any way, as I know as volunteers you have plentiful to do.
The process of ensuring that lab results are consistent across labs is called harmonisation.
The trouble is that many, indeed most, tests have not been harmonised.
While TSH typically has something like a 0.4 to 4.0 reference interval (range), we also see 0.27 to 4.2, 0.570 to 3.600, 0.2 to 4.3 and many other ranges. (TSH is probably closer to consistency than FT4 or FT3.)
For Free T4 we see 12.0 to 22, 7.8 to 18, 10 to 19.8, 12 to 23, 7.7 to 15.1, 10.6 to 19.7, 11.9 to 21.6, and many others.
Because of these variations, there simply cannot be a single number for TSH or another for FT4.
We try to see where in the range the results lie by using the calculators. If a result is at 50% of the way through the range on one test, we'd hope it would also be 50% through the range is done at another lab with a different range. But that is by no means certain. It is just all we have available to trying to get our heads round the numbers.
We simply HAVE to quote the ranges - every single time. There is no way round that.
A worked example:
50% of the way through 12 to 22 is 17.
50% of the way through 7.8 to 18 is 12.9.
Two very different numbers but both representing the mid-point of their respective ranges.
And if we try to look at "optimum" there is another cartload of issues. Starting with us each being individuals who need our results to be right for us - regardless what everyone else needs.
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Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
DON'T WE HAVE A LOVELY FORUM!!
Menopause: its effects on the endocrine system and how to deal with it. There is a choice we do not get told about, its plant-based HRT.
What is the general feeling on here about thyroxine?
