Advanced Thyroid Function Test Results

[Peppermint20]

Good morning. I wondered if anyone could comment on my recent results from a Medichecks test. The bloods were taken at 10.00 am and I had fasted beforehand. My diagnosis to date (approx 7/8 years) has been autoimmune thyroiditis with multinodular goitre. I have quite a large swelling in the right side of my neck and this resulted in a referral to ENT after difficulty getting a breathing tube down my throat in a breast cancer operation last year. Nothing untoward was found from a naso endoscopy apart from things looking slightly narrower than they should. The consultant, who was a man of few words, just said 'you can breathe and you can swallow so there's nothing to worry about', which is great, but I just commented that I was just a bit concerned if I had to have another longer op what might happen if they couldn't get the tube down again. He just said 'they can just use a smaller tube'. So there we go, I thought maybe a qualified anaesthetist may have known that but hey ho! Results are as follows:

CRP HS 1.86 <3

Ferritin 93.1 30-650

Folate-Serum 19 8.83-60.8

Vitamin B12-Active 70.2 37.5-188

Vitamin D 84.1 50-250

TSH 0.561 0.27-4.2

Free T3 5.1 3.1-6.8

Free Thyroxine 14.9 12-22

Thyroglobulin Antibodies 14.7 0-115

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 166 0-34

It seems only the last result is abnormal?

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Doctors won’t look to treat levels until results are abnormal.

Do you have hyper or hypo symptoms, aside from the physical problems with goitre.

The FT4 is quite low & FT3 isn’t so that is a sign something is not usually FT4 is around mid range & FT3 slightly lower.

You do have positive TPO so this confirms autoimmune issue. Your immune system is attacking thyroid over time you’d expect to see FT4 & FT3 drop.

It may be some of the nodules are over functioning, & your thyroid is minimally functioning, high FT3 isn’t unusual from nodules.

Are any of the the nodules over 1cm?

An uptake nuclear scan is only method to establish function throughout areas of thyroid. Ultrasound scan not show function. Doctors rely on blood tests.

[Peppermint20 in reply to PurpleNails]

I'm so sorry I didn't reply to this so thank you for your comments. Since my last post I have had an appointment with a surgeon who feels it may be time to remove my thyroid. She couldn't feel the bottom of it so believes it may be growing downwards, and apart from the very large swelling on the right side it is also starting to grow on the left. She is arranging a CT scan to see what exactly is going on. I felt comfortable with her and she's very experienced so that gave me confidence. I am anxious, especially after the last two years of breast cancer treatment, but also anxious that if it grows any larger the operation would be more difficult. Before my breast cancer diagnosis I felt the best I'd ever felt, since the 20 months of treatment for that I always seem to have something wrong with me!