Good day family, my story is I was diagnosed with graves disease in 2022 and I had symptoms of shortness of breath(and many others) and the physician didn't know why I was having shortness of breath and ended up having to do thyroidectomy(had I seen this group before I wouldn't have done it) Now I just had my bloods done early in the morning before taking levo(I'm on 100mcg) not supplementing anything .I don't have bloods from last year . Now I suffer pains in my hands and the shortness comes once in a while and go.. I need help
Ferritin 264ng/ml (20-250) ng/ml
folate 1128 nmol (317-1894)
vitamin d 22.5 ng/ml
tsh 0.44 (0.35-3.5)
free t4 12.2 (7.6-16.1)
free t3 5,6 (4.0-7.4)
comments vitamin d deficiency <12 ng/ml
vitamin d insufficiency 12-20 ng/ml
Vitamin d sufficiency > 50-60
Written by
Bmwlov
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi there, the thing that jumps out is your very low vitamin D. You really need to supplement this. There are many posts on here for the best way to do this. I use the 'better you' vit D and K2 spray.
Thank you for your incredible patience while you have been awaiting the outcome of our ferritin reference range review. We conducted this with Inuvi lab, which has now changed the reference ranges to the following:
Females 18 ≤ age < 40 30 to 180
Females 40 ≤ age < 50 30 to 207
Females 50 ≤ age < 60 30 to 264
Females Age ≥ 60 30 to 332
Males 18 ≤ age < 40 30 to 442
Males Age ≥ 40 30 to 518
The lower limits of 30 are by the NICE threshold of <30 for iron deficiency. Our review of Medichecks data has determined the upper limits. This retrospective study used a large dataset of blood test results from 25,425 healthy participants aged 18 to 97 over seven years. This is the most extensive study on ferritin reference ranges, and we hope to achieve journal publication so that these ranges can be applied more widely.
When ill and unwell it's only natural to listen to mainstream medical and follow advice - what's done is done - but you can move on from where you are but will likely need to become your own best advocate.
It is essential that you are dosed and monitored on your Free T3 and Free T4 readings and not a TSH :
You now haven't a thyroid and your HPT axis on which the TSH relies on as working well - now does not work well as your Hypothalamus - Pituitary - Thyroid feedback loop is not complete as there has been a medical intervention and now no thyroid there to complete this circuit loop and the TSH a very unreliable measure of anything.
Also having Graves - your antibodies can still be circulating and sticking down on the TSH receptor sites giving the false impression that you are over medicated - but since this feedback loop now broken - just another reason why the TSH must be ignored.
We generally feel best when our T4 is up in the top quadrant of its range with the T3 tracking slightly behind at around 60/70% through it's range.
Currently your T4 is coming in at around 54% with your T3 tracking behind at around 47% :
No thyroid hormone replacement works well until your core strength vitamins and minerals are up and maintained at optimal levels - and see other forum members have offered help.
The thyroid is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation and includes your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being - your inner central heating system and your metabolism.
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg.
Some people can get by on T4 monotherapy - Levothyroxine :
Others find that at some point in time T4 doesn't seem to work as well as it once did and that by adding in a little T3 - probably just enough to replace ' that little bit lost ' when they lost their thyroid - their health and well being restored :
Others can't tolerate T4 and need to take T3 only - Liothyroxine :
Whilst others find their health restored by taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as that of the human thyroid gland and derived from pig thyroids dried and ground down into tablets and referred to as grains - and the original successful treatment for hypothyroidism for over 100 years.
There is nothing on your profile page - are you in the UK ?
Graves is a poorly understood and badly treated auto immune disease for which there is no cure - and just flipping the patient from hyper to hypo - somewhat simplistic -
You will likely need to be your own best advocate :
It precludes you taking one as a sublingual and the other swallowed, or whatever.
It makes it more difficult to adjust dosing, if needed.
And it makes it more difficult to select specific forms of B12 and folic acid/folate/folinic acid/etc.
Once you are on a steady dose, and have decided what works for you, then by all means see if you can make life slightly easier by finding a suitable single product.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Vitamin D - GP said no longer needed
Vitamin D dropped again
Anyone getting vitamin D supplements. (Help please)
Please help with lab results! I need answers!
