results

[Sparkie1986]

go there I got my bloods repeated recently. I take 25mg of levothyroxine daily.

It’s the antigobulon levels worry me but because my other Ts3 and 4 are okay the antig. Levels don’t appear to phase my consultant. Do you guys have any thoughts?

[Hedgeree]

Hi Sparkie,

Are you able to type out your results and their ranges? They're not very readable from your image. Then others can comment on them for you.

[greygoose]

Are the Tg antibodies over-range? If so, that means you have Hashi's/Ord's. And that doesn't bother consultants in the slightest because they have no real idea what it is.

[Sparkie1986 in reply to greygoose]

What is ords? Would either affect the ability to get pregnant?

[greygoose in reply to Sparkie1986]

Ord's is Hashi's without the goitre. Do you have a goitre?

Both Ord's and Hashi's will eventually destroy the thyroid completely, but will cause varying degrees of hypothyroidism along the way. And being hypo will affect your ability to get pregnant.

Can you type out the full results and ranges, please, because the photo is illegible.

[Sparkie1986 in reply to greygoose]

TSh 1.6 miu_l (range 0.350-5.500)

FT4 19 pmoll (range 11.90-21.60)

FT3 4.44 pmoll (range 3.10-6.80)

anti thyrogobulin antibody 274 iu_l (range higher 115)

anti thyroid pyroxidase anti body 25 ku_l (range higher 34)

[greygoose in reply to Sparkie1986]

OK, so 25 mcg is less than a starter dose, unless you're over 65. And as you're talking about getting pregnant, I don't suppose you're under 65! But, your FT4 is high, so I suppose your doctor doesn't think you need more.

But, your FT4 is high because you're not converting it into T3. If we look at your percentages:

FT4 19 pmoll (range 11.90-21.60) 70.30%

FT3 4.44 pmoll (range 3.10-6.80) 35.14%

your FT4 is 70.3% through the range, but your FT3 is only 35.14%. The gap is too wide. If you converted well, the gap would be much smaller - say an FT3 of about 65 to 69%.

Once you are pregnant, it's the FT4 the most important (or so we're told), but I don't think there's been much research done on chance of getting pregnant with such a low FT3. Probably pretty low. So, what you need is some T3 added to your levo dose. To get that, you'd have to see an endo because GPs can't initiate prescription of T3. Do you have an endo?

[Sparkie1986 in reply to greygoose]

I did see a thyroid consultant and he wasn’t bothered about the level of anti thyrogobulin. Do you guys know of any consultants you would recommend in Northern Ireland .

When I was on 50mg of Levo my levels were pushing me into hyper so it got reduced again to 25

[greygoose in reply to Sparkie1986]

No, your levels weren't 'pushing you into hyper'. You cannot go hyper because you are hypo, and the thyroid doesn't work like that. You were just over-medicated. But, that's to be expected because you are a poor converter, as I explained, and need some T3.

And, as I explained, endos are never bothered about antibodies because they don't understand the significance. Do you know how Hashi's progresses?

To get anyone to recommend an endo in your area, you would need to write a new post, asking just that in the title, and asking for people to reply by PM. We are not allowed to name doctors on the open forum.

[Sparkie1986 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for your help. Have you information on the progression of hashis or what I can do to alleviate it if anything

[greygoose in reply to Sparkie1986]

Well, Hashi's is an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks the thyroid in order to destroy it, mistaking it for the enemy.

During the attack, the dying cells drop their stock of hormone into the blood, causing levels to rise sharply, for no apparent reason - well, that's what doctors think, anyway, and they want to slash your dose! However, the excess hormone will eventually be used up/excreted, and your levels will drop to hypo again.

And, with time, your thyroid will be completely destroyed, leaving you 100% reliant on thyroid hormone replacement - levo, etc. And, no, there's nothing you can do about it. All you can do is replace the missing hormone, and make sure that your nutrient levels are optimal, because hypos often have difficulty absorbing nutrienst due to low stomach acid. You need to get your principal nutrients tested: vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin, and supplement where necessary.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Sparkie1986]

I suspect you were taking your Levo just before the blood draw in which case you would have been measuring what you had just taken (which is relatively quite a lot) as opposed to your stable blood level.

Always follow these recommendations for your blood tests and you will likely get quite different results.

Recommended blood test protocol: Test at 9am (or as close as possible), fasting, last levo dose 24hrs before the blood draw & no biotin containing supplements for 3-7 days (Biotin can interfere with thyroid blood results as it is used in the testing process)?

Testing like this gives consistency in your results and will show stable blood levels of hormone and highest TSH which varies throughout the day. Taking Levo/T3 just prior to blood draw can show a falsely elevated result and your GP/Endo might change your dose incorrectly as a result.

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/testing/priva...

There is also a new company offering walk in (includes free blood draw) & mail order blood tests in London, Kent, Sussex & Surrey areas. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Only do private tests on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid postal delays.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

was test done as recommended

Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Poor conversion suggests low vitamin levels

What vitamin supplements are you taking

ESSENTIAL to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12