medicheck results- can somebody please help

[Lollipop93]

please can anybody help with these results? So initially these were my results and doctor said it was overactive thyroid however after 6 weeks and still no referral date to the endo I went on medichecks to investigate further. My results from the doctor was the following:

Serum TSH level:

0.11 mu/L

Normal range:

0.4 to 4.9

Serum free T3 level:

6.4 pmol/L

Normal range:

2.4 to 6.0

Serum free T4 level:

14.7 pmol/L

Normal range:

9.0 to 19.0

my results from medichecks are the photos- weird my T3 is fine on this? But my thyroglobulin has come back high what does this mean?! I’m so confused and don’t know what to do and also what results to trust as they were both different? also my vitamin D is low. It’s saying I’ll have to wait until May for my referral but I feel terrible. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Its possible that rather than being strictl hyperthyroid you have Hashimoto's aka autoimmune hypothyroidism. This would fit with results flipping from above range to within normal ranges.

Hashimoto's often starts with a period of pushing levels above range before the thyroid gives up and levels begin to drop below normal and treatment with Levo is eventually started. There is no time limit on this and it can take years before treatment is required.

In the mean time you should restest regualrly every 3-4 months to monitor levels.

Many with autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's benefit from a gluten free diet. A smaller percentage of those also need to remove dairy from their diet to feel well. These are intolerances and will not show up on any blood test.

You can and should also monitor key vitamin levels and raise them to OPTIMAL which will help you feel a little better.

What were your vitamin levels with ranges for each test?

Its important to take your blood tests under the same set of conditios each time for comparison and to see highest TSH which is at or before 9am.

Recommended blood test protocol: Test at 9am (or as close as possible), fasting & 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.

[Lollipop93 in reply to Jaydee1507]

Ok the symptoms have been bad so anxiety, mood swings, dry eyes and skin, extremely bad gastric discomfort, insomnia. My vitamin d was 48 when the range 50-250.

Should my thyroglubolin being above average be a cause for concern and do these results not warrant any more inevestigstion etc? I had a man urgent referral 6 weeks ago for an endo but will more than likely be seen in May but don’t j know what next steps will be? I’m so anxious over these, graves also runs in my family and my cousin at 35 had it so bad she now has a pacemaker. Thank you for helping xx

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Lollipop93]

Positive antibodies are not so much a cause for concern as an indicator that something is going on.

Although your results are suspicious they aren't dangerously high and clearly fluctuating.

TgAb can be detected in 30% of patients with Graves’ disease and in 85% of patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

southtees.nhs.uk/services/p...

Really you need to get Trab antibodies tested to check if you have Graves.

Changing hormone levels alone can unsettle the body but sorting out vitamin levels caused by low stomach acid from the thyroid changes will really help you.

See if your GP will test ferritin, folate & B12 unless you already have the results?

Vitamin D should be around 100 - 150. Buy one that includes vit K2 to help it go to your bones. Some are available in oil or you can take it with an oily meal for better absorption. Many members like the ‘Better You’ range of mouth sprays that contain both bit D & K2. Use this calculator to work out how much to take to get your level to 100-150.grassrootshealth.net/projec...

[Lollipop93 in reply to Jaydee1507]

Thank you, can the GP test me for Trab or will that have to be private do you know? I don’t think B12 etc have been tested either

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Lollipop93]

I think the hospital Endo will test you for Trab.

Ask your GP for the vitamin tests.

[Lollipop93 in reply to Jaydee1507]

Also I thought low TSH indicates hyperthyroidism no hypo? Thanks c

[Sleepman]

Sorry your unwell. I am hypo and when I found out my vit D was low like yours. Doctor gave me tablets but they were a low dose and I used the mouth spray with K2.

Biotin (B7)affects thyroid tests. Forum recommends stopping 4 to 7 days before bloods done .

Also T3 results move around through the day.

TSH does not affect your "body", it is a control signal.

At your lower TSH level it tells the thyroid gland thyroid to make less T4. Less T4 (storage hormone) leads to less T3 which is the Active hormone that helps your cells run.

[greygoose]

With those TSH results I think we can safely say that you don't have Graves' (autoimmune hyperthyroidism). But doctors know so little about thyroid that they start to panic as soon as they see a low TSH, without any understanding of why it's low. But, if you had Graves' it would be undetectable, and your thyroid hormone levels - FT4 and FT3 would be extremely high. Your FT3 level is only slightly over-range in the doctor's tests and in-range in the Medichecks.

So, it looks like you have Autoimmune Thyroiditis - probably Ord's. In which case it's to be expected that levels fluctuate. And that is nothing to worry about. A blood test is just like a photograph, a moment in time. It doesn't mean that everything will be exactly the same a week later - or even a day. There are so many variables that can change. Especially when you have AIT.

The sad thing is that with those levels, you're not likely to get any help even from an endo - who probably won't know much more than your GP - and possibly less! Even if he agrees to see you, which he probably won't because your levels are more or less in-range. And, to be honest, you probably wouldn't even benefit from thyroid hormone replacement at this point, because your Frees aren't low. But, when your TSH goes over-range, that's the time to act.

However, if your vit D is low, that won't help with how you feel, and supplementing vit D, vit K2 and magnesium could go a long way to helping symptoms. How about your other nutrients: vit B12, folate and ferritin? Have they been tested at all?

[Lollipop93 in reply to greygoose]

thank you for this that’s really helpful. I haven’t been tested for B12 etc is this something I can request from the GP? I havent spoken to my GP about these results yet so I don’t know, from these results etc if you would know what I should suggest for them to do? Thanks

[greygoose in reply to Lollipop93]

There's nothing to be done right now - except get your nutrients tested and keep testing your thyroid to see how things develop.

Your GP can request them, if he's agreeable. But a lot of them seem to object in principle to testing nutrients.

[Lollipop93 in reply to greygoose]

Tell a lie I have been tested for b12 I’ve just checked and it was 53 with a range of 35-188.

[greygoose in reply to Lollipop93]

Much much too low! Best to get it tested again with the others.

Low B12 can cause symptoms that mimic hypo symptoms.