Hi - my wife was diagnosed with Hashimotos, and I'm trying to help her by getting an understanding the metrics more for myself.
Results to date:
17/11/2022
TSH - 5.04 (0.27-4.20)
Free T4 - 13.7 (11.10-22.00)
TPO - 345 (0.00-34.00)
18/04/2023
TSH - 1.42 (0.27-4.20)
Free T4 - 19.7 (12.0-22.0)
Free T3 - 4.1 (3.1-6.8)
Ferritin - 43 (13-150)
02/01/2024
TSH - 4.97 (0.27-4.20)
Free T4 - 16.4 (11.10-22.00)
Ferritin - 39 (30.00-150.00)
Annoyingly a slightly mixed bag of what they checked... I'm trying separately to find a 'good' doctor she can build a relationship with, who could potentially give more consistent testing..
I'd be grateful if you had any suggestions or feedback based on the results to date?
EDIT - I have screenshots of the three sets of full results, including other results like bloods, folate, and B12, but annoyingly it keeps saying they're not the right image format (they are). Hopefully this link works - imgur.com/a/zMqIimA
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Se99jmk
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To be fair you may be disappointed with seeing a private Endo, but some find it makes them feel more confident. Most are diabetest specialists and understand little about vitamin requirements and smaller details that make a real difference to how we feel.
Did she get a dose increase following the February test as the results indicate that would be required.
There are a number of variables with blood tests and getting consistent, accurate results to show stable blood levels is very important. Attention to detail is key.
Always test at 9am or earlier for highest TSH.
Take last dose of Levo prior to blood test 24hrs before, otherwise results will show the peak of T4 entering blood stream and not the stable level.
Fast the morning of test, only drinking water as some foods can affect TSH.
NHS often only tests TSH, sometimes FT4 and rarely if ever FT3. Members in this group buy private blood tests to see the results they need to help them feel well.
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& 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.
Ferritin should be around 90 - 100 for best use of thyroid hormone. Suggest increasing iron rich foods in diet and eating them often. Chicken livers, pate, red meat etc
wow, thank you for the detailed response! I believe B12 and D3 were checked too, at least on some of the reports, I just hadn’t pulled it out (as I wasn’t sure what was most relevant, yet)
You are legally entitled to a printed copy of your results, ask at GP reception. In England you can get the NHS app and ask for permission to see your blood results on that by asking at GP’s reception.
These are quite old tests and likely her numbers have got worse since they have been taken as shes under replaced. You will find it alot cheaper to buy your own private tests rather than going through a private doctor. Cheapest would likely be either Monitor My Health (an NHS lab so often GPs will accept results from there) or Randox. There is a discount code for MMH on the T UK page: thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...
Her B12 & folate are too low so she would benefit from taking a good B complex to help keep all the B vitamins in balance. Some suggestions: Slightly cheaper options with inactive B6:
She’s got AXA insurance so trying to sort through that, and happy to pay for higher quality. She’s organising another updated test currently I believe - not sure how often they should be though… quarterly perhaps? She’s super busy, so an at-home test would be a LOT easier!
B12 and Ferritin good ones to tackle - she’s waiting until next test though before doing those as didn’t want to mess the results..
she was previously given increased dose of Levo, but felt horrible on it so reduced - honestly not sure exactly what she’s taking, but I think…
Vit D should be tested twice a year until she knows how much she needs in each season.
Other vitamins are good to test every 3-4 months once she has started supplementing, until she is on the right amount to raise levels to optimal.
Its common to feel worse following a dose raise but this should settle over a few months. Getting all key vitamins to OPTIMAL will help with dose raises and tolerance of higher levels of thyroid hormone.
Folate is also known as vit B9 but for test purposes usually referred to as folate or sometimes folic acid. This can be confusing to begin with but they are all forms of the same vitamin.
You can add the 2nd form of antibodies - Thyroglobulin (Tg) to your list. These aren't tested by the NHS but widely available privately.
Awesome thanks for clarifying that. I believe Tg was testing on and off, and some of those metals, just checking... her private healthcare is quite comprehensive, but just trying to get my head around the things to ask for 😋
Getting a pretty huge list now, I feel a tracking spreadsheet coming on! 😅
She needs to work on increasing iron rich foods in her diet
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
Serum ferritin level is the biochemical test, which most reliably correlates with relative total body iron stores. In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing.
It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron
Test early morning, only water to drink between waking and test. Avoid high iron rich dinner night before test
Huh, I don’t know if she still is, but definitely was taking iron supplements - been anaemic before, particularly around time of having boys (now 5, 7).
Good tips on the re-test, and definitely need to watch out for high iron and low ferritin if planning to supplement!
She doesn’t like the taste of red meat - never has - but given she’s now going gluten (and maybe dairy) free, is willing to re-introduce…
hoping for new test soon, trying to book in now, then can get some updated stats!
Magnesium and vitamin D should be checked too. Magnesium is important in the conversion of T4 to T3. It should be at the optimum level of 0.85 or above. Vitamin D should be at the optimum level of 75 or above. What is being done to bring the TPO antibodies down?
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