6 weeks post tt bloods

[jmy81]

hi

does anyone understand my results. I'm 6 weeks post op for total thyroidectomy. seeing consultant next week

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

What time of day was this test taken?

When was your last dose of Levo before this test?

Both of these things matter as they can affect your test 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.

Have you had your vitamin levels tested yet? Ferritin, folate, B12 & D3?

You've had low thyroid levels for a long time so low or deficient vitamin levels would be expected.

We need OPTIMAL vitamin levels for our thyroid hormone to work well.

How do you feel?

[McPammy]

Your TSH is below the reference range which is called suppressed. Why did you have a total thyroidectomy? Was it thyroid cancer? I’m asking as if it is cancer then your TSH has to be lower than the range (suppressed). This is to ensure any cancer does not return. If it’s not about thyroid cancer then your TSH doesn’t need to be suppressed and your levothyroxine T4 needs to be reduced slightly and aim for a TSH around 1.00 where a healthy persons thyroid result often is. TSH detects the amount of thyroxine in your body that can be T4 and T3 levels l. If your TSH is suppressed then that indicates you’re taking too much medication. If TSH is above 2.5 ( although still within the NHS range) then you’re not taking enough.

When you’re feeling better after your operation also consider checking T3 levels. T4 just sits in your body waiting to be converted to the most important thyroid hormone T3. Check you have a good conversion from T4 to T3.

Also check vitamin levels as they are very important. The ones to check are B12, ferritin, folate and vitamin D. These all need to be optimal not low in the ranges. Many people with thyroid conditions have low vitamins which can easily be sorted by taking supplements. The other thing to check is your cholesterol level which should be around 5 or lower.

Hope this helps. My sister had thyroid cancer and I have Hashimotos(autoimmune disease). I also can hardly convert T4 to T3 so I take t4 and t3 medications. We have lived and learnt throughout our journeys.

[meme in reply to McPammy]

Mc Pammy I don’t think you have given the correct details of what the TSH does/is. TSH, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, is a hormone released from the Pituitary gland to tell/ stimulate the thyroid to produce the thyroid hormones. The T3 and T4 blood test measure the amount of hormone available to the cells.

[McPammy in reply to meme]

Maybe I haven’t put it across the way I intended it. What I am trying to say is that if there is too much or too little thyroxine in your body the TSH tries to stimulate or suppress thyroxine whether that be t3 or T4. I do know blood test measure the amount of t4 or t3 as a snap shot in time. However, the TSH looks at a longer period of time. It reflects what’s has been happening over the course of longer period and that point in time rather than the moment the levels are checked for t4 or t3.

I have altered the wording from measure to detect

[Poniesrfun]

mcPammy is correct. Almost all people following total thyroidectomy have some residual thyroid tissue remaining. If TSH is not suppressed it can stimulate the residual cells to produce thyroxine. The “level” of suppression (how low to keep TSH) depends on how contained or extensive the thyroid cancer was. However, a TSH of 0.02 with Free T4 in range is more akin to someone already taking some T3. A very low TSH should be a flag to also check Free T3 before jumping to a knee jerk reduction of T4.

If the TT is for cancer, then RAI may be used to eliminate any remaining tissue/cells. And Thyroglobulin plus thyroglobulin antibodies should also be checked.