Thyroid blood tests

[AnnieJo41]

Hi

I took the advice and got my Thyroid blood test done at 9am before I took my 100mg Levothyroxine which was Over 24 hours since my last dose. I didn’t eat or drink (only water) before the test. The results are as follows:

TSH 1.0 (Target below 2 because I have had Thyroidectomy for cancer)

FT4 14

FT3 3

The Nurse thinks they are alright but are they? Any comments appreciated please

I have been taking Better You spray vitamins and Iron for a month and I am going to have a full vitamin and iron test to make sure these are within range but I think they may take more time to work

[Buddy195 Administrator]

can you add the reference ranges for your test results (in brackets after readings) as these can vary between laboratories

[SlowDragon Administrator]

was this a private test ?

If so ranges will be as this

Free T4 (fT4) 14 pmol/L (12 - 22) 20.0%

Free T3 (fT3) 3 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8) -2.7%

Or was it GP test …..ranges may be different

You need to get vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 levels tested

Exactly what vitamin supplements are you taking

Remember to stop any supplements that contain biotin 5-7 days before test

[AnnieJo41 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for your reply. This was a test at the Oncology Clinic where I had my Thyroidectomy. I had my Vit D tested in October and it was 83 my Ferritin was also tested that was 12. I take Vitamin D capsules, Better You sprays, B12, Multivitamins also Turmeric and Iron 10 at the moment but left them off 5 days before the test. I have been taking the Vitamin D capsukes for years but only started the Better You sprays a short while ago.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to AnnieJo41]

If the ranges on your results are different from the ones SD has used then please add, otherwise your levels are very low and a dose increase is needed

[AnnieJo41 in reply to TiggerMe]

Thanks for your reply. The only range I have on the NHS website is for TSH and that is 0.53 - 4.9 but the Oncologist wanted to keep my TSH under 2.0. because of the Thyroidectomy for cancer. The only reason I got to know the ft4 and ft3 was because I asked the Thyroid nurse at the telephone consultation. She did not give the ranges but said my ft4 was 14 and ft3 was 3 ( in her words slap bang in the middle of the range) so I assume the range is 0 - 6 for ft3. I didn’t realise the ranges for the NHS were different from the private blood tests.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to AnnieJo41]

Generally with fT3 the ranges don't vary a great deal, nobody could survive with 0 fT3 so there is no way you are mid range there! fT4 varies more widely but as fT3 is low something isn't right

[tattybogle in reply to TiggerMe]

pretty sure i've seen one fT3 range that is [2ish -4ish ] tiggr ....so ft3 of 3 could be 'mid range' if it's that one. (although yes, most of them are more like 3ish-6 / 6.8)

fT4 of 14 could either be pretty high or pretty low, depending on range . lowest one in use in UK is [7.9 - 14] , the others are closer to [12-22]

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to tattybogle]

tattybogle the t4 range at my practice/hospital is 7 - 17. Seems to be quite unusual range . The fingerprick tests I do are mostly 12 - 22.

[tattybogle in reply to JoJoloveschocolate]

There's loads of em for fT4 JoJo. See how many changes my local NHS lab has had over the years : healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... the-range-of-ranges.

there are several different manufacturers of test machines , whose machines each come with quite different 'factory setting' ranges ( kind of) ... which may then by changed very slightly to adjust for local results for the particular area the lab which buys the machine is in.

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to tattybogle]

Wow! Very confusing. My hospital has just changed the tsh top of the range from 4.7 to 5.3. I know it’s all supposed to be relative, but I can’t help thinking sometimes that they probably tweak the results and ranges to keep from diagnosing people! Just the way my suspicious mind works 🤣

[tattybogle in reply to JoJoloveschocolate]

i healthy dose of cynicism is wise . they tend to keep the precise details very close to their chests , I've read comments somewhere along the lines of ~ some of these 'local adjustments' may be based on nothing more than a 100 lab staff who happen to be passing ~ highly scientific... not .

lots of further stuff about ranges here healthunlocked.com/thyroidu.... difference-in-reference-ranges-reading-matter-for-a-rainy-day-.

(in case you have nothing better to do this week, or just want something to read whilst taking a break from the 'outlaws' lol) :

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to tattybogle]

Thanks tattybogle ! I will have a read through those. I’m sure there’s a bit of fiddling the books involved.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to tattybogle]

It's really hard to know isn't it... I was hoping someone might have come across the TSH range 0.53-4.9 as that's unusual isn't it?

[tattybogle in reply to TiggerMe]

mine ( lancaster NHS) is [0.57 -3.6]

along with fT4 [7.9-14] (and fT3 [3.1-6.8] in 2018, not sure if that is still same)

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to tattybogle]

It's a bit Prince Charming and the slipper routine 😆

Seems it's a latitude thing as down here (Glos) TSH (0.27-4.2) fT4 (12-22) fT3 (3.1-6.8)

[tattybogle in reply to TiggerMe]

lol ......anybody know how to use a sextant ?... on wait, that's longitude .

it's such a amess , honestly, the current system is ' sub-optimal'

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to tattybogle]

Celestial bodies aren't my strong point either 😬

Fit for the purpose of sub-optimal care.... where's the problem 😱