HI , Can i have your advice please on my sons m... - Thyroid UK

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HI , Can i have your advice please on my sons medichecks results

Leannebow profile image
20 Replies

Hello , my son been unwell now for around 2 months .

crippling fatigue,dizzyness, sweaty , palpations, pale skin etc

gp bloods came back he has a tsh of 5.13 and mircocytosis

I havnt had no help from the gp

I done a set of private bloods myself

His tsh has now come back into range

his vitamins are so low and now have him on supplements.

Why are his vitamins this low ? do you think his thyroid is to blame ?

I as his mother has a underactive thyroid

thank you in advance for any help

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Leannebow profile image
Leannebow
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JumpJiving profile image
JumpJiving

 Leannebow Has your son had an early morning cortisol test done? If so, what were the results?

Has he been on any steroid-based medications, including asthma inhalers, creams, nasal sprays, tablets etc?

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow in reply toJumpJiving

hi no he hasnt had a cortisol test done and no he hasnt had any medications , altho when we done his first thyroid blood test (at the gps when his tsh was raised 5.13) he did recently have tonsilitis and 2 weeks previous to his bloods was on a 5 day course of antibiotics . Not sure if this would have raised his tsh ? private test i have donw 9th dec his tsh has settled back down . thank you for your reply

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator

Welcome to the group. If you could complete your profile it helps members understand your thyroid journey so far and be able to advise you better. Click on your image icon to start. Fill out the free text box at the top.

What time of day was this test taken? It makes a difference as TSH varies on a circadian rhythm and highest TSH is at 9am or earlier.

Exactly what were his low vitamin results and what are you supplementing with?

What were his antibody results?

Low thyroid hormone levels can lead to low stomach acid which means you cannot absorb vitamins well from food.

His FT4 is on the low side but if this is Hashimotos his levels can change quite rapidly in a fairly short space of time in the early stages.

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow

Thank you Jaydee yes i will complete it now thank you , the test was taken 11.45 am (private test where his tsh was in range ) the gp test was in the morning 9.30am and it was 5.13 .

his antibody results were

Thyrogloblin antibodies 15.2 klu/l lab range 0-115

Thyroid peroxidase 12.5 klu/L lab range 0-34

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow

His vitamins came back as low

k
Leannebow profile image
Leannebow

also his ferritin cam back low at 38 lab range 30-442 ug/L

I have him on 4 x ferrous fumarate 210mg

vit d 5000ui with k2

magnesuim 365mg

b12 liquid drops 2000ui

zinc with copper

folate 400

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply toLeannebow

For someone to get a notification you need to use the reply button directly below their response to you. You've just been replying to yourself with your responses. :)

Low folate can cause anaemia so supplementing that will help. Retest in 3-4 months to check he is now taking enough. He will need to supplement continously or his levels will fall back to whre they were at the start.

Caution with supplementing iron, as too much can cause problems.

Has he had a full iron panel? Recommend getting one run in 3 months when he retests iron to see how supplement is working. Always take iron 4 hours away from anything else as it affects absorption. Also take it with orange juice or anything with vit C to help absorption. Ferritin can be very slow to raise.

Not everyone with Hashimoto's has positive antibodies. You could get him a thyroid ultrasound to check his gland for damage.

Testing at 9am or earlier is best as shows TSH at its highest. So the Medichecks TSH would have been a little higher had he tested earlier in the day.

What age group is your son in?

Does he follow a vegan or vegetarian doet & does he eat red meat?

Recommend retesting in 3-4 months, fasting, 9am.

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow in reply toJaydee1507

Hi jaydee thank your for your advice i really appreaciate it . My son is 13 just gone altho hes not small in height hes like man size being 5ft 10ins ! and he must be 14 stone . He does eat meat, mostly chicken , his diet not brilliant but he tries to eat the best he can (picky eater ) Been eating a better diet since he been unwell . Ive got the medichecks tiredness and fatigue test to do with him that has a full iron panel on that . I will upload his results when they come back . ive had next to no help from the gp 😔

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toLeannebow

I have him on 4 x ferrous fumarate 210mg

Suggest you stop these and get FULL iron panel test

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

If taking any iron supplements stop 5-7 days before testing

Medichecks iron panel test

medichecks.com/products/iro...

Look at increasing iron rich foods in 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

List of iron rich foods

dailyiron.net

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

is he vegetarian or vegan

If not he needs coeliac blood test

Gluten intolerance is often a hidden issue with low vitamin levels

ask GP for coeliac blood test as per NICE Guidelines

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20/c...

Request coeliac blood test BEFORE considering trial on strictly gluten free diet

Ideally an ultrasound scan of thyroid too

20% of Hashimoto's patients never have raised antibodies

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Paul Robson on atrophied thyroid - especially if no TPO antibodies

paulrobinsonthyroid.com/cou...

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow in reply toSlowDragon

HI thank you for the info , yes im going to ask for a celiac test and ask gp for a ultra sound altho i think the wont be willing to do it as they saying to me his thyroid is normal 😤 Ive ordered him the medichecks tiredness and fatigue test which has the full iron panel on there plus some vitamins to check again .

the gp gave iron tabs for him so his iron must also be low altho he didnt tell me what it was i can just see his ferritin is low from the medichecks . thank you for your advice and help i really appreciate it . im worried sick about him as he so unwell .

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toLeannebow

You can get ultrasound scan of Thyroid privately if GP won’t

thyroiduk.org/?s=Ultrasound+

Pandora777 profile image
Pandora777

hi. His TSH is too high and should be around 1 my sons TSH is 0.85 and he is a fit young man who is 32 and spends 3 times a week at the gym. His T4 and T3 are low as well. He vitamins are very low in their ranges as well especially the folate and vitamin D. I take the better you vitamin D which is easily absorbed on your tongue and his needs be nearer a 100 in my opinion

This explains your son feeling so dizzy etc

I think he might be headed for thyroid disease so you need to make sure he keeps an eye on this Hypothyroidism can run in families btw

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow

Hi lora so we should be aiming for a tsh around 1 and low t4 and t3 . I will look a the vit d you recommended thank you , yes hes very dizzy when standing . Thats what im worried about that hes heading for thyroid disease as i know how bad it can be as i suffer myself .

Pandora777 profile image
Pandora777 in reply toLeannebow

The T4 and T3 should be in the upper third of the range. Everyone is different and I feel well when my T4 is right at the top of the range and my TSH is about 0.38

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow in reply toPandora777

Hi i will upload my sons latest thyroid tests now i would love you to give advice what you think thank you so much

Leannebow profile image
Leannebow in reply toPandora777

tsh 2.8 lab range 0.27 -4.2

t3 6.2 lab range 3.1- 6.8

t4 14 lab range 12-22

thyroid peroxidase antibodies 12.5 lab range 0 -34

thyroglobulin antibodies 15.2 lab range 0-115

do you think its worth me getting a thyroid ultrasound and what would it show ? thank you for any help im still learning about all this x

Pandora777 profile image
Pandora777 in reply toLeannebow

His TSH should be around 1 and his T4 should be in the upper third of the range. I think he has Hashimotos which is an autoimmune disease which can take years to develop. Mine took years because I have watched my TSH sinking lower and lower over the years.

I think an ultra sound would be very helpful. A good consultant can tell what is wrong straight away. I was told my multi nodule goitre was typical of Graves’ disease. She also said she had seen 100s of Hashimotos thyroids and can see they were shrinking or being destroyed by the disease .

I would pressurise your doctor for a ultrasound it might help him get treated sooner

Bearo profile image
Bearo

Some comments above suggest TSH should be under 1 ….but isn’t this only applicable to those on thyroid hormone replacement? I thought in the general population TSH should be under 3……and if 3 or over deserved retesting after three months.

Your son recently had tonsillitis and you asked if this can raise TSH. I think the answer to that is yes (hopefully someone will correct me if I’m wrong). If I’m right about this possibility then TSH should be tested again in a few weeks.

You must be so worried about your son. I hope the GP is concerned, too, and will be willing to carry out the tests suggested above.

Wishing him good health for the coming year.

Pandora777 profile image
Pandora777 in reply toBearo

I am sorry but I have to disagree with you. My TSH is 0.38 my sons is 0.85 and my husbands is 0.95. Anyone who has a TSH of over 2 has a thyroid that is clearly struggling. I feel dreadful if my TSH 0.75 because I have Graves’. I am not medically qualified but I have spent the last 15 years reading about thyroid disease and have been a member of many support groups in both the UK and USA

I do however agree with your comment about her sons illness affecting his thyroid results

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