I went to the gp a few weeks ago after feeling increasingly exhausted for months. I do work full time and have 2 young children, one with additional needs, so I had put it down to this.
Bloods came back with possible Subclinical hypothyroidism.
TSH - 7.9 (range 0.27 - 4.20)
T4 - 12 (range 12.0 - 22.0)
This actually happened about 8 years ago, and then when retested it was normal again. I know now to get tested first thing before eating for accurate results though, which I did this time.
GP wants to retest in 3 months, but I am absolutely exhausted, drained and have brain fog. Could this all be to do with my thyroid?
Bloods showed that I am also anaemic, but not why, as they didn’t test for iron. So this is also being retested in 3 months time to find the cause of the anaemia.
Haemaglobin - 108 (range 120 - 160)
I’m posting to see if anyone else has had similar and could this be why I’m so tired? I’m also absolutely freezing all the time. Is there anything else I can do? My doctors are generally really unhelpful unfortunately
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BumblingBee89
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I'm not surprised you are feeling exhausted, freezing, tired. Of course you are!
Iron deficiency and hypothyroidism go hand in glove with each other. Lots who are hypothyroid are iron deficient. And adequate iron is essential for thyroid hormones to work in our bodies.
Having an FT4 right at the bottom of the reference interval (range) isn't subclinical hypothyroidism, in my view. TSH is too high, but that is not a good way of assessing whether or not someone is hypothyroid. Sometimes we see people with only slightly raised TSH who are very symptomatic and struggle to get adequate treatment. And others with extremely high TSH who almost miraculously improve relatively easily. All unpredictable.
Leaving you hypothyroid AND iron deficient for another three months is a special form of neglect bordering on cruelty.
Are you in a position to do some private blood tests? If so, it might be well worth doing some in order to get a full appreciation of iron and thyroid levels including ferritin, FT3 and antibodies. It is easy to suggest this but not everyone is able to.
helvella - Iron Document
This is a summary of what I have read up and found out about iron supplements over the past few years. I am not in any way medically trained. You are strongly encouraged to check every detail before making any decisions for yourself.
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
If taking any iron supplements stop 5-7 days before testing
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
Those levels indicate you are hypothyroid and should be medicated now....what good reason does this GP have for delaying for 3 months. None!!
There is nothing subclinical about those labs you are overtly hypothyroid and your low thyroid hormone levels show this.
Your TSH is far to high....it should be 2 or under
After diagnosis by high TSH both FT4 and FT3 should be tested to provide a full picture of your thyroid status.....but at least FT4 at this stage.
The ignorance amongst medics is shocking!
Anaemia will be contributing to fatigue
Go back to your surgery and ask to be put on a trial of 50mcg levothyroxine! If the GP won't listen then complain to the Practice Manager that you cannot now cope with the symptoms and need help asap.
If that approach fails test privately as SlowDragon suggests.....with details of where
Leaving you hanging on for months is tantamount to medical neglect
See also helvella's excellent response.....
Not only are your doctors "generally really unhelpful" they are seriously incompetent and incapable of treating thyroid patients as expected.
Phone the surgery tomorrow and ask for an appointment as soon as possible....preferably with another GP.
Yes, your underactive thyroid gland is the problem along with deficiency of key nutrients which support thyroid function
I am so grateful to you all for taking the time to respond with such useful replies, thank you so much. It is affirming and reassuring to know that there is a reason for my tiredness. I’m used to being a bit tired, but this is next level. I had to have a nap on the sofa this afternoon.
My next blood test is testing my antibodies and my ferritin, so I’m not sure why I’ve been asked to wait 3 months? I already have the blood form but was told to wait 3 months. I have booked a blood test for tomorrow morning at 7.15am (must have been a cancellation!) which is only about 3 weeks after my last blood test, on the basis that it’s testing something different (Ferritin and antibodies). Does that make sense to do?
Thanks again, really appreciate all of the supportive and informed responses 😊
It is ridiculous to only do ferritin, but if that's all they will do, get it done.
Do be aware that ferritin rises if you have any inflammation for any reason. What might look an OK ferritin result might only look OK because of the inflammation. That is why, eventually, you simply must have a more comprehensive set of iron tests - an iron panel.
If your doctor drags their heels about prescribing iron supplements, please be aware that it is possible to buy the same iron supplements that doctors prescribe without a prescription from pharmacies in the UK and they aren't hugely expensive. Theoretically a pharmacist could refuse to sell them to you (it rarely happens), but if that happens just go to another pharmacy.
The supplements doctors prescribe are called "iron salts" and they are :
Ferrous Fumarate
Info on these including dosing can be found on this link :
I raised my iron and ferritin several years ago with ferrous fumarate 210mg. I would advise avoiding ferrous sulfate - it is extremely poorly tolerated. I've never personally taken ferrous gluconate.
I would also suggest that you actually try something other than iron salts first. Instead a lot of people have done well with haem (or heme) iron tablets. To read about them see these two links :
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