My mum’s test results

[GussyG]

Hi All, after discovering I was hypothyroid last year it got me wondering if my mum might be as well. She was diagnosed with ME around 10 years ago (she’s now mid 70s) but was always told by her doctor that all test results were normal. Since learning so much from the forum and my own journey I managed to get her to do a Medichecks advanced thyroid test.

Here are her results:

TSH 3.62 (0.27 - 4.2)

FREE T3 3.9 (3.1 - 6.8)

FREE T4 13.9 (12 - 22)

FOLATE - SERUM 36.2 (>7)

VITAMIN B12 - ACTIVE 149 (>37.5)

VITAMIN D 48 (50 - 200)

FERRITIN 65 (30 - 332)

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODIES 17.1 (0 - 115)

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 11.5 (0 - 34)

She is deficient in vitamin D and her thyroid results suggest she is struggling? Any feedback welcome. She is convinced she only has ME and hasn’t really heard about the thyroid, but I’m hoping this shows otherwise and I might be able to get her some help with her debilitating fatigue (probably not from her GP I realise).

[greygoose]

With a TSH over 3, she is technically hypo, yes. But you'd never get a doctor to acknowledge that. They like it to be a lot higher before they will diagnose hypo.

With that low FT3 she's bound to be fatigued, but also with that low ferritin. I would say she needs a full iron panel done, but I doubt her doctor would agree.

[GussyG in reply to greygoose]

Thanks greygoose. I think we’ll have to go down the private or functional route as she’s not up to battling doctors and I don’t live close at all. At least with any vit deficiencies that’s a fairly simple fix, although can take a while. Now to try and convince her that she’s most likely hypo. Quite tricky that after years of ME, and maybe it’s both? It’s made me question her whole diagnosis, especially after hearing how poorly the nhs treated her and all the gaslighting around any testing . I’ll have to point her to the forum.

[greygoose in reply to GussyG]

Yes, that's the best thing to do. Trying to help people through a third person is always tricky. Much better if you can speak directly to the person concerned.

People - especially elderly people - are often fobbed off with a 'diagnosis' of ME/CFS or fibro when they're actually hypo, because not only do doctors not want to diagnose them with hypo, they are also pretty ignorant. It's what we call a 'dustbin diagnosis', made to just get rid of people and shut them up. It's really awful behaviour from the so-called 'caring' profession. They don't seem to care at all.

[TorcHouse]

Alas, once we are autoimmune (whatever the medics say) we are a magnet for others - she could absolutely "have" MS and hypothyroidism. The point is, she has neither: she has an autoimmune disorder *causing* MS and probably hypothyroidism. Pernicious anaemia is another one to watch for. There's a lot of overlap.

We may never be able to sort out the AI, but if we damp down our triggers - low Vit-D and Ferritin being chief suspects here - we can carry on with something akin to normality - whatever that is. Best of luck to you both. And do get her signed up for this forum. I'm in your mother's age bracket and members have helped me enormously.