I’ve recently had a blood test through Medichecks and I was wondering if I can get some help interpreting the results.
A little background: diagnosed with Graves disease in early 20's, levels came back to normal using Block and Replace therapy (I think that's what its called). Fine for a few years and then Graves came back in in my mid-late 20's, ended up having RAI (which I regret now!), and have been hypo ever since. I have never felt right since it came back, always shattered, mood all over the place, joints and muscles easily injured, always freezing - a real joy to be around as you can imagine.
I’ve attached a PDF of my results. If anyone can give advice that would be amazing!
Written by
HypoSarah
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Well I would think sufficient time has now elapsed and your thyroid fully burnt out and totally disabled by the RAI thyroid ablation.
RAI is know to trash vitamins and minerals, amongst other things, and no thyroid hormone replacement works well until your core strength vitamins and minerals are up and maintained at optimal levels -
i now aim for ferritin at around 100, folate around 20, active B12 125 ( serum B12 500 ++ ) and vitamin D up at around 125.
It is essential that you are not dosed on your TSH reading but on your Free T3 and Free T4 readings -
We generally feel best once the T4 is up in the top quadrant at around 80% with the T3 tracking just behind at around 75% through its range and with a T3/T4 ratio of around 4 :
Currently your T4 is at around 63% with your T3 at around 38% -
Do you have any absorption issues as you are on quite a high dose of T4 compared to most people ?
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg. with T3 being the active hormone that runs the body and around 4 x more powerful than T4.
T4 - Levothyroxine is a storage hormone and needs to be converted in the body into T3 the active hormone that runs the body with the thyroid is responsible for the fully synchronisation of all the body's parts from your physical ability and stamina through to your mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, you inner central heating system and your metabolism.
Some people can get by on T4 monotherapy.
Others find that at some point in time T4 seems to lose its ability to keep them well and feel better adding in a little T3 - probably at a similar dose level that their thyroid once supported them with - and then feel improved -with their T3/T4 thyroid hormone balance restored.
Others can't tolerate T4 and need to take T3 only - Liothyronine.
Whilst others find their health restored taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as that of the human thyroid gland and derived from pig thyroids, dried and ground down into a powder which is medically graded and made up into tablets or capsules as required.
Up until around the year 2000 all these treatment options were available from your doctor if the cheapest option synthetic T4 didn't resolve all your symptoms.
Currently your doctor can only offer you anti depressants and a referral to an endocrinologist and it has become something of a post code lottery due to financial restraints from local ICB boards leading to hospital and endocrinologists feeling constrained in what they can prescribe.
We do now have some research which you may find of interest :-
I have Graves and had RAI back in 2005 - and the most rounded of all I researched though ( 8 years too late for me ) was that of Elaine Moore's books and website - which we now need to access via archive records :
Thanks for all the information!! That is so helpful. I don’t know if I have absorption issues - is this something I can be tested for? I’m quite overweight so I don’t know if that’s why I’m on a higher dose?
Excess weight is generally an issue when hypothyroid and with a slowed metabolism and not optimally medicated and caused by too low a level of T3 for you.
If you read what I have written - your results show several areas that need to improve -
Your T3 and T4 are not yet optimal and nor are your vitamins and minerals -
With a slowed metabolism your body will have trouble extracting key nutrients from your food no matter how well and clean you eat - hence your core strength vitamins and minerals not being optimal - so suggest you first start working on building up your core strength vitamins and minerals especially vitamin D and then your ability to convert the T4 into T3 may well improve -
However since you have lost your own natural production of thyroid hormones -
once optimally medicated on T4 only and with your core strength vitamins and minerals optimal -
if your conversion doesn't improve -
you may well do better on a T3/T4 combo of thyroid hormones or by taking NDT .
I’ve ordered some vitamins and minerals to try and boost the one I’m lacking. I’ve also been referred back to and Endo to speak to them about trying a T3/T4 combo. I’m not sure if my NHS trust can prescribe T3 but thought it was worth giving it a go before going down the private route as I’m not sure if I can afford that. Hopefully I can get my vitamin levels up to optimal whilst I wait for my appointment.
If you go into openprescribing.net. you can see how supportive your surgery is in prescribing T3 compared to other surgeries in your area and similarly your ICB area compared to others in the country.
For the drugs - for T3 enter Liothyronine and for NDT enter Armour ( the leading brand )
Thyroid UK the charity which supports this patient to patient open forum also hold a list of thyroid specialist both NHS & Private so it makes sense to email admin at thyroiduk.org asking for said list - and try to see a specialist who works both Private and NHS as you may find once ' in ' you may get switched over to his/her NHS patient list.
Igennus B complex popular option. Nice small tablets. Most people only find they need one per day. But a few people find it’s not high enough dose and may need 2 per day and/or may need separate methyl folate couple times a week
Thorne Basic B recommended vitamin B complex that contains folate, but they are large capsules. (You can tip powder out if can’t swallow capsule) Thorne can be difficult to find at reasonable price, should be around £20-£25. iherb.com often have in stock. Or try ebay
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
In week before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate folate supplement (eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg)
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Please help me interpret these results!
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