Here goes. So my latest results are taken 28thMarch; CURRENTLY NO MEDS
TSH - 5.3 (0.35-4.9)
Serum Free T4 - 14.2 (9.1-17.6)
Serum Free T4 - 13.5 (9.1-17.6) - This was done on the on the same day but different vile!
T3 - Was not taken this time as GP said he can't order!?
Thyroid antibodies - <1 (0-6) - Not sure if this is good?
Parathyroid hormone- 47 (15-68)
VITS etc....
Serum cortisol - 507 (102-535)
B12 - 572 (187-883)
VIT D - 102 (50-200)
Calcium - 39 (35-50)
Calc adjustment 2.35 (2.20-2.60)
Serum Ferritin -94 (5-204) in range but notes say should be over 100!
Serum folate - 7.9 (3.1-20)
This was done via GP/NHS.
The last T3 i had done was in Feb before the consultant discharged me the results were T3 4.1 / T4 3.5 / T4 10.8 - No ranges were given.
Since my hemi I have had quite a few thyroid tests and vits done back in Feb. I had my hemi beginning of November. They have fluctuated loads the best my TSH was 3.0 (0.35-4.9)
Before my hemi my results were; but no ranges given
September
TSH 2.7
T4 13.3
T3 4.2
Since the hemi my Tsh fluctuated between 3.0 best in the 4s and up to 5.3 now. Although my T4 seems higher so maybe if I do bloods again TSH will lower. My VITS look ok, I think?! Iron maybe slightly low but think I can improve with diet. As I have said before my hair loss is causing me great anxiety.
Reason for hemi - bad advice - removed for a 7mm nodule - benign on pathology!😪😪😏
I would appreciate advice on what I should do next.
TIA
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Sasah
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But my TSH is out of range. I don't know how i feel as have been so anxipus. The hair loss is something i can't cope with. I have lost lots of hair since the op... x
T3 - Was not taken this time as GP said he can't order!?
He very often can't. And even if he does, the lab can refuse to do it.
Serum Free T4 - 14.2 (9.1-17.6)
Serum Free T4 - 13.5 (9.1-17.6) - This was done on the on the same day but different vile!
60%/51.76%
Different testing methods Nothing to worry about.
Thyroid antibodies - <1 (0-6) - Not sure if this is good?
Neither good nor bad. Just means they are negative for Hashi's. But there are other Hashi's antibodies that should be tested: TgAB. But the NHS won't test those.
Serum cortisol - 507 (102-535)
This is good and rather debunks the idea of secondary adrenal insufficiency;
Serum Ferritin -94 (5-204) in range but notes say should be over 100!
Was CRP tested at the same time - it should be!
Serum folate - 7.9 (3.1-20)
Too low, should be at least double figures.
T3 4.1 / T4 3.5 / T4 10.8 - No ranges were given.
Without the ranges the results are meaningless, I'm afraid.
the best my TSH was 3.0 (0.35-4.9)
That's not the 'best', that's the highest and it's too high. It's saying 'hypo'. Even a TSH of 2.7 is too high because it means your thyroid is struggling.
Although my T4 seems higher so maybe if I do bloods again TSH will lower.
Your FT4 doesn't look higher to me. Not if the same ranges were used. But the FT4 result doesn't mean much without and FT3 - I do wish doctors would understand that!
And there's no point in your TSH dropping if your FT4 stays the same.
What you should do next is get private testing so that we can see your FT3 and TgAB results; At the moment the picture is incomplete.
But, what about the pituitary testing, You need to have those results, too, to see if there is anything going on with your pituitary.
OK, so they're both pretty low, but the FT3 is higher than the FT4, which suggests a failing thyroid. But I cannot remember when you started levo.
It's no good believing the ranges are to same. To make sense of it all we have to know for certain. And there's no such thing as an NHS range because they vary from lab to lab, even under the NHS.
Why is it 10% different if taken at the smae time?
Who knows. Blood testing is not an exact science and these things happen. At best a blood test is just a rough guide to your levels.
find the private test that does this the antibodies Tgab, Can you recommend please?
But I can't recommend any one in particular because I've never used them.
What is CRP? I can look as had general blood count. Is 94 on though.
C-Reactive Protein. It's an inflammation marker. When you have high inflammation it can give you a false high ferritin result, so the two should always be tested together.
How can I improve this - is this iron?
Folate is a B vitamin. I would suggest taking a methylated B complex. All the Bs work together so need to be kept balanced.
I could try and acquire
Well, only if you want them for your own records. I think we've got enough thyroid data here.
But in hindsight and newly gained knowledge if a full thyroid was only working at 2.7 I was prob gonna struggle after an hemi! Low and behold they analyse this before saying you will be fine!!!
You were eventually going to struggle even without the hemi. A 'norma' (euthyroid) TSH is around 1. Over 2 and you're eventually going to end up hypo, in my exprience.
But your doctors didn't know enough about thyroid, or about blood test results to be able to analyse them. Those are two things they just don't learn about in med school. They think they know it all but they really don't., Which is why we, the thyroid patients, have to take responsibility for our own health.
What I mean was in was round 11.6 then 11 then 10.5 (9.1-17.6) so seems to have imporvedd no?
That looks like it's going down, to me. Not up.
What do I need the T4 to do then. I though I need a lower TSH and higher T4? So what I don't want is to start levo have a lower TSH but a lower t4 too? Is that right! I am new to this
I'm confused. I thought you were already taking levo.
But don't forget, it's not just about the FT4 and the TSH. The most important number is the FT3, and they don't even test that! T3 is the active hormone. T4 is basically a storage hormone that does't do much until it is converted to T3.
Does the MMH kits do the TgAB?
I couldn't tell you, I've never used them.
I asked for this but the GP said that was the parathyroid and the production of TSH. Does it have a specific test name please?
I cannot imagine what he meant by that. The parathyroids have absolutely nothing to do with the thyroid, nor the pituitary. They are called parathyroids because of their location, either side of the thyroid and can be damaged during surgery, which is why they test them. But there's a world of difference between testing the parathyroids and the pituitary. I guess he got confused because they both begin with P.
Thank you - Is it worth me starting levo ASAP or should I wait a bit? I am worried I am gonna go bald.
Speaking from experience, there are worse things than going bald! All my hair dropped out in the shower one day - all at once! I wore a woolly hat for moths until it regrew. Fortunately, it was winter. Now, I need to be very careful to keep my iron/ferritin levels up because that's my problem, not the thyroid (I'm on T3 monotherapy).
And, as I explained to you, the levo effect on hair is only temporary. It will regrow if all your nutrients are optimal. What's more, it doesn't happen to everyone. You could very well be one of those it doesn't happen to. However, when you start levo is entirely up to you and how you feel. We all have different ways of approaching these things, and all I can do is give you the facts as I know them. Up to you to decide what you're going to do with that information.
Thank you for taking the time. In my opinion there is nothing worse than loosing my hair. TBH I wish I could send you a before and after picture. Not sure if you are female but I am. I had the most beautiful thick hair. It was my pride and joy and I loved it. My hair is receding and bald and I am not coping. I am feeling the lowest ever.
I haven't started Levo - because the so called experts think I am 'in range'. Till my TSH has raised.
C-Reactive Protein. It's an inflammation marker. When you have high inflammation it can give you a false high ferritin result, so the two should always be tested together.
yes! my Plasma C - 6 (0-5)
Folate is a B vitamin. I would suggest taking a methylated B complex. All the Bs work together so need to be kept balanced.
I could try and acquire - yes please!!!!!!
What I mean was in was round 11.6 then 11 then 10.5 (9.1-17.6) so seems to have imporvedd no?
That looks like it's going down, to me. Not up. - yes but my latest Free T4 was 14.2 (9.1-17.6) so is higher now
Thanks again, I am literally loosing my mind. Luckily I have a child to hold me down but I am literally rock bottom.
OK, so your CRP is very high, which means that your ferritin is lower than it appears. So, what you need next is a full iron panel to find out what's going on, and what your serum iron is like. Your GP can do that, if he's so minded. But if your serum iron is low, you're not going to be able to sort that out with just diet alone. But, that is probably what is causing your hair problems.
I am female, and pretty vain, but I still say I've been through a hell of a lot worse than just going bald. You can read the details in my profile if you're interested. We have to try and get these things into perspective. Hair regrows. Damage to other parts of the body due to low thyroid hormone levels, is not so easily repaired.
Thanks for help. I will look at your profile didn't rralise i could do this.
Your hair did grow back though? Thick and nice?
Is there a name for the full iron panel?
Thanks again, i can't stand to look at myself in the mirror. My hair is snapped everywhere... i had started a fairly new relationship and now i am just a mess.
I am not sure if i should be startung Levo ASAP. I am worried about side effect like body run on synthetics and also oesteo problems etc...
My hair has never been thick and nice, even as a child. As yours is naturally thick, it should grow back that way. Mine is just going back to the way it's always been.
But it is growing back. At least you can't see my scalp anymore! My problem is keeping my iron levels up because I'm not always very good with taking supplements.
A full iron panel is just called a full iron panel. Your GP should know what that is.
The more you worry about side-effects, the more likely you are to have them! Tell yourself you aren't going to have any. And if you do, it will be the fillers in the pill affecting you, not the active ingredient, T4, so you just try a different brand. Are you lactose intolerant? If so, ask for a lactose-free brand.
Trialing levo is a bit of a nonsense. How long would the trail be for? Because it will only help you if you're on the right dose, and it can take months to find the right dose, if not years. Which may sound daunting but it's better than the alternative! You cannot live without thyroid hormone, it is essential for life.
But, if you really do need to come off it, your thyroid will just go back to doing what little it was doing before you started it. As long as the TSH rises enough to stimulate it. And that would appear to be your problem: not enough TSH. Which is why you need your pituitary investigated.
Investigating the pituitary means a brain scan, and testing all the other pituitary hormones, like ATCH and HGH. An endo can do that. But first of all, you absolutely need to know what your FT3 is. And for that you're either going to have to see an endo or do private testing.
I read your profile just made me feel like i don't have a chance. I am exhausted. I was perfectly normal and great functioning body. No need to remove 1/2 my thyroid and now i am just a mess..... i don't know where to turn. I eant my hair back... i literally feel like i am loosing my mind. Sorry
No, you're not losing your mind. You're just panicking a bit because you haven't come to terms with the reality yet. You're right, there probably was no need to remove half your thyroid, but what's done is done and we have to make the best of it.
But, as I said, looking at your blood test results you were heading towards hypo anyway. Removing half your thyroid just hastened the inevitable. And I've told you which way to turn: you need further testing to get the whole picture of what is going on, and then you will know what to do next. Some of that testing can be done by your GP, some privately, but for some you will need to see a decent endo - not the one that removed your thyroid! And you've just got to stop obsessing about your hair! Your hair isn't you. You're still the same person with or without your hair. And all the time you're fixated on that, you're unable to see the road ahead. If you carry on like that you will lose your mind! And where will that get you? Nowhere. So, take a deep breath, and concentrate...
I really don't see why reading my profile would make you think you don't stand a chance. I survived, didn't I? I'm still here to tell the tale. I've over-come the ignorance of doctors by learning as much as I can about my disease. I don't see doctors anymore. I self-treat. And I do a far better job of it than any doctor has ever done! You can do the same. You're capable. You just have to come to terms with the situation and get on with it. If I can do it, so can you!
I am new to this and I really don't know what I need to do. I get so confused trying analyse results. I can't afford to see a private ENDO and NHS have shacked me off.
So far on NO MED/LEVO - Some symptoms including mass hair loss
Sothis is where I am at; March
My lates results show that my T4 is good 14.2 (9.1-17.6)this means I am producing enough hormone right? This result is in fact better than pre hemi so therefore is that not promising?
However, my TSH is 5.3 (0.35-4.9) this would suggest hypo and a reason to start Levo right?
I do not have a recent T3 but these are results from Feb;
T3 - 4.1(2.4) is this not stable?
however, my T4 was lower 10.8 (9.1-17.6) and was TSH -3.5 (0.35-4.9)
Does from feb to march and difference in TSH/T4 show how body fluctuates to balance hormones?
I am worried that if I start Levo I will just reduce my TSH but it will also reduce my T4 production that my body seems to be producing ok? And this will take me months to fix no? As the top up method doesn't actually work.
I am new to this and I really don't know what I need to do.
We all have to start somewhere. None of us were born knowing about thyroid. And none of us sought out thyroid problems. They just crept up on us and we had to get on with it.
I get so confused trying analyse results.
Don't try, then. Let us do it until you feel more comfortable with the whole process. You're by no means alone in all this.
I can't afford to see a private ENDO and NHS have shacked me off.
So, you have to keep going back to the NHS and nag them until they do something just to get rid of you. But you have to make sure you know what you're talking about before confronting an NHS doctor or he'll easily fob you off - as they have been doing. So, the sooner you start learning the better. Read on here every day, the questions and the answers. And ask questions if there's anything you don't understand. Most of us end up knowing more than our doctors if we stick at it.
My lates results show that my T4 is good 14.2 (9.1-17.6)this means I am producing enough hormone right? This result is in fact better than pre hemi so therefore is that not promising?
Not necessarily, no. We don't have enough information to know what it means. And, as I keep saying, it's not just about the FT4, it's mainly about the FT3, and we don't know what that is. A result from February doesn't help because things can sometimes change quite rapidly. And the higher FT4 could actually mean that your conversion has got worse with just having half a thyroid. So, no, it's not proHmising, it's just means you need further testing to find out what's going on.
With blood tests you can rarely just look at one result and draw any conclusions from it, because so many things depend on other things: for example ferritin and CRP, B12 and folat, etc. You always need to get the full picture. With thyroid you need to look at the three results together: TSH, FT4 and FT3, they all depend on each other.
However, my TSH is 5.3 (0.35-4.9) this would suggest hypo and a reason to start Levo right?
To me it suggests that your conversion has reduced and although your FT4 looks good, it could be that could because not much of it is being converted to T3. The pituitary senses the lack of T3 and therefore produces more TSH.
BUT, the question is: is your TSH reliable? Why wasn't it higher when your FT4 was so low? Is your pituitary functioning correctly? And to get the answers to these questions you need more testing.
But one question I keep forgetting to ask is: what time of day do you usually have your blood draw for all these tests? Because TSH varies throughout the day.
I do not have a recent T3 but these are results from Feb;
T3 - 4.1(2.4) is this not stable?
What do you mean by 'stable'? How can you tell is something is 'stable' from just one result? Stable means staying more or less the same for every blood test.
But it's not about being stable. A result can be stable at the bottom of the range, just as it can at the top. But you wouldn't feel the same. What you're looking for is 'optimal', the level that gets rid of your symptoms and makes you feel well.
That result is 47.22% through the range. That would be much too low for most hypos. They would need it about 60 to 70% through the range. So highly unlikely that that is optimal.
Does from feb to march and difference in TSH/T4 show how body fluctuates to balance hormones?
No, it doesn't. It might show all sorts of things if you had more data, but just a TSH and FT4 doesn't show you anything much.
I am worried that if I start Levo I will just reduce my TSH but it will also reduce my T4 production that my body seems to be producing ok?
I think you're just looking for things to worry about.
If your dose is too low - and I think they suggested 25 mcg levo didn't they? That would be much too low, even for a starter dose. You would need 50 mcg. But yes, if your dose is too low, it will lower your TSH and possibly your FT4 as well. So, if you decide to take levo, you must insist on 50 mcg to start with. But stop insisting that your body - thyroid - is producing enough T4 when you really have no idea what it's doing. It's far more complicated than that.
So, in conclusion, you absolutely need more testing.
I HAVE RESPONED TO SOME OF YOUR ADVICE.....underlined
FREE T4 - 60%/51.76%
Why is it 10% different if taken at the smae time?
find the private test that does this the antibodies Tgab, Can you recommend please?
Serum Ferritin -94 (5-204) in range but notes say should be over 100!
Was CRP tested at the same time - it should be!
What is CRP? I can look as had general blood count. Is 94 on though.
Serum folate - 7.9 (3.1-20)
Too low, should be at least double figures.
How can I improve this - is this iron?
T3 4.1 / T4 3.5 / T4 10.8 - No ranges were given.
Without the ranges the results are meaningless, I'm afraid.
I could try and acquire
the best my TSH was 3.0 (0.35-4.9)
That's not the 'best', that's the highest and it's too high. It's saying 'hypo'. Even a TSH of 2.7 is too high because it means your thyroid is struggling.
My TSH was 2.7 pre-hemi surgery but I felt great; energy; good hair; active; slim......
But in hindsight and newly gained knowledge if a full thyroid was only working at 2.7 I was prob gonna struggle after an hemi! Low and behold they analyse this before saying you will be fine!!!
Your FT4 doesn't look higher to me. Not if the same ranges were used. But the FT4 result doesn't mean much without and FT3 - I do wish doctors would understand that!
What I mean was in was round 11.6 then 11 then 10.5 (9.1-17.6) so seems to have imporvedd no?
And there's no point in your TSH dropping if your FT4 stays the same.
What do I need the T4 to do then. I though I need a lower TSH and higher T4? So what I don't want is to start levo have a lower TSH but a lower t4 too? Is that right! I am new to this
What you should do next is get private testing so that we can see your FT3 and TgAB results; At the moment the picture is incomplete.
Does the MMH kits do the TgAB?
But, what about the pituitary testing, You need to have those results, too, to see if there is anything going on with your pituitary.
I asked for this but the GP said that was the parathyroid and the production of TSH. Does it have a specific test name please?
Thank you - Is it worth me starting levo ASAP or should I wait a bit? I am worried I am gonna go bald.
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Blood results in. Can anyone help please?
Help please... recent bloods.
Resent Test Results 
Help interpreting bloods please! Taking T3, I thought TSH would go down if anything?
Confused again. Help with latest readings please
