need help with test results please

[alicea]

Hi again I have just got back from the doctors, she put my dose up to 50 , I asked for my test results as i feel really ill and she says i am subclinical . I hope someone can help 7.88 (o.35 -5.00 the my T4 level is 12.01 (11.0 -23.00 . I am also starting with diabetic problems which isnt helping . thanks for any help you can give me ..........alicea

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Alicea,

The important value is your Free T4 at 12.1in a reference range of 11.0 -23.00. That is, the amount of Free T4 in your blood is close to the bottom of the range.

Many people who have been diagnosed as hypothyroid find that they only feel well when their Free T4 is towards the top of the range, or even slightly over. So I would suggest that you need more thyroxine than you had been taking.

It is not absolutely clear whether your dose has only just been increased to 50mcg – or if that happened a while ago. If you have only just moved up to 50mcg, then I would suggest you may need to wait a while to see how you feel. But if that happened a few weeks ago and this is your new Free T4 level, then I think you need another raise.

I would categorically NOT call those results ‘subclinical’ given that you have only reached here with the help thyroxine. And you clearly have symptoms.

Many people believe that there are associations between hypothyroidism and diabetes. Some believe to the extent that properly treating hypothyroidism actually resolves or reduces diabetes symptoms.

I hope that when you have a blood test for thyroid you do not take your daily thyroxine before they draw the blood? That can skew the results significantly making you look better than you are.

All the best

Rod

[alicea in reply to helvella]

Hi Rod thanks for the advise it is very helpful, i have been on the 50 for a couple of weeks so i perhaps need a little more time to feel better . I am so tired of feeling ill . thanks again for info. alicea