Some help with blood test results please?

[Loo44]

Hi there, brief outline, on 100 of levothyroxine daily (see my blogs for more info if required). Am seriously thinking about asking new GP to trial me on T3, but don't know if this would help me at all. I have ME/CFS (past 25 years) and all bloods come back as "normal" for thyroid problem and always have! Latest blood test results are :

Serum B12 1025 ng/L (174 - 1132) - 3 monthly B12 jabs

Serum folate 14.8 ug/L (4.2 - 18.7)

Serum ferritin 226.7 ug/L (13.0 150.0) High

Serum sodium 144 mmol/L (133 - 148)

Serum potassium 3.6 mmol/L (3.5 - 5)

Serum creatinine 77 umol/L (44 - 80)

Serum cholesterol 7.8 mmol/L (3.0 - 5.0) High

Serum triglycerides 1.7 mmol/L (0.4 - 1.7)

Serum LDL cholesterol 5.9 mmol/L (0 - 3.0) High

Serum free T4 15.5 pmol/L (10.3 - 24.5)

Serum TSH 1.17 mIU/L (0.4 - 5.5)

Can anyone please help interpret these results for me and offer me some advice as to what I should be asking my GP for? Many thanks, Laura xx

[Loo44]

I know cholesterol needs sorting - am seeing GP about this on Monday x

[ejh1]

You could maybe do with more thyroxine. Your TSH can go down more, and your T4 could go up more. 100 mcg is quite a low dose and 125mcg would be reasonable to trial. If you sort out your hypothyroidism, your cholesterol may well sort itself out. I'd try that before starting statins.

Emma

[Loo44 in reply to ejh1]

Thanks Emma. I have some 25 mcg levos in cupboard and will add to my daily drug in take xx

[Loo44]

Ok, thanks. Want to ask dr to try T3, but can't ask for too much too soon! Will he argue about my tsh and refuse more Levo as I'm within range? Ooohhh blooming drs! Xx

[nostoneunturned in reply to Loo44]

The TSH range starts at 0.4 soTSH being "somewhere within range" (but still well above 0.4) does not give him the right to argue, there is a lot of room left to reduce your TSH. Ideally he should be going by your symptoms and TSH of low level is good for those being treated for thyroid. If you still have symptoms this indicates that 1.17 is too high for you. Londinium is spot on about statins, keep off them, proper hypo treatment will lower the cholesterol.

Check out the main site, thyroiduk.org, for lots of useful info if you have not already

[Loo44 in reply to nostoneunturned]

Thanks for the information - just want to make sure I know what I'm talking about on Monday with the Dr! I'd rather not use statins either! xx