Please help with my blood test results

[Lizbeth1]

I asked my gp for a referral to dr skinner as I feel unwell despite taking 125 and 150mg on alternate days

I have been diagnosed as hypothyroid for 15 years. I feel excessively tired,depressed ,dry skin, weight gain and have many other symptoms. My gp wanted to try and sort my health out before referring me so ordered all the tests I asked for.these are the results

Serum tsh 0.19miu/l (0.3-5.0)

Serum free T4 level 14 pmol/L (9.0-25.0)

Serum free triiodothyronine level 4.6 pmol/L (3.5-6.5)

I asked for total t4 free T4 free t3 and reverse t3 as well as tsh. But this is all lab did

B12. 447(220-700)

Ferritin 304. (10-420)

Vit d. 48

There were other tests done by doctor like cholesterol, but they were ok apart from

Plasma fasting glucose level which was above range, this is worrying as weight gain is a substantial factor

6.6(3.3-6.0)

I see the doctor on Thursday to discuss results, but all the paperwork says no action required. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions. Thank you

[ChemicalAngel]

Hi Lizbeth

My vit D is 47 and I have been put on supplements as it is very low, so I would query your level.

Everything else is out of my knowledge, but there will be someone along soon that can help xx

Ann xxx

[PinkNinja]

I agree about the vitamin D. It is involved in something like 300 metabolic processes so you can have a whole host of symptoms if your level is low. I certainly noticed an improvement after taking supplements for a while. It is a also easier to lose weight if you have a healthy level of vitamin D. A low level can make it much harder. Many of the symptoms are similar to hypothyroidism.

I also notice that your T4 is quite low in the range for someone on T4-only replacement. Most people do best when their T4 is towards the top of the range. Perhaps an increase in dose might help. Your GP may resist this due to your TSH but there has been a recent paper published that show that the TSH/T4 relationship is broken in hypothyroid patients so it is best to ignore TSH. My GP ignores TSH anyway in my case as it is always low, even when my T4 is low.

If you are seeing Dr Skinner, he will be able to recommend appropriate changes to your treatment.

I hope you find the solution!

Carolyn x

[Lizbeth1 in reply to PinkNinja]

Thank you to everybody who takes the time to comment and help. I already take supplements but I wonder now if they are enough

[greygoose]

Hi Lizbeth, As Carolyn says, your FT4 is low, but more importantly, your FT3 is low. It's not suprising if you're putting on weight with an FT3 that low, and you probably won't be able to lose it until it comes up to the top of the range.

As for the tests you say they didn't do, FT3 is Serum free triiodothyronine, so they did do it. Total T4 is a waste of time, it doesn't give you any useful information. What you need to know is how much T4 is available for use in your blood, and that is FT4. RT3 I don't think you can get on the NHS.

Hugs, Grey

[Lizbeth1 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you Grey, I often read your comments and always find them helpful. I am trying to decide how to handle my doctors appointment on Thursday. I have a horrible feeling she will just concentrate on the weight issue .

[greygoose in reply to Lizbeth1]

Thank you, Lizbeth, it's kind of you to say so.

Try reading this :

thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...

then when your doctor starts on about weight you'll have some arguements to help you stand your ground.

[Hidden]

The fasting blood glucose level is pre-diabetes, (don't take my word for it.. diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_car... ) so get your thyroid issues sorted and meanwhile urgently think about what you can do to stop the decline to full-on diabetes...Mine wasn't this high, but had reactive hypoglycaemia too, and didn't realise the damage it was doing to me. I never found any help whatsoever from an Endo, in fact quite the opposite, he was worse than useless, as others seem to agree - and had to resort to my own actions and research, Low carb eating made DRAMATIC improvements for me, I have eaten Low Glycaemic Load for 3.5 years now, and lost 46Kg too, not easy, but no starvation at all - for me it was very effective so I could only recommend you look into it, there is a loa dof info, just Google. I am still not "cured," and can't eat significant amounts of carbs even now, but my blood glucose is well within "normal levels all the time now, and none of he hypoglycaemia, *hopefully* staving off Type II diabetes too.

[Lizbeth1 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your input and congratulations on your success. That is brilliant. I will read up on the information. My weight gain over the last year has been really bad and does not help with tiredness and depression.

[Lizbeth1 in reply to Lizbeth1]

I would like to thank everyone on this site for all the information and encouragement. I saw my gp today and although she said she could not refer me to an NHS endo cos they have strict guidelines to adhere to,she gave me a referral for a private consultation. I feel as if I am moving forward. The doctor also wants to repeat blood glucose tests as there were conflicting results. She did listen and I did speak about thyroid uk ,so maybe she might do some extra reading!