Dawns labs... very similar to Kims'

[Guest guest]

Greetings everyone.

Once again, I am looking for advice about my blood test results, on the eve

of my next (now monthly) visit with the endocrinologist. I read Kims' post

(below) and noticed that your lab results Kim, are very similar to mine...

we seem to be at the same stage of the game (ignoring my neutrophil stuff).

I really don't think you'll get thyroid storm if you are taking ATDs... are

you still on beta blockers? Are you still getting racing heart?

I am guessing that this is a pattern then, that your FT4 drops before your

FT3 in response to your ATDs?

I had these blood tests taken last week. I have been feeling tired and (as

I frequently complain here) have gained a lot of weight. I thought I would

be fully hypo by now on my 60mg of Carbimazole per day, but my blood test

results show that my thyroid is slowly moving through hyper to normal and on

to hypo.

These are the thyroid results:

2nd March 2001:

FT3 4.7 (3.5-6.5) NORMAL

FT4 *9 (10-20) LOW (hypo?)

TSH *0.01 (0.35-5.00) LOW (hyper?)

The comment below these results is “consistent with treated hyperthyroidism”

Previous blood test results:

31st January 2001

FT3 6 (3.5-6.5) NORMAL

FT4 17(10-20) NORMAL

TSH (undetectable) LOW

02/01/01

FT3 *10.9 (2.5-7.2) HIGH

FT4 *30.7 (8.0-24.0) HIGH

TSH <0.01 LOW

I am guessing that my endocrinologist will want to keep me on the full dose

of Carbimazole because I have not yet gone fully hypo and she hinted last

time that this is what she was aiming for - she seems to want to see some

TSH before she will adjust my dose.

My opinion is as follows: I think that where I am now is “hypo” enough…

My FT3 is within normal range (hooray!!) and I think I’m right in believing

that to be the most active hormone (???) and the one that will be most

responsible for making me feel how I feel. I would prefer it if I could

manipulate my dose to maintain some level of “normal” for that result in

particular.

My FT4 is below range, so my FT3 is presumably due to drop some more even if

I do drop my 60mgs down a bit as the FT4 is what my body is going to be

making FT3 out of. (Am I oversimplifying that too much??)

My TSH is still undetectable which is a bit of a worry as it’s been a while

– thought it might just be lifting a little by now. I know TSH can lag well

behind the FT4 and FT3 by a month or two and think this is what is still

happening??

However.. the idea that ATDs give the thyroid gland a chance to rest nags at

me, maybe I should just go hypo and rest my weary neck!!?

I’m not sure what to do, whether to accept what she says and just carry on

with the high dose, (assuming that’s what she does say) or try jiggling the

dose myself - my sore throat would probably tell me when I go the dose

right!

I KNOW 's really on to something here with the Copper as it does make me

feel better really quick. I'm such a wuss though... all my digestive

problems from pre-diagnosis " hell year " have returned and I am very wary of

fiddling around with supplements as my stomach is so sore and bloating all

the time anyway. I will get onto it though, just gently gently add in more

supps. Considering trying CHINESE HERBS to address digestive problem...

anyone else tried this?

The other thing I will mention to my endo is this complication with my

NEUTROPHILS…

I have had a sore throat since last time I saw the endo… Sure enough my FBC

shows my neutrophil count has dropped back down again – here are the

results:

2nd March 2001

Neutrophils: 1.6 (2.0-7.5)

WBC count: 303 (4.0-11.0) comment: “mild neutropenia”.

For comparison here are previous neutrophil results:

31/01/01 2.30 (2.0-7.5) (at this point, my Carbimazole was upped from 40

to 60mg per day.)

02/01/01 2.30 (2.0-7.5)

30/11/00 *1.7 (2.0-7.5)

Prior to this I had a low neutrophil count since December 1999, which was

probably due to Graves’ disease, but nobody medical seems particularly

interested in this fact. I am quite concerned that I have had low

neutrophils for so long...not sure it should worry me so much?

In this instance, I think it’s possible the Carbimazole dose might be just

too high for me. My neutrophil count was (briefly) normal when I was on

40mg of Carbimazole a day; it’s dropped since I started taking 60mg/day.

My endo says that we don’t react to ATDs according to the dosage; it’s an

outright reaction to the thing itself so the dose doesn’t matter. Maybe

that’s true of total agranulocytosis, but I definitely get a chronic sore

throat on higher doses of Carbimazole and not on lower doses of it, unless

the sore throat is caused by something entirely unrelated and has only a

coincidental relationship to my Carbimazole dose.

The other possibility is that my neutrophil fluctuations are related to my

spleen… my “digestive” upper left quadrant pain disappeared when my

neutrophil count was normal – now it’s back again - can a low neutrophil

count indicate a crook spleen? I know the spleen is important for the

immmune system - it could just be coincidence I guess.

WOW, this is far too long for an email – apologies, it all seemed relevant…

I’ll send it anyway and hope you all skim read the guts of it and let me

know what anyone thinks!

Thanks in advance for any help…

DAWN ROSE

>From: palomino03@...

>Reply-hyperthyroidism

>hyperthyroidism

>Subject: Re:

>Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 21:14:03 EST

>

>Hi Kim,

>    Even though your T4 is low, your T3 is still on the high side of normal

>and means that you're still hyper. Your thyroid production of T4 has slowed

>but still not enough to lower your T3. My interpretation of this is that

>your

>T3 isn't getting broken down properly, so it is persisting at high levels

>in

>your body. Your thyroid is doing a good job of lowering TSH and T4

>production

>but it's not enough to compensate. I believe that copper is the essential

>metal to form the enzyme that breaks down T3 and that once you correct the

>copper deficiency, T3 will go down enough so that T4 and TSH production can

>be resumed. However, you'll probably swing hypo for awhile. That's when you

>need to increase iron and the other minerals to help your thyroid get back

>up

>to normal production.

>    I wouldn't take any kelp or extra iodine until you've been taking

>copper

>for a few weeks.

>

>In a message dated 3/4/2001 4:21:23 PM Pacific Standard Time,

>palomino03@... writes:

>

><< ,  I was just cut down to 10 mg of Tapazole.  My labs are as follows

>:

>

>T3    1.4                                               range 0.6 - 1.8

>

>T4          out of range  4.2                 range 4.5 - 12.0

>

>FT4         out of range  0.4                range    0.8 -  1.8

>

>TSH         0.01                                  range         0.4 - 6.0

>

>

>What vitamins do you think I should take now?  I have Graves disease.  I

>was

>very hyper  (started on 20 mg of Tapazole), then the meds flipped me to

>hypo

>(so they lowered me to 10 mg of Tapazole),

>then I went back to hyper so they upped me to 15 mg of Tapazole and now I'm

>back down to 10 mg of Tapazole.  

>

>I have taken the vitamins you recommended but am mixed up about what to

>take

>and how much since I'm now hypo.   I have gained from 114 to 143 pounds and

>feel miserable..  thanks for any help!   The herbalist I went to

>recommended

>me taking several things including a formula that has Kelp in it.  Could

>this

>make me have a thyroid storm?  thanks  Kim     >>

>

>

>, All of the doctors said I was hypo now instead of hyper.. they

>lowered my tapazole because they said I was hypo. Do you think I should

>not

>have lowered it? I don't want to have a thyroid storm..thanks Kim

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