Re: Blood test results - help please!!

[Guest guest]

hello colleen

>C Reactive Protein 13 (<6) said Abnormal !!

>Ferritin 483 (15-300)

the crp being raised is indicative of inflammation somewhere in your body and

the high ferritin is possibly to do with inflammation as well but it would be

wise to see what your doctor suggests in this regard, long term too high iron

stores are not good for us. i don't know if the elevated crp is related to the

raised antibodies/thyroiditis.

> Folate 21.3 (2.0-14.5)

do you supplement with folic acid? there is an interaction between folic acid

and vit b12 and high folate can mask a b12 deficiency i believe...however your

b12 seems ok.

>On looking through records at GP surgery I noted that when first diagnosed

hypo, it says thryoid peroxidase antibod lev >1000 - TSH 6.3 and T4 17.9, TSH

8.2 and T4 18.3. Any idea what that means please??

the high antibody level means you have hashimoto's thryroiditis. apparently

most people feel well with a tsh of 1 so both your high tsh readings indicate

the pituitary recognises there was not enough thyroid hormone in the blood. are

the t4 readings total t4 or free t4? reference ranges would be needed for

interpretation.

low vit d3 will stop thyroid hormone being absorbed by the cells in your body

and brain and this will apply whether you are using thyroxine, ndt or t3. vit

d, calcium, magnesium and vit k2 all work together so a shortage of one can

effect the way the rest are utilised. as vit d is a fat soluble vitamin it

helps to take your supplement with some fat/oil.

trish

>

> Hi.

> Finally got my results from doctors and hopefully someone will be able to tell

me that they are not " normal " - even though some have been classed as abnormal

the doctors surgery has not bothered telling me! I am sure this is not the

first time you have heard this either.

> TSH 0.24 (0.2- 5)

> Free T4 15.8 (10.0-19.0)

> Free T3 4.2 (no ref range but when 3.3 was abnormal) (old result from 2009 but

other results roughly the same).

> C Reactive Protein 13 (<6) said Abnormal !!

> Vit D 33 - even I know now that it is low, although it was 16 last year -

have been taking supplements for a few months now.

> Ferritin 483 (15-300)

> Folate 21.3 (2.0-14.5)

> B12 584 (190-900)

[Guest guest]

Hi Trish

Thanks for replying and advice. All these years my GP never called it Hashi's -

just underactive thyroid! Now I know at last.

I had a few bad weeks just before last blood test (I have severe arthritis) and

was off meds for a few months so it seems that may account for high levels of

CRP, ferritin etc ?? Am on new meds (injections of Humira) so that has helped a

lot and not feeling too bad now (apart from cold, brain fog, etc. etc.!). I am

taking vit D supplement 2000 daily and 2 calcichew (which is another 800 vit D)

is that enough do you think to raise levels quickly or do I need more? I dont

take folic acid supplements. As for T4 - old record and it just said T4

-nothing else.

All my GP would do for the last test was TSH 0.24 (0.2- 5)

and free T4 15.8 (10.0-19.0). I did try and talk to him about T3 but he kept

on about " murky waters here " and " people making money " !! I find it difficult to

understand these figures at the moment and what end of the range I should be on

any of them.

As I still do not feel anywhere near normal I am very tempted to try NDT - or do

I wait until I have raised my Vit D level to see if that makes a difference.

Any suggestions would be most gratefully received - please!!

Thanks so much.

Colleen

<fielddot@...> wrote:

>

>

>

> hello colleen

>

> >C Reactive Protein 13 (<6) said Abnormal !!

> >Ferritin 483 (15-300)

[Guest guest]

Hi colleen, with a high peroxidase count your thyroid is being slowly destroyed by these autoantibodies. Despite blood tests being in the 'normal' range you can still feel awful, it can take a higher dose of thyroid hormones to allevialte symptoms in such cases. If you have not seen an endocrinologist then ask for areferral to one of your choiice- Sheila has a list of some who have been helpful to forum members. I suggest that you write to your doc as docs seems to take letters more seriously than a face to face conversation. list your symptoms and waking temperature for several mornings- it may be low if you are undermedicated. I would also query that high ferritin result as haemocromatisis ( high iron) can give hypothyroid like symptoms- do a google to find out more about this. > thyroid treatment > From: colleenmaclaren@...> Date: Tue, 3 May 2011 22:18:34 +0000> Subject: Blood test results - help please!!> > Hi.> TSH 0.24 (0.2- 5)> Free T4 15.8 (10.0-19.0)> Free T3 4.2 (no ref range but when 3.3 was abnormal) (old result from 2009 but other results roughly the same). > C Reactive Protein 13 (<6) said Abnormal !!> Vit D 33 - even I know now that it is low, although it was 16 last year - have been taking supplements for a few months now.> Ferritin 483 (15-300)> Folate 21.3 (2.0-14.5)> B12 584 (190-900)> On looking through records at GP surgery I noted that when first diagnosed hypo, it says thryoid peroxidase antibod lev >1000 - TSH 6.3 and T4 17.9, TSH 8.2 and T4 18.3. Any idea what that means please??> I got hold of a copy of my medical history which is how I found out all the above.> Thank you.> Colleen xx > > > > ------------------------------------> > TPA is not medically qualified. Consult with a qualified medical practitioner before changing medication.> >

[Guest guest]

Hi colleen, TSH tells the thyroid to produce thyroid hormone-the thyroid should produce 90% T4 and 10% T3( and a few other bits), replacing a failing thyroid ( usually a high TSH) with only T4 is fine if you can convert the T4 to T3- some of us have problems doing this and if TSH FT4 and FT3 are not all tested this will never be discovered. T4 is a storage prohormone which has very little direct activity- it has to convert to T3 to do it's job. I would suggest that you either test T3 privately- see files or ask for a referral to an endo. > thyroid treatment > From: colleenmaclaren@...> Date: Wed, 4 May 2011 22:16:37 +0000> Subject: Re: Blood test results - help please!!> > Hi Trish> Thanks for replying and advice. All these years my GP never called it Hashi's - just underactive thyroid! Now I know at last. > I had a few bad weeks just before last blood test (I have severe arthritis) and was off meds for a few months so it seems that may account for high levels of CRP, ferritin etc ?? Am on new meds (injections of Humira) so that has helped a lot and not feeling too bad now (apart from cold, brain fog, etc. etc.!). I am taking vit D supplement 2000 daily and 2 calcichew (which is another 800 vit D) is that enough do you think to raise levels quickly or do I need more? I dont take folic acid supplements. As for T4 - old record and it just said T4 -nothing else. > All my GP would do for the last test was TSH 0.24 (0.2- 5)> and free T4 15.8 (10.0-19.0). I did try and talk to him about T3 but he kept on about "murky waters here" and "people making money"!! I find it difficult to understand these figures at the moment and what end of the range I should be on any of them. > As I still do not feel anywhere near normal I am very tempted to try NDT - or do I wait until I have raised my Vit D level to see if that makes a difference.> Any suggestions would be most gratefully received - please!!> Thanks so much.> Colleen> > <fielddot@...> wrote:> >> > > > > > hello colleen> > > > >C Reactive Protein 13 (<6) said Abnormal !!> > >Ferritin 483 (15-300)> > > > > ------------------------------------> > TPA is not medically qualified. Consult with a qualified medical practitioner before changing medication.> >

[Guest guest]

If your thyroid doesn't work or you have no thyroid, why do you need TSH?

[Guest guest]

Hi Colleen, if your

GP is doing nothing to help you regain your normal health, then really, you are

left with no option but to take your thyroid health into your own hands. It is

obvious he is unable to help you as he knows little to nothing about hypothyroidism.

First, write him a

letter and tell him that you are no longer prepared to sit back and do nothing

when you have continuing symptoms of hypothyroidism and tell him that the thyroid

antibodies are gradually destroying your thyroid tissue and as such, the gland

is unable to secrete the amount of thyroid hormone it should in a 'normal'

situation. Tell him that you are aware that some endocrinologists will give a

trial of thyroid hormone replacement to their patients who's hypothyroidism is

caused through Hashimoto's disease.

Tell him that when

people are on the right thyroid hormone replacement their body requires (not

necessarily T4-only) but a combination of T4 and T3, T3 alone or natural

thyroid extract and such a therapy returns patients to their optimal health, so

doctors are not dishing out tons of unnecessary prescriptions for each

individual symptom.

Tell y our GP you

need a FULL thyroid function test which should include free T3 to see whether

this is low or not. Ask him also to test your levels of B12, magnesium, folate,

copper and zinc and to let you have the results when these come back, together

with the reference range for each of the tests done. Should any of these be low

in the range, no amount of thyroid hormone can get properly utilised at the

cellular level.

Ask your GP for a

referral to an endocrinologist of your choice (I will send you a list of our

doctors who will prescribe other hormones apart from T4-alone).

Last, ask for this

letter of requests to be placed into your medical notes and send a copy to the

head of practice and keep a copy yourself.

Luv - Sheila

All my GP would do for the last test was TSH 0.24 (0.2- 5)

and free T4 15.8 (10.0-19.0). I did try and talk to him about T3 but he kept on

about " murky waters here " and " people making money " !! I

find it difficult to understand these figures at the moment and what end of the

range I should be on any of them.

As I still do not feel anywhere near normal I am very tempted to try NDT - or

do I wait until I have raised my Vit D level to see if that makes a difference.

Any suggestions would be most gratefully received - please!!

Thanks so much.

Colleen

<fielddot@...> wrote:

>

>

>

> hello colleen

>

> >C Reactive Protein 13 (<6) said Abnormal !!

> >Ferritin 483 (15-300)

[Guest guest]

>All these years my GP never called it Hashi's - just underactive thyroid!

i don't understand why they don't identify the cause of the hypothyroidism but

it is probably true to say that the treatment is the same regardless ...however

i have heard that in the early stages of hashi's it is possible to reverse the

situation by means of iodine supplementation plus other nutrients.

>I had a few bad weeks just before last blood test (I have severe arthritis) and

was off meds for a few months so it seems that may account for high levels of

CRP, ferritin etc ??

it probably accounts for the raised crp but i don't know about the ferritin ...i

think it would be wise to speak to your doc about that.

i don't know very much about vit d supplementation so i'm afraid i can't answer

your question about whether what you are taking is enough ...something at the

back of my mind niggles that with hashi's it's not necessarily a good thing to

supplement and something else niggles that it is better not to have additional

calcium. i can't remember where i read about these niggles but it was also

something along the lines of the vit d receptors being interferred with rather

than a vit d deficiency per se. sorry not to be ale to provide a reference

....perhaps someone else knows?

going gluten free is recommended for people with hashi's ...don't know if you

are, but that might also help a bit with the arthritis.

best wishes

trish

ps re the high folate reading without supplementation ...presume you eat loads

of leafy greens?

>

> Hi Trish

> Thanks for replying and advice. All these years my GP never called it Hashi's

- just underactive thyroid! Now I know at last.

> I had a few bad weeks just before last blood test (I have severe arthritis)

and was off meds for a few months so it seems that may account for high levels

of CRP, ferritin etc ?? Am on new meds (injections of Humira) so that has

helped a lot and not feeling too bad now (apart from cold, brain fog, etc.

etc.!). I am taking vit D supplement 2000 daily and 2 calcichew (which is

another 800 vit D) is that enough do you think to raise levels quickly or do I

need more?

[Guest guest]

Thanks Trish. Will give the gluten free diet a go I think - certainly cant hurt and maybe it will help. My GP tested my Vit D a couple of years ago after I kept complaining of feeling exhausted etc (usual symptoms) and finally got around to testing for that - it was 16. He was the one that gave me calciium and vit d supplements and told me to get extra Vit D myself as the NHS dont prescribe them. Last year the Vit D test was up to about 40 and he said that was ok. After posting here I found out that I should supplement a lot more so for the last few months have taken another 2000 daily.

Maybe my high folate was something to be do with infection too - I dont eat many leafy greens but lots of fruit so not from that! Will have to go again and argue for more blood tests in a while I think - they dont make it easy do they our GPs??

Thanks again.

Colleen

From: Trish <fielddot@...>thyroid treatment Sent: Sat, 7 May, 2011 14:19:44Subject: Re: Blood test results - help please!!

>All these years my GP never called it Hashi's - just underactive thyroid!i don't understand why they don't identify the cause of the hypothyroidism but it is probably true to say that the treatment is the same regardless ...however i have heard that in the early stages of hashi's it is possible to reverse the situation by means of iodine supplementation plus other nutrients. >I had a few bad weeks just before last blood test (I have severe arthritis) and was off meds for a few months so it seems that may account for high levels of CRP, ferritin etc ??

[Guest guest]

hello again colleen

well done for giving gluten free a try, you may be amazed!

i searched for the source of my vit d niggles and re-found this:

http://www.suite101.com/content/autoimmune-disease-and-the-vitamin-d-connection-\

a117488

Should I Stop Taking Vitamin D Supplements?

The Marshall Protocol researchers certainly think so; but their research is not

yet accepted by the medical establishment as the preferred treatment. The

Marshall Protocol team believe that all forms of supplemental Vitamin D is

converted into more and more 1,25-D, causing increasing receptor problems. Plus

the vitamin D that we eat, and the 25-D that is hydroxylated from that both act

to displace the active metabolite from the VDR.

i am not saying they are right ...i just don't know i'm afraid.

i also went looking for a connection between high folate and infection and came

across information related to intestinal bacterial overgrowth (which produce

folic acid apparently) and malabsorption/conversion of folate so that it is in

your blood rather than elsewhere.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/284723-what-causes-high-folate-serum-levels/

http://www.healthhype.com/high-folate-vitamin-b12-low-anemia-from-bacterial-over\

growth.html

http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/understanding/analytes/vitamin_b12/test.html

although your b12 level seemed to be decent enough, from what i have been

reading it doesn't necessarily mean you are not b12 deficient ...one of the

major symptoms of b12 problems are brain fog/cognition so you could try

supplementing with (for example) solgar's methylcobalmin 1000mcg which is in a

form instantly available for use rather than having to be converted...if you

have impaired intrinsic factor (produced in the stomach) it makes it very

difficult to extract b12 from food or other sources.

regarding eating lots of fruit, just a thought but if the fruit is mainly sweet

types then you may be getting more fructose than you need and that has a whole

cascade of effects...fructose is not metabolised so easily as other sugars but

sugars should be kept to an absolute minimum anyway...what a game eh!

trish

>

> Thanks Trish.   Will give the gluten free diet a go I think - certainly

cant hurt and maybe it will help.   My GP tested my Vit D a couple of years

ago after I kept complaining of feeling exhausted etc (usual symptoms) and

finally got around to testing for that - it was 16.  He was the one that gave

me calciium and vit d supplements and told me to get extra Vit D myself as the

NHS dont prescribe them.  Last year the Vit D test was up to about 40 and he

said that was ok.  After posting here I found out that I should supplement a

lot more so

for the last few months have taken another 2000 daily.