Re: Newbie: feel hypo but flummoxed by test results. What supplements are in order?

[Guest guest]

Hello and welcome,

God oh Mighty !!! You poor, poor lass L

OK, there are two ways to handle this.... either you go back to your GP and fight for a diagnosis .... tell him that one of the primary reasons Hypothyroidism often goes misdiagnosed is because a person with Hashimoto's can present with a perfectly normal TSH – in fact, with autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's) the TSH can vary wildly, as indeed can the thyroid autoantibodies. Your TFTs are a typical presentation for untreated Hashimoto's. Furthermore, he has only tested TPO, but not TgAB....

You had a TSH of 12.7 in May (was that this year?)..... and you should have been diagnosed and treated on the strength of that result straight away. The GP was negligent to overlook this. I do not understand your comment "as tsh was within range last time the lab did no further levels".... were you referring to the TSH of 12.7?? – because that was anything but normal – that result was a clear positive for Hypothyroidism by anybody's standard.... even that of the RCP and BTA.

To the very best of my knowledge there is no other illness that will elevate the TSH above the ref range other than Hypothyroidism – none ! Sadly, the ref ranges for TSH differ wildly, not only within the UK, but also in other countries. The UK has the worst and highest set TSH ref ranges in the world.... but even by our appalling standards your TSH in May was well above even the highest upper limit, which is 10.

Whilst a "normal" TSH will NOT rule out hypothyroidism, a positive TSH is always diagnostic for hypothyroidism..... so why were you denied a diagnosis and treatment back in May? If your GP is too inexperienced (not to say negligent) to realise that, then he should refer you to an endo of your choice (not his choice).

Go back and speak to your GP – ask him to do a full thyroid panel and autoantibody count again (this time with TPO & TgAB) plus he needs to check Ferritin, Folate, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3.... also ask for a morning cortisol check.

Also ask him to name any illness other than hypothyroidism that in his view might have caused your elevated TSH in May. Don't let him get away with a vague reply or hide behind medical gobbledygook ....(and note the answer down) I would be most interested to hear of one, since I know of none. Thyroid levels (TT4, FT4 and FT3) – yes - various non-thyroidal illnesses can mess with those figures .... but not with the TSH. Whenever any non-thyroidal illness (or NTI for short) elevates or lowers the thyroid levels, the pituitary hormone (the TSH) will stay within the normal range. This is why they made the TSH their "gold standard"- because it's so "wonderfully" stable and unaffected by NTI..... well, they can't have it both ways. Your TSH was 12.7 in May. The fact that it is now "normal" only indicates that you suffer from Hashimoto's disease, which is notorious for wildly fluctuating TSH when untreated.

The second option is to give up on the medical profession and to self-treat. You can buy natural desiccated thyroid hormone without prescription from the US, Canada or Thailand and we are all here to tell you how to do it. Or you could go and see Dr. Peatfield, for instance... You would not be alone. – It is a scandal that we are forced to even consider self treating, but if it's a choice between banging my head against a brick wall or taking the initiative and make myself better, I know what I would do.

I have no idea what is wrong with me now. I suppose i am still anaemic? Iwould appreciate any advice as to what supplements could help get me back to health....

The answer is simple – you are hypothyroid ...... and yes, you need supplements as well. It is also likely that your adrenals are stressed....please do the questionnaire in our files. If your result is high, you might want to do a private salivary adrenal profile... it's always good to know where you stand, but if money were tight, you could just take adrenal support in form of NAX (Nutri Adrenal Extra) anyway.

In any case you will need high Vit C (at least 1000 g per day, but more is better -up to bowel tolerance), CoQ10 (at least 100 mg/day, more is better), and other supplements would depend on your lab results... most likely you'll be deficient in Magnesium, B12 and D3 – but I am only guessing; and please carry on with your iron supplement.

With best wishes,

[Guest guest]

Correction..... it's a typo, I mean of course "at least 1000 mg per day....."

In any case you will need high Vit C (at least 1000 g per day, but more is better -up to bowel tolerance),

Sorry ....

[Guest guest]

Hello

Seems to me you found the right place - I haven't been here long having found

the site the day of Hypothyroid diagnosis - with a TSH of 15.1 the doctor didn't

seem unduly phased and I knew I needed this group! I was lucky enough to go and

see Dr Peatfield - who put me on Nutri Adrenal Extra, Nutri Thyroid CoQ10 and

Vit C. I am definitely feeling better. I also sent my 40 year old daughter to

him as she has had some similar problems and her doctor wanted her to take anti

depressants. She is on NAX and CoQ10 and Vit C and she is also feeling better.

Best of luck - and there is so much info in this group you may need some time to

read it all!

Pippa

>

> Hello all,sorry if this sounds like a newbies rant, but I dont't know who else

to turn to now!

>

[Guest guest]

Dear

It's time to put an end to this and write a letter to your GP, sending

a copy to the Head of Practice and keeping a copy for yourself in case this is

needed at a later date. Start by telling your GP that you are no longer

prepared to have your symptoms and signs ignored and told that because your

thyroid function tests are within the so called 'reference interval' that you

don't have a thyroid problem. If that is the case, then you are entitled to

have any further tests done to find out exactly what IS causing all of y our

symptoms and signs.

Start by listing ALL of the symptoms and signs you have right

now (check these against those in our web site www.tpa-uk.org.uk )'

Next, list all the members of your family who have a thyroid or

autoimmune disease as this can run down the family line.

Next, list your basal temperature taken before you get out of

bed in a morning for four or five mornings if these are 97.8 degrees F (or less)

or 36.6 degrees C (or less). Low temperature is an indication your metabolism

is running too low and could be due to hypothyroidism.

Next, asks for a FULL thyroid function test that must include

TSH, free T4, free T3 and again, tests to see whether you have antibodies to

your thyroid. These are TPO and TgAb. If these were negative before, they might

not be now.

Ask also for the following specific minerals and vitamins to be

tested, because if any of these are low in the reference interval, no amount of

thyroid hormone can be fully utilised at the cellular level - this includes

your own thyroid hormone secretion. These are ferritin, vitamin D3, vitamin

B12, folate, magnesium, copper and zinc. If your GP tries to tell you there is

no association between these specific minerals/vitamins and hypothyroidism,

then print out the attached document that shows just a few references to the

science that shows that there is. Ask for all of these results together with

the reference range for each test done and post them on the forum, so we can

hopefully help with their interpretation.

Next, as your GP is not a thyroid specialist, ask for a referral

for a second opinion to a specialist of your choice (I will send you a list of

recommended doctors privately). You can be referred outside of your area,

particularly if there is no thyroid specialist near to where you live,

and you will find that most NHS endocrinologists specialise in diabetes,

and know very little about the functioning of the thyroid gland.

As mentioned previously, ask for your letter of requests to be

placed into your medical notes. Doctors pay a lot more attention to the written

word than they do to a face to face consultation.

Your haemoglobin is low, as is Serum iron. Ferritin should be

nearer 100 so you should benefit with some form of elemental iron and take high

doses of vitamin C (e.g. 4/5000mgs daily - or to bowel tolerance) to help with

absorption. TSH is FAR TOO HIGH - Ask WHY this was ignored at that time. TSH is

only secreted by the pituitary gland when it recognises that there are too low

a level of T4 and T3 in the blood, and it is secreted to tell the thyroid gland

to start secreting more hormone. Serum Potassium is too low, and this MUST be

supplemented - speak to your GP about this as a matter of urgency. The basophils should remain within the normal range,

generally between 0% and 2%. Some clinicians believe that the absolute

basophil count is more important than the percentage of basophils and should fall

between 0 to 0.3 k/ul. The absolute basophil count is calculated by

multiplying the percentage of basophils (in decimal form) by the total number

of white blood cells. Again, you need to speak to your GP (or endocrinologist)

about this.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism taken

individually ARE non-specific, but when you have 8 of these symptoms or more,

then they ARE specific and should not be ignored. You can only tell whether the

thyroid gland is secreting sufficient quantities of thyroid hormone by testing

blood levels. What these blood tests do not reveal is whether the thyroid

hormone your gland is secreting is actually being properly utilised at the

cellular level. Many of us suffer with peripheral resistance to thyroid hormone

at the cellular level, and this is why it is important to get your Free T4 and

free T3 tested to see whether you are converting the mainly inactive thyroxine

into the active triiodothyronine (T3). It is T3 our body needs to make it

function.

Your latest results show that your free

T4 of 13 is too low. For anybody not taking thyroid hormone replacement, it

should be just above the middle of the reference range, which means it should

really be in the region of 18. TSH looks fine at 1.6 but keep an eye on this.

Doctors should be taking into account your symptoms and signs along with a

thorough clinical examination/family history and not going by serum thyroid

function tests ONLY.

It's time to put your foot down with a

firm hand and let your doctor know that you have had enough, and will now do

whatever is needed to get a proper diagnosis.

Let us know whether this works, and good

luck.

Luv - Sheila

I got a copy this morning (the printout says under reason for request

" query hypothyroid - many symptoms consistent with this " ):

Serum free T4 13 (9.0-25.0)

Serum TSH 1.6 (0.03-5.0)

Thyroid peroxidase antibody level <20 (<60 = negative)

Serum free triiodothyronine 4.8 (3.5-6.5)

In my phone consult with him this morning about this, he reassured me all the

levels were normal, and wished me all the best. He did seem rushed but

apologetic.

I have no idea what is wrong with me now. I suppose i am still anaemic? I would

appreciate any advice as to what supplements could help get me back to health -

i note that you have arranged a big discount with Nutri Ltd - would anything

they offer help? I would say i am tearing my hair out, but having been on iron

tablets for 18 months it's finally growing back in places!

1 of 1 File(s)

LOW MINERALS AND VITAMINS AND THE THYROID CONNECTION.doc

[Guest guest]

MODERATED TO REMOVE MOST OF PREVIOUS MESSAGE ALREADY READ. PLEASE DO DELETE MOST

OF THESE MESSAGE BEFORE CLICKING 'SEND' AND LEAVE JUST A SMALL PORTION OF WHAT

YOU ARE RESPONDING TO. MANY THANKS - LUC, SHEILA.

_______________________________________________________

I feel such a pratt. I incorrectly typed my May 2011 TSH as 12.7, which is in

fact my Haemaglobin count. The REAL TSH for may was 1.3

(my brain cell is fried - i used to be pretty good at proof reading my stuff)!

Looking back the TSH's have been going up though:

2008 = 1.1, May 2011 1.3 & June 2011 1.6

This obviously impacts on all you kind people have said.

>

>

> Hello and welcome,

>

> God oh Mighty !!! You poor, poor lass L

>

> OK, there are two ways to handle this.... either you go back to your GP

> and fight for a diagnosis .... tell him that one of the primary reasons

> Hypothyroidism often goes misdiagnosed is because a person with

> Hashimoto's can present with a perfectly normal TSH – in fact,

> with autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's) the TSH can vary wildly,

> as indeed can the thyroid autoantibodies. Your TFTs are a typical

> presentation for untreated Hashimoto's. Furthermore, he has only

> tested TPO, but not TgAB....

>

>