Thyroid Test Results Scale

[BiFen]

I am a asian living in central Europe. I got sick a bit often lately, so my doctor decided to give me a full blood test.
In general, she said the results look ok. Only that my S-aTPO is high and she sent me for an ultrasound, the result of which shows nothing of immediate concerns. Though the doctor ask me to come back for a follow-up checkup in 6 months.

I feel cold easily, especially my feet and hands are just like ice packs most of the time. I guess I have a bit low blood pressure.  I usually feel sleepy very very easily when the temperature drops.  I'm struggling to maintain my weight, though it's been 49 to 52 kgs in the past few years. I feel I gain weight easily; but I also know that if I cut down pastries and add a bit of exercise, i usually manage to feel light again.  Apart from work stress, I'm usually positive and happy. Friends do feel that I have so much energy, though I do sometimes feel tired especially when the weather is a bit cool.

My blood results are in rather different units. : I'd love to understand them . Would anyone suggest me how  they look. Do they tell that I am having some problems or I have a chance to develop problems in the future?
I'm pretty worried, especially my S-aTPO (264.1 +kIU/l) seems to be extremely high when compared to the suggested normal range of 5-34.

here they are:
Ca-ioniz    1.11  mmol/l
akt.pH      7.44
S-CRP    <5 mg/l
S-TSH     4.295   mIU/l
S-fT3       4.58   pmol/l
S-fT4      11.96   pmol/l

S-aTPO   264.10  +  kIU/l

Thank you so much!!
bifen

[gimel]

Hashi's is not curable, but the effects can be minimized with proper treatment.  Most important is medication as necessary to relieve symptoms.  From your symptoms and your FT3 and FT4 levels I think it is already giving you problems.  I think you would benefit from starting on meds, probably 25-50 mcg of a T4 med, and then retest after 6-8 weeks.   Some people also report benefits from taking selenium.  And of course exercise is good for both physical and mental well being.  

[BiFen]

Thank you so much for your explanation. I have done a lot of reading and secretly hope that there will some articles writing that this is a curable issue.  I haven't been too lucky.


Apart from starting the early treatment, do you think exercise or some kind of special diet will help?   The scary things now is that whenever I start feeling moody and depressed, I start thinking it might be because of this. But in fact, i could have just happened because of stress from work and pressure at home or something.  How would I know that it starts giving me problems?  

thank you so much

[gimel]

That TPO test indicates some type of chronic thyroiditis.  Given that result and your other thyroid test results and your symptoms, it is likely that you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is the most commonly occurring thyroid problem.   With Hashi's your autoimmune system produces antibodies that attack your thyroid, until over a long period of time the thyroid glands are destroyed and you need thyroid meds to compensate for the loss of natural thyroid.

There are several schools of thought about treatment of Hashi's.  One is to let the disease go for a while and then start with medication.  Another approach is to start earlier by compensating for the loss of natural thyroid production by prescribing meds as necessary to keep the levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones FT3 and FT4 high enough to relief symptoms.  I'm not sure which approach your doctor intends to follow but I don't understand why the doctor thought there was nothing of immediate concern and just come back in 6 months.  I doubt the doctor would have felt the same if he were suffering with your symptoms.  

It is good that at least you were checked for FT3 and FT4.  Those tests are more important than TSH.  FT3 is four times as active as FT4, plus FT3 correlates best with hypo symptoms such as many of yours.  If I were you I would get back with the doctor right away and mention that your FT4 is too low and your FT3 is also low, even though it is within the range.  Many members here report that symptom relief for them required that FT3 was adjusted into the upper part of its range and FT4 was adjusted to at least the midpoint of its range.  Just being anywhere within the range is inadequate.  You need the Frees to be high enough to relieve symptoms.  Symptom relief is all important.  

In my opinion the very best way to treat a thyroid patient is to test and adjust the levels of the actual biologically active thyroid hormones, free T3 and free T4, with whatever type of medication is necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  If your doctor has a problem with this approach you may need to find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.  I also suggest that you do some reading about Hashi's, so that you understand what you will be going through and things that you can do to help yourself.  For example, members report some benefit to taking selenium as a supplement.  Anyway there is lots of material on the Forum about Hashi's and you can benefit by reading through some of them.  Please let us know how it goes with your doctor.

[BiFen]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply and sorry for not having got back earlier.  Here are the reference ranges (in the brackets)

Ca-ioniz    1.11  mmol/l    (1.1 - 1.3)
akt.pH      7.44                (7.35 - 7.45)
S-CRP    less than 5 mg/l             (0 - 5)
S-TSH     4.295   mIU/l     (0.50 - 5.00)
S-fT3       4.58   pmol/l      (3.5 - 6.5)
S-fT4      11.96   pmol/l      (female: 12.0 - 22)

S-aTPO   264.10  +  kIU/l    (5 - 34)  ===> this is the one of the biggest concern :(

I'd really appreciate any comments.  Thank you so much!
naiyana

[BiFen]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply and sorry for not having got back earlier.  Here are the reference ranges (in the brackets)

Ca-ioniz    1.11  mmol/l    (1.1 - 1.3)
akt.pH      7.44                (7.35 - 7.45)
S-CRP     this is the one of the biggest concern :(

I'd really appreciate any comments.  Thank you so much!
naiyana

[BiFen]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply and sorry for not having got back earlier.  Here are the reference ranges (in the brackets)

Ca-ioniz    1.11  mmol/l    (1.1 - 1.3)
akt.pH      7.44                (7.35 - 7.45)
S-CRP     this is the one of the biggest concern :(

I'd really appreciate any comments.  Thank you so much!
naiyana

[gimel]

Please post the reference ranges for those tests.  Test results can vary from lab to lab, so the labs establish appropriate reference ranges.  In order to assess your status, we need to compare your results to the lab's ranges.