help just got blood work

[nat649]

Hi I have finalerly got my blood work which I had to pay for as my doctor only goes by TSH please could you help with what they all mean I am on 125mg of levoth and have felt ill for a long tim like 3yr as i have gone up from 25mg levoth over this period well here goes guy any help would be welcomed.

Iron     23.3         umol/L      6.6  -28.3

T.I.B.C 66           umol/l        41 -77
transferrin saturation  35   %
ferritin                          21     UG/L

EDONGRINOLOGY

Thyriod stimulating hormone 1.95  range   027 -42
free thyriod                            12.7   pmol/L 12.0  - 22.0
free t3                                      4.2     pmol/L 3.1  -6.8
Iodine - serum                        *82.5    ug/L    40  -80

Please con you tell me what all thease mean and what i can say when i go back to my doctor thanks for all your help Nat from UK

[goolarra]

I love a boiled egg for breakfast, too.  Taking iodine supplements can be contraindicated with Hashi's, but you should ask your doctor what he thinks of your iodine levels, if it's a concern.  You might try to make some slight adjustments...maybe buy salt that isn't iodized since you seem to get plenty from other sources.

I'd ask your doctor about the iron.  He might just tell you to go to the vitamin shop and buy something over-the-counter, or you could post another question and ask people what they take.

There is nothing that replaces T3.  I know you can order it online, but I've looked at some of the sites selling it and it looks iffy to me.  You never know for sure if you're getting the real thing.  Also, i don't think homeopathy is going to have a lot to offer you.  You're on a full replacement dose of T4, and there's nothing that replaces that, either.  

Once again, the ferritin could be your whole problem at this point.  I think I'd work on getting that up (it takes a while to raiserlevels) and see how you feel then.  

[nat649]

hi there yes i do eat a lot of eggs well about 6 in a week love boiled egg for breaky oh dear should i cut them down. Goolarra do you think i should ask my doctor to treat me for iron or is ther somethink i can take my self the more natrial the better for me and what about t3 is there anythink i can add myself because i dont think he will give me any i will try thanks for all the good advise you are all great on here keep up the good advise i myself would be lost without you all Nat uk

[nat649]

yes as far as i no i still have a thyriod but by what your all saying on here it will die of one day because i have hashimoto sad but true when i feel better after opp mite try and push my doctor to send me homeapathic root so fed up with all the levoth i have never felt right since taking it 3yr ago

[Brucergoldberg]

Do you still have a thyroid?

[goolarra]

Ask your doctor if you should be concerned about your iodine level.  I certainly wouldn't cut all those good foods out altogether...maybe a little moderation, but just a little!  Eggs also have a lot of iodine.

The rule of thumb we use (and it's not for everybody...we all really just have to experiment and see where we individually feel best) is midrange for FT4.  That would be 17 in your lab's range.  As I said, some of us need it even higher than that, some (like me) are pretty happy very low in the range.  

The target for FT3 is upper half of range, so 5.0 on your range minimum.  

As I said, that's not for everybody.  If you felt hyper on 150 mcg, then perhaps you don't need to be so high in the ranges.  All you can do is experiment and see how you feel.

I know it's tough in the U.K. to get T3 meds, but even when a conversion issue isn't apparent (and it's not in your case), sometimes just a little teeny bit of T3 can make you feel better.  

You might work on your ferritin before increasing thyroid meds any more.  Iron is necessary to metabolize thyroid hormones, so maybe fixing that would help you feel a lot better.  

[nat649]

so what should my range be in terms of numbers compaired to mine at the top of the page cant work the numbers out right i am off key sometimes its all my brain fog i get nat uk

[nat649]

thanks for your info i will go to my doctor and see what he says if not will try and get a new one am going in hospital on weds for a pelvic floor lift and a lvt so will be on my back for a few weeks then i will start to look around. No dont eat kelp have salt on food and eat salmon at least once a week like all fish but only eat it 2/3 times in a week love jackets poatoes milk and cheese do you think i should cut them down ot out all togeather. I was on 150mg 6 mounths ago but when my doctor send me to endo about my noduals in my neck he put me down to 125mg and said i dont need that much i did feel a bit hyper so that why i took the meds my self to 137.50 due to still feeling all the symtoms of hypo its seem like i go up and down all the time but endo dont need to see no more and doctor says my THS is in normal range now lol thanks again Nat UK

[goolarra]

It could be dietary.  Seafood contains a lot of iodine, and what it contains apparently varies a lot with where it comes from.  In addition to seafood, potatoes (with skin), milk, cheddar cheese and, of course, iodized salt are other sources.  Do you eat kelp?

Your ferritin needs work, and I think you could increase your thyroid meds, too.  You've been on 137.5 for two months now, so I guess the logical step would be asking your doctor to go to 150 mcg.  Don't discount the low ferritin...symptoms can mimic thyroid symptoms.  

[nat649]

yes i do eat fish about 3 times a week and no i dont really no about the population other than i am near the river thames lol I always take my med in the morning with a pint of water after about 2hr have an actmill then tea and coffee i dont take vit untill 6hr later haha i learn the hard way belly swelling like i was six months gone but my doctor say i have IBS i drink sometimes to but not so much as of late because it make me ill the next day and the labs were done on 137.5 for the last two months i am my wit end and really need some help with all this just to no what action to take would be a great help the only people that really lisen are you guys and thank god i found this site because i would have never known what to do thanks again for all your advise Nat UK

[goolarra]

Is there a dietary reason for your high iodine?  Do you consume a lot of seafood?  Are high levels of iodine in the soil contributing to high iodine levels in the population locally?

I think you'd probably save yourself a lot of trouble if you found a new doctor.  If this one won't even test FT3 and FT4, then he's probably not going to put a lot of stock in the results.  Does he listen?  Do you think he'd actually read anything you brought him?

Do you take your meds first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, with a full glass of water, don't ingest anything for half to one hour after and take all other meds and supplements at least 4 hours away from thyroid meds?  So, these labs were on 137.5 for 2 months???

[nat649]

I have been self med for about 2mths now instead of taking 125mg of levtho i have been taking monday till friday 137.50 then the weekend 125mg just to see if i feel better its helped a bit but still feel all the symtoms just not as bad so what do you all surgest thanks for all your help without you all i would have been lost over here in the uk they all think i am a bit mad lol not yet she says. Nat uk

[nat649]

so what do you all surgest should i increase levtho and what other things can i add to make me feel better what evidence should i go to my doctor with or should i look for someone new I am a bit concern about my iodine but not sure what to do about it or what to take please help thanks again Nat uk

[goolarra]

I agree that your FT4 is WAY too low.  While it's true that a slight drop would put you out of range, considering the target for FT4 (the point at which many of us find we have to get to before symptoms are resolved) is midrange, you are very low indeed.

Your FT3 is also quite low, but the balance of FT4 to FT3 looks quite good, so no conversion problem is apparent at this time.

You need an increase.  Ranges are meant to be the playing field in which you can operate (i.e. as long as your doctor keeps you in range, he shouldn't get sued).  Not everyone is comfortable just anywhere in the range...we all have our own personal comfort range.  Your FT4 has lots of room to go up...why not use it?  Your FT4 and your symptoms make it clear that an increase is in order.

[Red_Star]

Your ferritin is too low in the range so an iron supplement is recommended.  

A good article "Vitamins, Minerals and your Thyroid-what your Doctor may not know" by Tony Pearce..

"Regrettably conformist practitioners still claim a ferritin of 21ug/L is within range and therefore ‘normal’! Just two points below (19ug/L) suggests ‘depleted iron stores’. To take this point further are they proposing a woman with a ferritin of 21ug/L (one point within range) will experience the equal energy and metabolic drive as another whose ferritin is 299ug/L (again one point within range)?" Umm i don't think so! :)

A small drop of 0.8pmol/L and you are into official free T4 deficiency territory. A bit too close to a deficiency state to be feeling great.

Iodine can can aggravate the thyroid and worsen existing conditions. I can't say it would be affecting your thyroid that much with only a very slight increase over the range however.