Test results

[astunally]

Hello  all,
just got my blood results back and would like to k ow what you think as I'm still not that good at reading them
personally Iam feeling very well these days .The person who took y blood said there was really no need for the FT 3 test but I told her do it any way. looks like my B12 is ok to,

Here they are :
FT3.  4.00. Pmol/ml.          Range 2.8 - 7.1

FT4.  12.00 pmol/ml.          Range 12- 22

TSH. 8.50 pmol/ml.            Range 0.27- 4.2 mlU/MI

Vitamin B12.      313.00.     Range 176-1100

Thanks in advance for any input  

Sandra

[astunally]

Thanks , good to hear from you , stress is a bit hard to avoid at the moment living over here , but I guess I'm going to have to try and calm down :)

[goolarra]

I guess I'm a little late to the party!  LOL

I agree with the advice you've been given.  Your FT3 is well up into the range, so it might be time to take a breather and give everything another 4-6 weeks to settle.

My endo says that stress is the #1 factor in autoimmune disaease onset/exacerbation/relapse.  Another reason to give it a little time...

[astunally]

Thank you Barb, for the aches and pains , I have had it for a while now and havent really done anything different then normal, plus some times my chest hurts, I will give my meds a bit more time, I guess another 6 weeks and see how I feel .
Have had a lot of stress here though , I suppose it all takes it toll.
thanks again  

[Barb135]

Yes, it's true that once you have one autoimmune, chances of getting another are greater.  

The only way you can know is to treat the one you have and if symptoms remain, start looking for something else.

Some people find that changing diet helps; for others it makes no difference.  I don't know if it's been scientifically proven or not, but I've read that people with asthma may be  more prone to food allergies.  

Personally, I think we can drive ourselves crazy with some of this.  It could be that you simply have to give your thyroid med a chance to work, or that you have  a little age-related arthritis, or the menopause could be causing some symptoms.  All the hormones in our body have to work together and if they don't.

Have you been doing anything different, as far as exercise, work, etc that might cause muscle aches?  I had severe aches yesterday, but I know it's because I walked 2.5 miles at a very brisk pace, on Tue afternoon, then turned around and did the same thing yesterday morning, without giving my muscles time to fully recover.  I've even had muscle aches/pains doing household or yard chores that I haven't done in a while, as I'm using different sets of muscles.

You don't need your lymphocytes to be any higher; they're already elevated and trying to do what they're supposed to do - fight inflammation. More important is try to get the inflammation under control.  Ask your doctor about taking some type of OTC pain reliever, such as aspirin, Tylenol, etc.  I use Aleve, but I don't know what you have available in your country.

[astunally]

I haven't had reproductive hormones tested recently, but I agree, I believe the hot flushes are because of menopause.

I have read that because I have 1 auto immune disease i could develop more. Is there any way to know if I have another one ?

This last month I have had lot of muscle aches which I never had before, aching joints as well . I became worried that I might have something else, and not know as I have been putting every symptom down to Hashimotos now.

Is there any way I can get my lymphocytes higher ?

Thank you for your valued advice .

[Barb135]

I, personally, would probably stay at the 75 mcg for the time being, unless you develop a lot of hypo symptoms.  Sometimes, even when hormone levels are at a good point, it still takes time for your body to get well.  Being hypo is an illness that you have to recover from, just like any other.  Give yourself time.

Hashimoto's can cause chronic inflammation, as can other things. Your asthma would cause inflammation, as would your carpal tunnel.  Your hot flushes may be a symptom of menopause, not thyroid.  Have you had reproductive hormones tested?

[astunally]

Thanks Barb,
So I should stay on 75mg and test again after 4 to 6 weeks , when you ssay chronic inflammation, do you mean from Hashi's or maybe something else , I might go and take a full blood test to done CBC but there are other tests i used to do which tends toward inflammation, but I never found out of what. I have asthma which has been worst lately as well, but it always is this time of the year.

Need to be a detective these days to know whats wrong, thank god for you all on here , such great support :)

[Barb135]

Your hemoglobin is below range; since your B-12 is up nicely, I'd say you don't have PA.  You should ask your doctor to test ferritin and an iron panel, since it appears that you might be a bit anemic, but low hemoglobin can also be associated with hypothyroidism.

Lymphocytes help fight off diseases;  they can be present for a number of reasons, one of them being chronic inflammation such as one would find with an autoimmune disease.  You have Hashimoto's, so it's possible that there's increased autoimmune activity.

Your FT3 jumped up pretty quickly, this time.  At your last testing, it was at only 32% of the range, now it's 66%.  You should be very careful about increasing med, in case you're getting ready to make a swing to hyper.

[astunally]

I still have my carpal tunnel and sensitive to cold, also hot flushes. Aches and pains in my joints and muscles  and tiredness. One day I had flashing lights at the sides of my vision but seemed to be a one off, also I get a bit light headed some times. But I do believe am starting slowly to feel better, but I have Hashimoto's so Im afraid I won't be able to keep my levels stable.

My hemoglobin is 11.4   range 11.6 - 16.5 which is quiet good I think

[flyingfool]

You say your health has not improved. What are you still feeling?  what symptoms are you having?

Your B-12, seems pretty good.

Your Ft4 is at 42% of the range which is a little below the rule of thumb of 50%.

But your FT3 which is what your body's cells only use is at 66% which is right at the rule of thumb of top 1/3 of the range (66%)

Being only on the T4 medicine for 4 weeks it has not yet fully stabilized in your blood stream.

Your hematocrit is slightly BELOW range. Which from my understanding would indicate you may be a bit anemic.  Have you been tested for iron and ferritin?

[astunally]

Hello again Goolarra,
Once again I have taken blood tests which I would be grateful for your input , I all took cbc and B12 , B12 is much higher now Im happy to say 932.93  range 176-1100

I have been taking 75mg for the last month but haven't really improved health wise, I still have my carpal tunnel and sensitive to cold, also hot flushes. Aches and pains and tiredness. I was wondering if I could increase my meds a little more . Here are my results,

FT3    5.64  range 2.8 - 7.1
FT4   16.2   range 12 - 22
TSH  1.32   range 0.27 - 4.2

Plus I have something in my CBC results which i don't understand, was wondering if you knew.

Hematocrit 35.2   range 36 - 46
Lymphocytes  51%      3131 /mm3     range 20 -40

Iam still looking for a good doctor , very differcult at present and many things happening here. Thank you for your help ,
Sandra

[astunally]

Thank you for making me understand , it really helps, you have all been very helpful in helping me understand what is happening to me, looking back now, I think I have properly had it for a while without knowing.
all the best
Sandra

[flyingfool]

T4 meds take up to 6 weeks to stabilize in the blood. So you may have to wait longer than a few weeks for symptom relief. And even that new dosage may not be enough and you MAY need another increase.  Every one is different and with thyroid slow but steady is the best way to go about this. But it can be very frustrating or requires a lot of perseverence.

understand that Hashi's is progressive.  That means that it will continue to keep on reducing your thyroid gland from producing hormone until a point that it cannot produce anymore. This rate of degradation is different for everyone. But you have to know that this will mean that you will need to be tested regularly every 6 weeks to 6 months to make sure your dosage of medication keeps up with the reduced output of your thyroid gland.  So just because you get optimized, doesn't mean that you will stay there forever.  In fact unless your thyroid is already dead you can almost count on the fact that your dosage will need to be upped over time.  How soon and how much is different for each person.

[astunally]

Thank you so much for all  your advice, it looks like I could have had Hashimotos for a while then from what I understand , I was going to go for an operation for carpal tunnel as the doctor said it wasn't to do with my illness .
Now I will wait an see how I feel after a few more weeks and get tested again.

Is there anything I can take to reduce the hot flushes ?  I'm staying off caffeine but they are still quiet a problem. I also get like my heart beat slows down or like flutters, slowly, from what I have read ,it seems everything are symptoms of hypo , as I have had heart tests in the past and everything has been good.

It makes me wonder if anything else is wrong , and don't know what it is.
Thank you all agin, I will post my test results when I do get them after a few more weeks.

[flyingfool]

You now have two separate testimonies that carpal tunnel IS or at least can be associated with Hypo thyroid.

Joint pain is also common for people who are low thyroid.  So is planters faciatis (foot pain).

Slight increase in dosage may be in order.  At least worth a try.  Other people have had success at least partially at relieving their carpal tunnel and joint pain symptoms just by getting Thyroid levels balanced out.

[gimel]

Your Free T3 level is too low in the range if still having hypo symptoms.  Carpal tunnel is definitely an occasional symptom of being hypothyroid.  During a period when Armour Thyroid was not available, I was trying to get by with mostly Synthroid.  My Free T3 got too low and I ended up being hypo again.  During that time I got carpal tunnel problem.  At first I blamed it on doing too much typing on the Forum.  As soon as Armour was available again and I got my Free T3 back up in the high end of the range, the carpal tunnel went away.

[goolarra]

I agree that it's too early to retest.  It takes 4-6 weeks for a dose change to reach its full potential in your blood.  So, your levels are still building.

I had carpal tunnel really bad before I started meds.  It can take a while to resolve.

No, it's impossible for your doctor to know when you developed Hashi's.  Sometimes it takes years, or even decades, for the antibodies to do enough damage to make you hypo, and sometimes it only takes a few months.

If you are still losing thyroid function, which you probably are, i.e. your thyroid isn't "dead" yet, your meds increases are going to have to keep up with the loss of function.  Give it a couple more weeks and retest.  Once your levels are really good (for you), it still might take some time for the CTS to heal.

[astunally]

My blood results;

T3 FREE   4.20             RANGE 2.8 - 7.1
T4 FREE   15.3             RANGE 12 - 22
TSH           3.64            RANGE 0.27 - 4.2

The doctor told me that my carpal tunnel was not because of my thyroid, and that I had it from before. Is it possible for her to know when I developed Hashimoto's ?

Thanks for advice.

forgot to say I have been on thyro for since April , started at 50mg and have been increasing slowly as at the beginning I became slightly hypo .

[astunally]

forgot to say I have been on thyro for since April , started at 50mg and have been increasing slowly as at the beginning I became slightly hypo .

[astunally]

My blood results;

T3 FREE   4.20             RANGE 2.8 - 7.1
T4 FREE   15.3             RANGE 12 - 22
TSH           3.64            RANGE 0.27 - 4.2

The doctor told me that my carpal tunnel was not because of my thyroid, and that I had it from before. Is it possible for her to know when I developed Hashimoto's ?

Thanks for advice.

[flyingfool]

Wati longer. Two weeeks is not long enough to settle anything out.

Carpal tunnel is a symptom of low thyroid. So it may get better as you optimized your thyroid level. No gurantees but I'd hold off on a surgery it you even have a small chance to solve the issue without surgery.

What are your thyroid levels. That is Free T4 and Free T3?

[astunally]

Hello again, I was wondering if how I feel is to do with Hashimotos or maybe I should get myself checked out for something else.
I think I am going to need an operation for carpal tunnel syndrome , this last month every joint in my body seems to ache , my hands are getting very painful these days, and also my arms, I wake up in the night because of this. I am now on 75mg of Thyro which I've been taking for about 2 weeks now .
Any advice would be appreicated ,
Sandra

[astunally]

Thank you very much for your reply, thats also what i was thinking concedering I feel so bad at the moment , much appreicated
Sandra

[goolarra]

Your labs look "ok", but not great, and there certainly is room for improvement (and an increase).

FT4 is at 33% of range, and the rule of thumb for FT4 is 50%.  So you have a way to go there.  

FT3 is also at 33% of range, and many of us find that FT3 has to be in the upper half of the range before all hypo symptoms are relieved.

It's hard to draw any conclusions about how well you convert until FT4 is close to midrange.  Right now, your balance of FT4 to FT3 isn't bad (technically FT3 should be a higher percent of its range than FT4 is of its, and yours are equal).  However, with FT4 still below 50%, I'd give that some time and see how it falls out.

If I were you, I think I'd ask my doctor for a modest increase...perhaps to 75 mcg.  Your TSH is a little high compared to the range that was recommended over 10 years ago by AACE (0.3-3.0).  Everything points to your needing more meds.