Blood test follow-up-review

[Lotus266012]

Hi I've been told I have autoimmune hypothyroidism and I was on a course of 75mcg thyroxine per day. My doctor has reviewed my case and has given me this feedback:

My TSH has dropped from 22 to 4 since May 2013 and taking the thyroxine as instructed.

My iron stores are low but the blood test shows I am not anaemic. (?)

He has started me on a course of iron tablets and an increased meds dosage of 125mcg thyroxine per day. But he told me he doesn't understand why the TSH has fluctuated between high and low and in such a short space of time.

He'll review my case again in 3 months if everything goes the way it should with the meds, but if he's planning on ordering another blood test 3 months after the next appointment, what is he likely to want to do with me?
I only ask as I've had so much hassle with my last doctor who I've since left (they didn't explain what a high TSH  meant and they kept skirting around the issue when I asked them about it) that I don't want the same thing to happen again.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance. x

[Lotus266012]

Hi Niko, I'm just a night person lol! Fridays and Saturday nights I go to bed as late as I like - boyfriend works Monday to Friday so we take advantage of those two nights!! :))

Yes, I'd like to look into another Iron supplement. I've only taken one of those Ferrous Fumerate ones and they're not nice at all, so thanks for the tip.

Funnily enough I did take a vacation in Tenerife at the start of this year (mum has Multiple Sclerosis so she and my stepdad lease a villa out there.) I felt much better out there. I had a terrible spell of Raynaud's Phenomenon and it made the skin on my toes crack. Two days out in the sun on the villa's roof and it made all better!

Yes, my doctor that I have doesn't remember things that well from what I've learnt within the three appointments held with him. When I had a phone appointment with him he asked me what it was for, but I did explain to the surgery's receptionist when I booked it that it was for a follow-up on the blood tests. So it was fair to say I was more than a bit surprised to be asked what I had asked him to call me up about! Surely they have notes on their system with regards to a description of the call/appointment?

Would I need to ask my doctor to test for cortisol specifically? I'm not sure if it's a routine thing on the NHS or not but if I don't ask I won't get! :)

Thanks

Lotus

[TheLightSeeker]

Hey Lotus, what are you doing up so late, or should I say so early in the morning there?

Ferrous Glysine seems to be better tolerated than other types of iron
if you want to look into that.
As I mentioned before, your adrenals must be normalized, before thyroid treatment, specially your cortisol levels need to be up.
Selenium, magnesium, zinc, iodine are also all necessary for proper thyroid function.
You should consider finding out your levels, to rule out any deficiencies.

Don't concern yourself with weight gain at this point. Just make sure
that you're getting the right treatment for optimum thyroid function, which is easier said than done, I guess. But baby steps in the right direction, is probably the way it might work best for you.

I guess you would be feeling better if you were vacationing in Greece, at some quaint Greek island, with sunny and warm weather every day! lol!

It's a pity that your doctor "forgot" about you taking thyroxine.
Is people's health taken so lightly by their doctor's these days?
I haven't been to a doctor's office in years so I forget what it is like.

Please drop me a line whenever you're up to it.  

Love & Light
Niko

[Lotus266012]

Hi again Niko, thanks for getting back to me.

Oddly enough, the doctor I saw at this appointment had completely forgotten that I was on thyroxine and when I did tell him he came over more surprised about the TSH being at 4. He said it was at the high end of the normal range (as their normal range ends at 4.2)

I'm not too keen on starting my increased meds dose as I'm worried that I'll start to lose weight. I know typical hypo patients are technically overweight but I'm not yet at that stage. I'm slim and petite and I don't want to look like a rake so I'm convinced the thyroxine will do that to me. :(

I am on ferrous fumerate tablets (210mg) and I take one daily. They don't taste very nice however which is off-putting.

I've also sent my surgery a letter about some concerns I had - what they'll do about it I've no idea but I'm hoping it'll get me somewhere.

I haven't thought about a holistic/naturopathic doctor but I'm willing to try anything like that if it'll bring me one step closer as to what's going on with my body. I felt worse today as I don't get on very well in the cold/rain/wind/damp and it got very bad this time around.

Thanks and best wishes

Lotus

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi again Lotus.

A high level of TSH usually indicates low thyroxine level, which points to  hypothyroidism.
Why did he increase your thyroxine,when your TSH is now lower?

Can you see a different doctor or preferably can you find a holistic or naturopathic doctor who knows about thyroid dysfunction?
You should be treated according to your symptoms for this.

As I said before, you may have thyroid hormone resistance at the cellular level, so the blood levels would not matter in such a case.

Low iron is enough to cause low thyroid function.
What iron pills are you on?

It seems that this will take some time to sort out. I simply cannot understand why the medical system is making it almost impossible for so many patients to find resolve with their health challenges.

Please post again soon or message me.

Love & Light
Niko