Anyone any good at understanding blood results ?

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I have hashimoto thyroiditis so I understand the first lot.
TSH 17.84
FREE T4 13.0

The ones I don't that are flagged are...
Haematocrit
! Mean corpuscular volume 78.5
! Mean corpusc 25.6

This lot of bloods were done due to swellings in my ankles.

Are vitamins shown in a fbc?

Thanks.

Mean vol is vol of a red blood cell. Yours seems to be low (iron deficient anemia, major trauma).

Any units on mean corpusc?? Couple of different ways of measuring it.

Iron (HB) usually shown, but not aware of vits being routinely measured

Wow you must feel rubbish :(

Not sure about those results but struggling thyroids can sometimes lower ferritin and (I now know from experience) you really do need a GOOD ferritin level of over 70. Has it been measured?

Thank you both.

I saw a different gp this time and I was expecting a low ferritin and vitamin d I haven't had a ferritin above 8 in the last 2 and 1/2 years. Nothing was mentioned this time that's why I wasn't sure if vitamins were tested with the FBC.

Maybe I should ask for these to be tested again separately? B12 too possibly?

I do feel rubbish but I have done since sept 2012 I was tried on 50mg of thyroxine but it did nothing for me hopefully the 100mg I was prescribed today will help (fingers crossed)

Also I have the opposite of symptoms of hypothyroidism like diarrhea and palpitations is that normal?

The mean corpusc just says 25.6 pg ?

As you've mentioned diarrhoea and low iron are you aware that people with thyroid issues have a higher risk of coeliac disease. Have a look at www.isitcoeliacdisease.org.uk

Thanks tinkerbell
I have had a blood test that was ok for coeliac.

OK. pg is picograms. It's the amount of iron each red blood cell. Yours is low. I'd talk to someone about iron supplements.
Hope you start to feel better soon, but it sounds like your going to be in it for the long haul.

Thanks addicted to sugar I have some ferrous sulphate I will start taking them.

At night I guess as I read they can interfer with levothyroxine.

If you are continuously iron deficient, you will both have a low ferritin and have a low MCV, as being low in iron makes you make slightly small red cells.

So even if you didn't have a ferritin done this time, I'd be 99% certain it would be low and you should be taking your ferrous sulphate.

4 hours apart is fine - I took one ferrous sulphate at lunchtime with a sainsburies berrocca version (no calcium) and one at night with a vit c tablet. Take them with vit c to aid absorption. Thyroxine in the am. Been taking a Holland and b oral spray 3000 iu vit d. (Sometimes x2 as bf) I do think it's really helped, after 3 months, as has getting my ferritin to 130! I've also personally found taking magnesium at night helpful too for aches etc.

However as you say you aren't constipated so there might be other things going on eg coeliac as said below.(I'd be v constipated at that level) but it might mean you struggle to absorb the iron.

My mil had awful tummy issues and weight loss, clear of coeliac but found she was gluten intolerant when she eventually tried elimination diets, if you're found to not be coeliac by official tests, so worth considering. Her stools were very pale and loose.

I do actually get palpitations when under active - possibly stress related. I I've been over medicated and not really had them.

I do hope you feel better soon; it will take a good 2-3 months to get your next bloods, and you should push to get tsh as low in the range as possible, so may need further tweaking. 0.3 is still normal! And we do need to be at that level (unless you feel better higher - not yet met anyone who does!) however then, if you've really been suffering, it could take a further 3-6 months to really feel better, esp as your ferritin etc is catching up. So do be kind to your self and patient. I've been through similar this year and it's taking a long time, but I am getting there.

Sorry missed you'd had coeliac test - could try cutting out to see if it helps. My fil has also found he has a mild intolerance through trying gf supporting mil - and notices when he does it it (flies through him!)

I'm definitely not gluten intolerant, and used to be a bit meh about all the anti gluten ravers till my mils experience!

Taking the two iron tabs separately increases absorption btw, I certainly did get my iron up relatively quickly this way plus the vit c after reading / hearing others experiences.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I might get myself some vit d as it's been low for awhile but according to my gp you can only be treated once on nhs for it

I had a uptake bone scan that showed bone disease most likely to be linked to the low vit D..

Feel like I'm 90 atm, not great as I've four dc to look after and youngest has ADHD so gives me the run around.

Will the swellings go down with the thyroxine my eyes are so puffy as is my neck and ankles are like balloons.

Yes it's called myxoedema, my face and ankles get puffy. It will all take a while to settle though fully, though you might start to feel better in a couple of weeks.

I can thoroughly recommend joining the British thyroid foundation, a charity, I have found their info and magazines invaluable.

Also, please please get the book 'understanding thyroid disorders' by Dr A Toft from Amazon. It's about 5 quid but by the BMA and has excellent advice about suppressing tsh to feel well - which can be extremely helpful to show to a GP if they are resistant to increasing your dose to try to get the lowest tsh within range to feel best. He does say, in the future it's likely that treatment for thyroid will include t3 as well as t4 as this is what we are lacking from the thyroid itself, hence needing full suppression to feel best. You may find 100 isn't enough. I've fine tuned my dosage to 125 / 150 alternate days and finally getting good vit d and ferritin has definitely really helped. If it hasn't I'd have looked into combo t3 t4 but it's worth giving the t4 and best ferritin, vit d, b12, folate etc levels a go.

It does all take time though esp if you've been struggling for a while.

I can't believe that about vit d?! I'm not sure your GP is right.

Definitely ask for advice about this, you sound badly affected.

In most areas you will be prescribed an intensive course of Vit D to get your levels up but be expected to buy your own supplements for maintenance afterwards. So yes, GP is probably right.

Given you can get a year's supply on Amazon for £13 it's not totally unreasonable.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. if you have had bone problems due to vitamin d deficiency , you may not have been advised about suitable doses to put that right.

          The latest thinking , about levels, and dose frequency  ,  from vitamin d researchers ,  is over here on this thread.  Have a good read of it. 

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2421492-Vitimin-D-can-it-have-this-effect

BTBH

Thank you all. Nice to know I'm not alone, although I wouldn't wish this thyroid he'll on anyone.

I will keep on with the thyroxine and get myself sorted with the vitamins and try going gluten free to see if it makes a difference.

No it's shit, and very few people understand or get how subtly shit it can be.

OC health pointed out to me though that I was covered by the disability at work act (in her opinion) as without treatment I would be dead. When I looked at my renewal form for exemption I did realise it's mixed in with quite a serious bunch of conditions - because it is a serious condition. It's less immediately death inducing as diabetes but really, is a similar condition. Due to the less immediacy I feel it's overlooked quite a bit - and it's usually women who just struggle on.

I have wondered if there should be a separate health section on mn for thyroid stuff, but mn towers are probably a bit too taken with other stuff right now!

You are totally right not many people 'get' how rubbish you can actually feel. Not really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel either.

Good point maybe MNHQ can do that once the hacking has been sorted.

As thyroid disease is so common, especially among women, and as there are so many issues surrounding its diagnosis and treatment in the UK, I would be delighted if MNHQ would offer a separate board.

I think this would complement the forums available at www.healthunlocked .com and www.tpa-uk.com

I have been thinking about asking for a separate auto-immune board. . Which I think would include thyroid? It's a big topic and many many women are dealing with these horrible subtle (and eventually not so subtle) symptoms.

Within the forum there would be plenty of space for different threads on vit d, blood results, individual diseases and conditions, diet? What do you think?

I've just been semi diagnosed with an auto immune condition but they're not sure exactly which disease. Involves huge breathing problems, itching, bizarre mix. But meanwhile my thyroid is very slowly increasing, my ferritin is shot, my parathyroid is too high and I have thyroid nodules, one "significant". I have a Rheumatologist, respiratory physician and very busy gp.. But it all takes time and going gf/eating right etc is bloody hard when you feel crap.

A forum would be great.

Lborgia, has your calcium been tested? You mention parathyroid.

Yes I think an autoimmune board would be good - though very widely encompassing? RA, AS etc? Would it also include MS? (Or is there a separate one?) At the same time they often all go hand in hand.

I found health unlocked very helpful indeed.

I know some thyroid people don't rate the British thyroid foundation as they've tended to tie the party line of the bta, but they've changed quite a lot and do support t4/t3 treatment now. I know as I rang a help line and seemingly half the office are on t3. They've had a change in leadership etc and their new medical advisor, I think, is very good. He was a friends endo (she really liked him) and papers by him I've read exploring combo therapy was, I felt good, he supports t4 first and foremost, but emphasises getting 'your ducks in line' (nod to MrsT) with ferritin etc before going down combo route. That's the but that's probably not pushed by the BTF.

My own (new) GP was keen to emphasise 'we' (gps) don't manage thyroid things very well and I think - from my experience over nearly 20 years - I agree. It's woefully inadequate, and also at the nice level imo - excepting for pregnancy, but at the GP/ obs level this is also really inadequate. Said friend above got to 12 weeks recently with no thyroxine raise and felt like crap (also has no parathyroids) - I was really shocked.

It was the btf that gave me all the guidance I needed there (and Radio4) as my local group put on a talk with a guest speaker obstetrician.

I think this is why I'd plump for thyroid only board in a way, but probably being precious!

How does it get requested? Do you mention a mnhq name in a thread?

Sorry to hijack op....!