# New Labs.. Can Someone Interpret?



## Runa-D (Oct 26, 2016)

Here are my new labs.... I was previously taking the lowest dose of Nature Throid (16.25) for 3 months but, started having heart palps & shortness of breath.. I had my labs drawn & everything was in 'normal range' but still had SOB & palps, my PCP said to increase my NT & it made things much worse so I stopped taking it.. I've been off of NT for 3 weeks & feel better..heart palps are at the minimum & shortness of breathe is gone.. hope below is readable.. I copy pasted from the lab results..

Thank you for any input..

PS.. as I write this I do have slight heart palps.. not anything like before but they are there..

Taken April 6--results posted April 8

TSH

4.670 mcIU/mL----0.30 - 5.00 mcIU/mL (previous on March 6 TSH--- 2.04)

T4 FREE

1.25 ng/dL ---- .80 - 1.80 ng/dL (previous on March 6 -- 1.28)

T3 FREE

2.7 pg/mL ---- 2.0 - 4.4 pg/mL (previous on March 6 -- 3.2)

REVERSE T3

16.0 ng/dL --- 8 - 25 ng/dL

T3 TOTAL

1.0 ng/dL --- .8 - 2.0 ng/dL

T4 (thyroxine) TOTAL

8.79 mcg/dL --- 4.50 - 11.70 mcg/dL

TPO ( Microsomal) Antibody

221.0 IU/mL --- 5 - 34 IU/mL

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY

15 IU/mL --- 10 - 115 IU/mL

THYROID STIMULATING IMMUNOGLOB (TSI)

<89% Baseline --- Standard Range <140% baaseline


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Your current lab results are fairly hypo.

Did you by chance have lab's drawn prior to stopping your Nature Throid?

The labs in your signature are all hypo.


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## Hopeful (Apr 10, 2018)

Hi. I'm new here and just posted my first post. I hope you don't mind if I comment on your labs.

You are becoming quite hypo, or your thyroid is too slow. Your FT3 is especially much too low. Ideally (where people report the least symptoms) your TPO should be over half range (3.2), but much closer to 3/4 range (3.8). Yours is only 2.7, so it's not even half. Your FT4 is also too low. Ideally it should also be over half range (1.3). Yours is under half, 1.25. It looks like you're not converting T4 to T3. Too low FT3 and evidence of not converting usually means you need more T3 than what you are currently getting in your thyroid medication.

In all of your previous labs, you were also quite hypo. If you were on medication during those labs, you were under medicated. Being under medication when you are hypothyroid can cause atrial fibrillation (abnormal heartbeat or rhythm). Palpations and shortness of breath are some of the symptoms. Hypothyroid can also cause an enlarged heart. Way back after I graduated from college, I had an episode of heart palps and heart pain, and I was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. Many, many years later, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I really wish I'd have known back then that an enlarged heart could be related to being hypothyroid. If I'd have known, it's possible early intervention would have prevented all the damage to my thyroid. Subsequent heart scans showed my heart had returned to normal. However, in the last two months I've had heart palps, and then I found out my TPO more than doubled.

Back to you. The other thing that has happened since you stops your meds is that you now have put your body in a stronger attack on on your thyroid. I'm not sure what the difference is between the TPO microsomal and TPO/ab. Is there a difference? I'm assuming the meaning is the same, thyroid antibodies. According to your November labs, your Hashi's was in remission because your TPO mid lab range, 25. In three months of no medication, it's now 221. TPO can rise when under medicated. It can also rise if you've had any sort of illness. Have you been sick at all recently?


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## Runa-D (Oct 26, 2016)

Lovlkn..Thank you for responding! I'd only been taking NT since last December.. I was actually in remission from January 2017 to August 2017 (my endo took me off all meds to see where my baseline was & I stayed stable)

Unfortunately, in August last year..I had a gastric emptying study done & they gave me a radioactive isotope in eggs for the study (which I found at that point I'm highly allergic too).. this triggered my immune response again & my thyroid didn't like it.. so, my dox put me on Nature Throid.. I have to say I felt great for 3 months until I got heart palps & SOB... she upped my meds but it made it much worse.. so they were stopped

I can say though, whenever my thyroid is acting up I can always tell b/c I get the SOB & palps.. plus other little odds n ends that I notice but honestly I know it comes w/ the territory.. I thought I was actually in remission again & the meds were too much.. my last TPO in March (last month)my antibodies again were at 26.. which is fantastic.. since then they've shot up to 221 which I am assuming is b/c I'm off my meds??

Since stopping the meds though, I feel fine.. heart is much more calm & no SOB although it did linger quite a bit (couple weeks)... until the NT was out of my system..

Now, I don't know if I should start back.. or go w/ something else.. I like my dox.. she is very open & will help me w/ anything however, I don't honestly know if she knows what to do to help me..

I was on Levothyroxine from 2015 to Jan 2017 but, I felt absolutely horrible the entire time.. I changed my diet completely...no dairy, soy, gluten or oils.. and I think that helped my TPO but right now just wondering if the TPO shoot is from being off the meds? or a thyroid flare up? I haven't changed my diet at all.. I haven't been sick.. my Vitamins are all within good ranges..

Kinda stuck wondering what meds I should be on.. I took the TPI test b/c I have a lot of hyper symptoms.. more than I have hypo... but I see it's normal?

Anyhoo, Thank you for always being so kind to answer.. it is MUCH APPRECIATED!!


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## Runa-D (Oct 26, 2016)

Hopeful--Thank you for commenting! and Welcome to the 'boards'...

I really appreciate your candor & lab thoughts.. for some reason I just can't wrap my head around all the numbers & decipher them.. I see that TSH is fairly high & other than the TPO being up there  everything else seemed 'normal'.. I feel like we all have to be our own doctors but I fail miserably at that..

Right now, I just need to figure out what I should be doing.. more nature throid or something w/ just a T4.. as explained above to Lovlkn.. I was on levothyroxine for just over a year & gained a blissful remission.. but, since i had the isotope/egg allergy, it hasn't been the same.. I think it did some damage that even my diet can't fix.. I was doing so well..

Anyway, I will reread your answer again until it all sinks in.. hoping I can figure out what to do.. my dox messaged me & asked what I wanted her to do & if I had any questions.. right now all I can think about is: is the NT too much for me? Should I be on just a T4? and what T4 are there w/o them being generic?

Thank you..


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## Hopeful (Apr 10, 2018)

Hi. Thank you for the welcome! I just noticed my typo above, where I said I was talking about FT3, then said TPO. I meant to say FT3. 

Like Lovlkn says, in all your previous labs you are hypo. You poor thing! I just read all of your previous labs. Some are very very hypo. Unbelievable you were that way for years. Your FT3 has always been totally at the bottom, and even was below the lowest number of the range, or the doctor simply decided not to test it. For years. No wonder you have all those symptoms! Then stopping meds completely (why?), so your FT3 and FT4 went even lower. Are you still having high anxiety, fatigue, shortness of breath, hair falling out, ears ringing, weakness and severe stomach issues that you mention on 11/2/17?

You've been left hypo and with hypo symptoms for many years. Why? I believe you want to get out of being hypo and into the non-hypo and feel-good zone? This will require you taking the correct dose of medication to get your levels up where they should be and way past hypo, which is what everyone does to get out of hypo symptom land. I'm not understanding why you had those med doses with those labs. The conservative start up dose of NDT is either 16.25 for 10 days to two weeks and then increase to the standard starting dose of 32.5, or just start with the normal starting dose of 32.5. Either way, run labs 6 weeks from starting 16.25. But you took 1/2 of a 16.25 dose to ease into it, clearly still very hypo. Why is your PCP keeping you at less than a starting dose for 3 months, and keeping you so hypo?

All your previous FT3 levels seem to show you're not converting (see your labs and how much lower in the range your FT3 has been). Why would you want to only take T4/levo if not converting T4 to T3? Those doctors are above are not testing properly or medicating properly to get you out of hypo symptom land. FT3, FT4 and TSH all have to be checked every 6 weeks until as meds are adjusted every 6 weeks until you don't have symptoms. No omitting of FT3 or FT4, ever. This should not go on for years and years. It takes 6 months to a year to get you out of the super hypo zone, rarely more than that.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Runa-D



> 8/14/17----T3Free..............TSH-4.59....FreeT4...1.2 PCP
> 
> 5/31/17----T3Free..............TSH-2.20....FreeT4...1.2 PCP
> 
> ...


This is when you say you were in "remission" and off med's. I have to disagree and would suggest finding a new PCP out of your current practice as the MD's tend to stick together with DX and treatment plans. They didn't even run a TPO during this time??


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## Runa-D (Oct 26, 2016)

Hi Hopeful--Sorry for the delay in responding.. I don't know where to start.. I started taking my Nature throid again, easing into it with half of 16.25 mg.. (8.12).. I always start with the lowest then ease in because my body is so sensitive to EVERYTHING...

I also 100% agree that my PCP's have no earthly idea at all what they are doing.. I've been to so MANY doctors in the last 6 years, I'm not going to lie, I'm so confused right now I feel defeated

What I do know is that when I started on levothyroxine Sept of 2015 I took it for a year & felt absolutely horrible... I did feel MUCH better last Dec when I started the 16.25mg of Nature Throid and for 3 months it was really very good until I started having heart palps & SOB.. I assumed it was from too much or possibly the Nature Throid wasn't agreeing with me.. my labs on March 6th seemed to be within good range except for the palps/SOB.. just can't understand WHY the palps/SOB but from what I'm gathering it wasn't enough meds?

When I stopped a month ago I felt perfect for about 2 weeks but yes, suddenly felt very sick again.. my doctor is one of those 'whatever you want to do is fine'.. she gives me free reign but I am no doctor.. i feel like I've had to be for all these years and I'm still failing miserbly

So, I'm going to come to the understanding I need to up my dose of Nature throid... is this right? I know you're not a dox but best advice.. also, I have terrible gastritis that has gone hand in hand starting the entire thyroid issue.. I've been to 3 different gastro's who have diagnosed me w/ dysfunctional dyspepsia but I'm betting it all has to do with my immunities/immune system & my thyroid..

As for my PCP.. my insurance just changed and I'm not allowed to change to another PCP for 6 months (I just changed in December to the new one)..she IS much better than the old (he told me I was crazy) ..

I'm just hoping that at some point it gets figured out.. I'm so very tired mentally & emotionally from 6 yrs worth of doctors looking at me with that expression that I'm nuts or they just dismiss me...

Plus, every single thing I read online is so contradictory, so much info, so many people doing so many different things.. it's all very confusing..

I am already, gluten free, soy free, oil free, dairy free.. everything bothers my stomach and I'm down to 113 lbs..

Thank you for all your info & help so far.. I'm so willing to help myself.. my dox will run labs all day long but she has no idea what to do for me.. period..

I will up my dose to the 16.25 but.. i must say since I started the half pill of Nature throid last week my heart palps are back.. minimal but back.. and my stomach is a complete burning wreck..

<3


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## Runa-D (Oct 26, 2016)

Hi Lovlkn!

Neither of my PCP (old or new) ran many tests.. just the general TSH, sometimes T3 and T4.. neither have any suggestions or offer any help.. I'm in no mans land basically.. doing this on my own and clearly not doing a good job..

Feeling very defeated and very very lost..


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