# 1st blood test post surgery



## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Hello, I need help interpreting the results. I am taking 125 mcg of levothyroxine. These are from a phone call from the nurse. I will have to go get the actual paper ones on Tuesday, darn. The doctor and I agreed on Free T3 & T4. The nurse said it is total. Anyway...

TSH 0.09 0.35-5.0
Total T3 93 60-181
Free T4 2 0.8-1.8
VIT D 28.7 <10-30 Deficient
Ferritin 48 10-291

What do you think?
Thanks for taking a look!


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

Car 54, where are you??? :confused0024: I wish I understood the numbers, Webster2. I'm anxious to know what they mean and hope it's good news.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

I loved Car 54! I don't understand them either. I am sure someone will know! We will learn, I am sure of it! How are you feeling today?


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Webster, you had papillary cancer, correct?

That's what I had, and with my first (and only) labwork after RAI (after surgery), the only thing they really cared about was that my TSH was as close to 0 as possible. Mine was .003, and they were happy with that.

Sorry I can't help you more...


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

webster2 said:


> I loved Car 54! I don't understand them either. I am sure someone will know! We will learn, I am sure of it! How are you feeling today?


I don't know. I've been becoming progressively more shaky the past few days. This afternoon my husband told me to take two aspirin - his cure for everything. I told him two aspirin weren't going to help but I did take them. I pretty much felt better within an hour or so. :ashamed0003:

I still did not receive the lab test results, etc., I've been asking for for the past 3 weeks. I called again today and was told they'd go out with today's mail but I'm rather doubtful. It didn't help any when whoever was on the phone said the last lab results in my file were from last January...they should have been much, much more recent than that.

Right now I'm so anxious to hear about your lab results.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

I DClaire said:


> I don't know. I've been becoming progressively more shaky the past few days. This afternoon my husband told me to take two aspirin - his cure for everything. I told him two aspirin weren't going to help but I did take them. I pretty much felt better within an hour or so. :ashamed0003:
> 
> I still did not receive the lab test results, etc., I've been asking for for the past 3 weeks. I called again today and was told they'd go out with today's mail but I'm rather doubtful. It didn't help any when whoever was on the phone said the last lab results in my file were from last January...they should have been much, much more recent than that.
> 
> Right now I'm so anxious to hear about your lab results.


Oh, the husband can bask in his Marcus Welby, M.D. glory for a bit! Are you able to go to the doctor's office and ask for all of your labs on paper? I do, I think the staff thinks I am a major PITA but... I sure don't care what they think! I won't be able to pick up the paper ones until Tuesday afternoon. My afternoon nap will suffer! I can't make heads nor tails of the results. I thought I was getting a handle on this stuff...but apparently not.


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

webster2 said:


> Oh, the husband can bask in his Marcus Welby, M.D. glory for a bit! Are you able to go to the doctor's office and ask for all of your labs on paper? I do, I think the staff thinks I am a major PITA but... I sure don't care what they think! I won't be able to pick up the paper ones until Tuesday afternoon. My afternoon nap will suffer! I can't make heads nor tails of the results. I thought I was getting a handle on this stuff...but apparently not.


I did go to the office - 3 weeks ago yesterday. There was only one person working in the front office area that day and I could tell she was struggling to help others also there so I asked would it help if she got my information together and mailed it to me? She said that would be great and she'd do it later that same day. It never happened!

One week later, I called and a young man answered the phone, apologized for the delay - said he was putting the requested information in the mail. It never happened.

Yesterday I called again and I'm pretty sure I got the first person I'd talked to on the phone and she acted like I hadn't seen the doctor since January - which was ridiculous. She said she was sending "everything" in my file and I could look for whatever it was I wanted to see". I told her considering the fact that three different doctors have told me three different things (specifically regarding my nodules), I just want to be certain my files aren't mixed-up with someone elses!!

This doctor is actually in an adjoining city - it's not an impossible drive but it's probably a 30-minute drive to get there.

I've learned the hard way this past year that records can get mixed up! I used to take the blood pressure medicine Benazepril. One day my husband picked up my prescription and brought it home. It looked different from what I'd been taking but when I called the pharmacist said it was from a different company. My name was on the prescription.

Because I'd taken Benazepril for so long I didn't read the accompanying literature until maybe 10-14 days later I was going through a catch-all basket on our kitchen counter and just happened to notice the print-out had my name on it - with an address somewhere in another city in LA. There were two women in the pharmacy's system with the same name, taking the same drug...but my dosage was way smaller than the other woman's - I'd been taking someone else's prescription!

Needless to say, I rather doubt the pharmacy will ever make that same mistake again! When I went to see them about it they kept on trying to convince me they couldn't make a mistake, it had to be my mistake, etc., and then the pharmacist realized what had happened and _you have never, ever seen such apologizing in your life! _


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

webster2 said:


> Oh, the husband can bask in his Marcus Welby, M.D. glory for a bit! Are you able to go to the doctor's office and ask for all of your labs on paper? I do, I think the staff thinks I am a major PITA but... I sure don't care what they think! I won't be able to pick up the paper ones until Tuesday afternoon. My afternoon nap will suffer! I can't make heads nor tails of the results. I thought I was getting a handle on this stuff...but apparently not.


Yeh!! "Marcus" took his late aunt (who was probably in her mid-90's at the time) to a local ER. She'd called him at work to take her and he was wearing a suit.

"Marcus" was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital when a staffer brought a whole stack of his aunt's files and handed them to him.

He sat there holding them for awhile then asked someone what he was supposed to do with them?

The hospital staff-person thought my husband was his aunt's doctor!!

Another time, same aunt/same hospital, the hospital thought my husband was his elderly aunt's husband!!! :confused0068:


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

webster2 said:
 

> Hello, I need help interpreting the results. I am taking 125 mcg of levothyroxine. These are from a phone call from the nurse. I will have to go get the actual paper ones on Tuesday, darn. The doctor and I agreed on Free T3 & T4. The nurse said it is total. Anyway...
> 
> TSH 0.09 0.35-5.0
> Total T3 93 60-181
> ...


Your Total 3 is low which could account for the high FT4; you may not be converting.

Can you get your own FT3?

HealthCheckUSA

http://www.healthcheckusa.com/

Those dirty rats for not running the FREE T3. Dang!

Glad you got the ferritin. As you know, ideally it should be 50 to 100 and the closer to 100, the better.

Vitamin D looks good; are you taking supplements?


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Andros said:


> Your Total 3 is low which could account for the high FT4; you may not be converting.
> 
> Can you get your own FT3?
> 
> ...


hello! Thanks for the interpretation! Their computers were down during my appointment, and I think he really did intend to ask for Free T3. I am going to ask to speak with him, and see what we can negotiate. I am not taking TUMS regularly. What can I do to improve the ferritin level? Do you think the levothyroxine should be adjusted? TSH is ok? Thanks again for taking a look!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

webster2 said:


> hello! Thanks for the interpretation! Their computers were down during my appointment, and I think he really did intend to ask for Free T3. I am going to ask to speak with him, and see what we can negotiate. I am not taking TUMS regularly. What can I do to improve the ferritin level? Do you think the levothyroxine should be adjusted? TSH is ok? Thanks again for taking a look!


Remember; what I say is speculation only. LOL!

Do you cook w/cast iron? We do. And do you eat your dark leafy greens like collards, turnip greens, beet tops, mustard greens etc.? We do.

What foods provide iron?

Excellent food sources of iron include chard, spinach, thyme, and turmeric.

Very good sources of iron include romaine lettuce, blackstrap molasses, tofu, mustard greens, turnip greens, string beans, and shiitake mushrooms.

Good sources of iron include beef tenderloin, lentils, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, venison, garbanzo beans, broccoli, leeks, and kelp.

Kelp, soy and Tofu are out, of course!

I love blackstrap molasses on my rolled oats! Yum! And I have Tumeric on my popcorn every night.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=70


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Andros said:


> Remember; what I say is speculation only. LOL!
> 
> Do you cook w/cast iron? We do. And do you eat your dark leafy greens like collards, turnip greens, beet tops, mustard greens etc.? We do.
> 
> ...


We do cook with cast iron! I will have to try the tumeric on my popcorn. I have loved soy sauce on it but will need to change that! Thanks for the food tips. I love broccoli, garbanzo beans and brussel sprouts. Greens are very popular here. ThanKs again!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

I DClaire said:


> I don't know. I've been becoming progressively more shaky the past few days. This afternoon my husband told me to take two aspirin - his cure for everything. I told him two aspirin weren't going to help but I did take them. I pretty much felt better within an hour or so. :ashamed0003:
> 
> I still did not receive the lab test results, etc., I've been asking for for the past 3 weeks. I called again today and was told they'd go out with today's mail but I'm rather doubtful. It didn't help any when whoever was on the phone said the last lab results in my file were from last January...they should have been much, much more recent than that.
> 
> Right now I'm so anxious to hear about your lab results.


Have you had a glucose test?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

webster2 said:


> We do cook with cast iron! I will have to try the tumeric on my popcorn. I have loved soy sauce on it but will need to change that! Thanks for the food tips. I love broccoli, garbanzo beans and brussel sprouts. Greens are very popular here. ThanKs again!


Pop your popcorn in olive oil; sprinkle on Tumeric and Chipotle Chili Pepper by McKormick _if you dare!_ OMG! To die for!

Do you have the Presto Microwave Popcorn Popper? If not, get one. It is awesome.

You are such a good girl. I love cast iron for many reasons.

My husband made a dish the other day that was sooooooooooooooooo good. Cut up pieces of Talapia w/brussel sprouts sautee'd in olive oil with lots of fresh sliced up garlic thrown in. We had that on a bed of rice. Whoooooooooooohoo! It was mighty tasty!


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Andros said:


> Pop your popcorn in olive oil; sprinkle on Tumeric and Chipotle Chili Pepper by McKormick _if you dare!_ OMG! To die for!
> 
> Do you have the Presto Microwave Popcorn Popper? If not, get one. It is awesome.
> 
> ...


Oh my goodness, that Talapia dish sounds yuummmy! We'll have to try that! We love fish.

That popcorn sounds very good, and spicy! We're adventurous eaters, so we'll give it a try too! I think my daughter has the microwave popper. I ask to try it out.

I can't claim anything with the cast iron. The husband loves it, and I have learned to....it took me awhile but now we don't use anything else. He has a huge collection of it. It really is much better, health wise, to use it.

Thanks for the tips! I am sure we will try them out very soon!


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Octavia said:


> Webster, you had papillary cancer, correct?
> 
> That's what I had, and with my first (and only) labwork after RAI (after surgery), the only thing they really cared about was that my TSH was as close to 0 as possible. Mine was .003, and they were happy with that.
> 
> Sorry I can't help you more...


Papillary, here too....I guess mine's close too then! I feel pretty good, and that's what really counts! Thanks!


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

I DClaire said:


> Yeh!! "Marcus" took his late aunt (who was probably in her mid-90's at the time) to a local ER. She'd called him at work to take her and he was wearing a suit.
> 
> "Marcus" was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital when a staffer brought a whole stack of his aunt's files and handed them to him.
> 
> ...


Geez, sorry to hear about the medication mix up, that is very scary. Lol, to the confusion about the husband's identity. One time, my mother was incorrectly referred to as my brother's wife. Great compliment for my mom, not saying what it must say about how old my brother looks!


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

Andros said:


> Have you had a glucose test?


I almost missed seeing this question, Andros. I'm assuming a new glucose test was in all the blood tests I had at the hospital last week. My father's brother died from complications of diabetes and I remember doctors saying Daddy was "borderline" but it seems like they said that forever.

For all the blood tests I've had over the past 2 1/2 years, nobody has said anything about diabetes but I wonder myself.

The hospital said someone would call me if anything unexpected showed-up...to tell you the truth I've been kinda' holding my breath.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

webster2 said:


> hello! Thanks for the interpretation! Their computers were down during my appointment, and I think he really did intend to ask for Free T3. I am going to ask to speak with him, and see what we can negotiate. I am not taking TUMS regularly. What can I do to improve the ferritin level? Do you think the levothyroxine should be adjusted? TSH is ok? Thanks again for taking a look!


When the Total 3 is low, it does raise an eyebrow because that consists of bound, unbound and rT3 hormone.

TSH is okay but can go lower as it should be suppressed since you have had papillary cancer. We keep mine @ 0.03 and I did not have cancer; at least I don't think I did but I had RAI which you already know I wish I would have had surgery instead for that very reason of possible cancer.

I would not adjust anything until you get a FREE T3 run to be honest. That happens to be the most important test for you to get at this point.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

I DClaire said:


> I almost missed seeing this question, Andros. I'm assuming a new glucose test was in all the blood tests I had at the hospital last week. My father's brother died from complications of diabetes and I remember doctors saying Daddy was "borderline" but it seems like they said that forever.
> 
> For all the blood tests I've had over the past 2 1/2 years, nobody has said anything about diabetes but I wonder myself.
> 
> The hospital said someone would call me if anything unexpected showed-up...to tell you the truth I've been kinda' holding my breath.


Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I do suspect that. Either that or very low ferritin.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Today I received a follow up call from the GP's office. He feels my levels are on target, and wants to wait until my appt. in October with the endo to make any changes in the levo. I can go along with that. I don't feel terrible, just tired in the afternoon. We did agree to have blood drawn 2 weeks before the endo appt. with Free T3 as well as T3, T4, Free T4, and TSH. I think he is breaking in nicely!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

webster2 said:


> Today I received a follow up call from the GP's office. He feels my levels are on target, and wants to wait until my appt. in October with the endo to make any changes in the levo. I can go along with that. I don't feel terrible, just tired in the afternoon. We did agree to have blood drawn 2 weeks before the endo appt. with Free T3 as well as T3, T4, Free T4, and TSH. I think he is breaking in nicely!


I agree with you!

Now that I have been well for quite a few years, I realize it is normal for me to get a little tired at day's end. Age has to be taken into consideration as well.


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