Please Help Me Interpret My Thyroid Lab Results

[PrettayyyGood]

Hi Everyone,

I'm a 32 year old male. I have been suffering from a variety of symptoms that I suspect could be thyroid related. These are the major ones I want to fix:

• Insomnia - I never have deep, restful sleep and often wake up during the night.
• Total lack of emotion. I can't remember what being happy or excited or motivated feels like. I know I'm not depressed. I'm not sad I'm just completely apathetic.
• Cold sensitivity/cold hands
  
• Horrible brain fog. Its very hard to concentrate and focus on my work.
• Fatigue - I have to will myself to work out (lifting) and rarely have the energy. I recover very slowly from exercise. I'm very exhausted by the end of the day but I still have issues sleeping even though my body feels so fatigued.
• Low libido

I have Crohn's disease but these symptoms seem unrelated to the Crohns which is mostly under control. At first, I thought it could be low testosterone but I had that tested and it was in the 800's, so no issue there. I have had really low iron levels for a long time but I have been receiving infusions and have been at healthy iron levels for a few months now. I'm also making sure I eat at least 2500-3000 calories a day of mostly peaty foods. Here are the lab results I ordered:

FREE T4 INDEX – 2.0 (Range: 1.4 - 3.8)
T3 REVERSE: 11 (Range 8-25 ng/dL)
T3 UPTAKE: 32% (Range: 22-35%)
T3, FREE: 3.4 (Range 2.3-4.2 pg/mL)
T3, TOTAL: 109 (Range 76-181 ng/dL)
T4, TOTAL: 6.2 (Range 4.5-12.0 mcg/dL)
T4, FREE: 0.9 (Range 0.8-1.8 ng/dL)
THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODIES: <1 (Range < OR = 1 IU/mL)
THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES: 2 (Range <9 IU/mL)
TSH: 1.56 (Range 0.40-4.50 mIU/L)
FOLATE, SERUM: 7.1 ng/mL (Normal >5.4)
VITAMIN B12: 637 (Range 200-1100 pg/mL)
VITAMIN D, 25-OH, TOTAL: 37 (Range 30-100 ng/mL)

They look pretty normal but I don't know too much about how to interpret these results. T4 and Reverse T3 seem low but I don't know what that means. Could I have a thyroid issue? I want to find out if I need to see a doctor who could treat me. I'm also wondering if there are more labs I should order. I appreciate any insight as to what is causing these horrible health issues.

 

[PrettayyyGood]

The only thing I can find related to low FT4 was on Stop the Thyroid Madness website:

"If you have low FT4 and a mid-range or slightly higher FT3, it usually means the T4 is converting like mad to give you the T3 you do have, which means hypo."

Any idea what that means and how its treated?

 

[Mittir]

RP prefers total T3 and total T4 tests . Your TSH is ok, it ideally should be
below 0.4. Your T3 is bit low, average healthy people has it around 135.
RP thinks it should be at the upper end of normal range or above it.
I used to have my T3 around 110 and i did not feel good then.
Total cholesterol is very important test for thyroid issues.
You can also get test for prolactin, which gives a good indication
of thyroid and estrogen status.

RP also thinks one can have all the thyroid numbers in range
and be hypothyroid. His main focus is increasing metabolism.
Some people can fix their thyroid problem just by adopting
a healthy diet. Liver health is extremely important for
thyroid function. RP has mentioned that he has seen
people correcting their hormonal imbalance just
by adding raw carrot salads. Similar thing happened
with antibiotic use. Both lowers endotoxin load on liver
and increases liver function. You can check RP's dietary
suggestions on diet section. You can also give your current
diet so other can give their suggestions.

You can get a good idea about your thyroid health
by measuring your temperature and pulse
1 to 2 hour after breakfast and other time of the day.

 

[PrettayyyGood]

RP prefers total T3 and total T4 tests . Your TSH is ok, it ideally should be
below 0.4. Your T3 is bit low, average healthy people has it around 135.
RP thinks it should be at the upper end of normal range or above it.
I used to have my T3 around 110 and i did not feel good then.
Total cholesterol is very important test for thyroid issues.
You can also get test for prolactin, which gives a good indication
of thyroid and estrogen status.

RP also thinks one can have all the thyroid numbers in range
and be hypothyroid. His main focus is increasing metabolism.
Some people can fix their thyroid problem just by adopting
a healthy diet. Liver health is extremely important for
thyroid function. RP has mentioned that he has seen
people correcting their hormonal imbalance just
by adding raw carrot salads. Similar thing happened
with antibiotic use. Both lowers endotoxin load on liver
and increases liver function. You can check RP's dietary
suggestions on diet section. You can also give your current
diet so other can give their suggestions.

You can get a good idea about your thyroid health
by measuring your temperature and pulse
1 to 2 hour after breakfast and other time of the day.

Thanks for the insight Mittir. You said that you had low T3 levels like I do. Were you able to heal yourself without any type of medication? Did you consider or use NDT? I'm just wondering if I should try to see a doctor for this or try to fix it myself. I've been feeling like this for such a long time.

 

[Mittir]

There was a huge improvement in overall health when i changed my diet.
Major improvements happened after 6 months of strict PUFA avoidance,
less than 4 grams a day. I did not use NDT, because i did not like the
idea that i have to take certain supplement everyday ,2-3 times a day.
Then there is the issue of dose adjustment for summer and winter.

I adopted a slow but steady improvement route.
I have noticed that some people do not feel better
even with thyroid supplement use. I use chicken neck
soup as thyroid supplement. I eat some whenever i
sense hypo symptom.

I think you can experiment with low dose thyroid
supplement, focusing on improvement in symptoms
not just test numbers. Since people used to get
half a grain of thyroid from foods like chicken and
fish stew it is reasonable to try half a grain of NDT.
A nutritious diet is essential to support increased
metabolism resulting from thyroid supplement.