Hi and thanks for your reply. I got the test done privately with medichecks as I have a couple of (mild) symptoms I thought could be related to my thyroid. And was actually just interested as a part time health coach! I have never had any diagnosis of thyroid problems, but then never had any tests before.
And yes the blood test, done by a nurse in superdrug, was done in that baking hot weather. What difference could this make?
And your Spanish Inquisition comment made me laugh - not heard that for a looong time!
The reason I ask about the weather is "storage"/transit is very hot conditions can impact the quality of the sample, but we're talking small chances. Sometimes I think I just like asking questions.
What sort of symptoms do you have? The thing about thyroid disorders is that the symptoms are very common and also fit a wide range of other conditions, but some are more pointed than others.
What was your antibody result?
Bottom line is if you had your thyroid tested via your GP, you would simply not have got these results. With no diagnosis of thyroid disease, the NHS test TSH. If that is in range they look no further.
If TSH is abnormally high, they'll look at FT4 *Free Thyroxine). If that is normal they stop, and will sometimes even stop testing there if it is abnormal. It's not great.
Your T3 is low, which isn't great, so it could be your body isn't great at converting T4 to T3.
The way thyroid function works is TSH is released by the pituitary gland, to tell the thyroid it needs to do something. From that, you can tell, TSH isn't a thyroid hormone. If your thyroid is able to (and yours works), it responds by producing T4. T4 is a passive hormone, which is important but doesn't actually do much. Your body then has to convert it to T3, which is where the magic happens.
With low T3 you may, or may not have symptoms. It could be that your body isn't converting T4>T3 efficiently, but there are some papers out there which suggests those living a low carb lifestyle tend to have lower T3 the usually found.
In order to get any kind of diagnosis, it is usually necessary to have at least two abnormal results, and those would usually be a couple of months apart.
To get the most consistent results, the thyroid gurus recommend testing as early as possible in the morning, fasted, because thyroid function is dynamic throughout the day.
If you want to follow this up, then make an appointment with your GP. Our thyroids are a cornerstone of our metabolic health, so it is important they function as well as possible.
In your shoes, if I felt OK, I might be inclined to repeat the test in a few months, as described above.
Working out what is going on with your thyroid can be a frustratingly slow process.
If you want to dig a bit deeper into all things thyroid, I suggest the Thyroid UK area of Health Unlocked. There are some supremely knowledgeable folks on there:
Read community conversations. Get support and information from people sharing their experiences with overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), thyroiditis and more.
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