Kathleen, your TSH & FT4 look good I agree
& if you don't have classic symptoms of low thyroid I'd guess your T3 is also pretty good, but as you know we can't be absolutely sure without testing T3
. My TSH is usually fairly optimal, but my T3 always below range & sometimes considerably so & my FT4 is always low but within range. Being on replacement T3 can lead to some odd TFT results though. T3 is important for our mental as well as physical health, so if you have any doubts I think it would be worth getting it tested privately, if only to cross it off the list of potential causes for your continuing symptoms. Unfortunately the NHS won't usually test T3 for hypothyroid patients on replacement if TSH is within range. I still have to have mine tested privately, regardless of the fact I get my T3 prescribed on the NHS as tests have consistently shown I can't convert Thyroxine adequately.
There's a BTF link here about thyroid disease & psychological health. I'm sure you're aware of all this but I'll include it for completeness & because anyone who may be reading & new to thyroid disease may be interested. They do list anxiety as a symptom of not only hyper- but also hypothyroidism & low mood is a classic symptom of low thyroid as you know.
https://www.btf-thyroid.org/psychological-symptoms-and-thyroid-disordersYou are right that I have added soy beans to my diet . . . I like the idea of including more plant proteins as I avoid meat and dairy. I will definitely think again about quantity though. I have read that soy beans can reduce iodine and that can be a problem with hypothyroidism but it is easy to add some oidised salt or nori to the diet to counter that.
Ooh - I'd be careful! It's a bloomin' minefield
. Here are a couple of links, again from the BTF, this time on diet, with some extracts on soya, kelp & iodine.
https://www.btf-thyroid.org/thyroid-and-diet-factsheet"Soya interferes with thyroxine absorption, therefore if you are taking thyroxine you should try to avoid soya. If you wish to take soya, there should be as long a time interval as possible between eating the soya and taking the thyroxine.
There is evidence of certain brands of soya milk being withdrawn from sale by authorities in countries such as Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan because they contained excessive amounts of iodine or being highly enriched with seaweed products that naturally contain iodine."
"Avoid products such as kelp, as they may interfere with thyroid function and wellbeing. Kelp is derived from seaweed and is naturally high in iodine. Because of this, it is sometimes marketed as a ‘thyroid booster’ and can be purchased in dry preparations and tablets. As with iodine itself, it is of no health benefit to those with thyroid disease."
https://www.btf-thyroid.org/iodine-and-thyroidI hear you on flax seeds' anti-inflammatory effects. It's just their possible anti-oestrogenic properties I'm wary of, especially as they made me feel unwell in similar ways to progesterone & I wonder if they're jeopardising the good work replacement oestrogen should be doing for us. I don't eat flax seed, but have a similar conflict to yours with another high-lignan food: rye, though it's said to be a much less concentrated source than flax seeds. On a wheat-free diet on longstanding gastroenterology advice, I find whole rye bread a good substitute for the fibre I can no longer get from whole wheat & struggled to find/tolerate in GF products. But I'm still struggling with vasomotor symptoms & recently tested low in oestradiol as I said to you on another thread, so the situation is under review as they say
It's sometimes not straightforward getting well postmenopause, however hard we try, is it? Always interested in your posts Kathleen & it would be lovely to know you feel properly well again.
Wx
