“The problem I have found is that too often women are told their thyroid is normal without having the complete thyroid test done. Of course, what most people and many physicians don’t realize is that a ‘normal range’ on a laboratory report is just that: a range. A given person may require higher or lower levels to feel well and to function optimally. I think we must look at the lab test results along with the clinical picture described by the patient I have a series of more than 100 patients, all but two are women, who had a normal TSH and turned out to have significantly elevated thyroid anti-bodies that meant they needed thyroid medication in order to feel normal,” Dr. Vliet says. “This type of oversight is particularly common with a disease call thyroiditis which is 25 times more common in females than males. A woman may experience symptoms of the disease for months to years before the TSH goes up”
This fits nicely with the UK research which states the condition may not rest with the thyroid but with the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus."
I wonder if others have a feeling that something isn't right with their thyroid but it's come back normal? have you been able to do anything about it? Have you been able to be prescribed thyroxin or anything else even with a normal result?
Thanks
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Kirby
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I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? Thank you so much for this, it is very informative and interesting. I have a 41 year old sister who suffers with downs syndrome. She has a terrible thyroid problem and her thyroixside medication is not really working for her anymore. However, it was not easy to get her all the full testing that she really needed at the time. It took a lot of hard work and continual appointments to get to the stage whereby she got a proper diagnosis.
At least now, when I take her to the doctors or hospital they actually do something about the issue but i doubt they would without all the fuss I have made over the years.
Many thanks for that, Ken. Very sorry that your sister has such a bad thyroid problem and that she didn't get the proper diagnosis for a long time. It's harrowing to see loved ones suffer, isn't it? She's lucky to have such a supportive brother as you.
for me, personally, my results were slightly under but this was significant for me. when I was put on thyroxin, everything improved. I still have fibro though.
Thanks for your feedback, Sandra. Glad that thyroxin improved things for you at any rate.
I have had a cough for as long as I can remember, (my doctor sent me for xrays which where clear). My skin has become very dry, and of course I have the fatigue. My Rheumatolagist has confirmed Fibro (which my doctor seemed to be reluctant to do) but I thought these were symptoms of that, especially the fatigue (among other things, pain etc).
Any way, I saw a different Doctor few weeks ago and he sent me for more blood tests to 'rule out virus' as I was feeling particularly down. Few days later I was asked to make app for repeat tests.
In the mean time I saw Rheumey who said did I know I had under active thyroid? No I said, just been asked for repeat bloods. He asked if I had the symptoms as above! Yippee I thought! at last a reason for my cough...which comes from the throat, rather than my chest.....
I'm due the repeat tests in a couple of weeks, however when I discussed it with the doctor who I had to see because she hadn't wanted to change my meds as the Rhuemey had told her too and he wasn't pleased, she seemed again to play the thyroid results down, saying that although one count was high the other wasn't particularly high (sorry I can't remember what she called them)
I've forgot now why I started writing this lol but I hope it makes some kind of sense :S
It makes perfect sense, yes. How frustrating when you thought you'd found the cause of your cough. Isn't it weird how a rheumy and a doctor can be at odds over something so basic. Seems it's just down to interpretation. They don't seem to lay much importance on the thyroid here as they do in other countries.
thanks kirby, it is strange the relationship between some gp's and rheumy's, as I said the reason I was at the doc's was because the rheumy was not at all pleased that she hadn't changed my meds as he'd suggested and he was about to write her...in his words... "A very strong letter" .
It seems that we all go round and round in circles when fibro or anything related is concerned!
Yes, it seems that way, Suz! Could be more about the personalities clash of the rheumy and your GP and you got caught in the crossfire. Any chance of seeing a different GP? I'm lucky in that my GP is lovely.
Wow, that's just made total sense...light blub moment!
I too have had a cough for years, and recently had asthma attacks but it feels like my throat is closing and my chest x ray came back clear and stat were at 97%... I have been hypo for 15 years and really not had any problems till last year when I was diagnosed with LUPUS, just waiting to go back to see Rhuemy as she did test for connect tissue and my GP also thought I may have fibro...which rheumy said was possible!
I too have often wondered if there is a problem with my thyroid as without sounding like a hypochondriac I can relate to so many of the symptoms. I have come across both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in my job as a registered nurse and recognise most of the signs but as you mentioned my thyroid tests came back as normal! However trying to get a full thyroid screen is near on impossible as I have found that once you finally get diagnosed with having fibromyalgia it then becomes too easy to reply to every other problem with 'it's to do with your fibromyalgia'
In the first instance many GPs don't want to believe it exists but once diagnosed by a rheumatologist they then put everything else down to being part and parcel of it. It's so frustrating!
There is a low thyroid through the females in my family & Late Mother developed MID [ Alzheimers] severely .I have chronic utis acute 3 weekly yet only got thyroxine on one of 2 visits to Spina bifida Clinic in area that is always Cut the first.And its always the same people who have to bear this.
Had severe heart failure symptoms targeting me out of employment 1996 which were ignored till MI 10 years later .This was after my local GPs had sent to Hospitals for patient orientated Research as they said had not been taught about disability ??!!Suspect still not!
.So why I wonder every time there is a Cut I get GPs brazenly withholding Tests, antibiotics & Referrals .No wonder having MI I am having to fight to stay alive it appears .This is not ethical ,no wonder Hippocratic oaths are no longer taken, for whose interest , who benefits?
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