Tsh of 2 what does it mean?

[123harry]

i asked for my last thyroid test and they had only checked tsh havent a clue on all this levels were 0 - 5 i think and i was 2 it sounds ok but any advice?

[Hillwoman]

Most people feel better with TSH at 1 or below. I'm staggered that only (useless) TSH has been measured - you need fT4, fT3, plus antibodies, anti-TPO & anti-TG.

I would ask for further advice on the TUK forum too.

[Hidden]

My TSH is 3 and GP said it was fine. I've gone GF to see if it helps and then I'll get my thyroid checked by Blue Horizon. My GP is clueless in matter of thyroid and B12. Good luck and as Hillwoman has said get advice on TUK forum. They are so knowledgeable on there.

[Jo5454]

Hi, my last tsh test had gone up from 0.42 last August, to 3.16 this March (dr didn't mention it, found on a printout) I've since started b12 injections and decided to check thyroid antibodies to rule out any potential problems and did a pinprick test via BH and found tsh has risen to 6.28. Reported this to my Dr who feels this is causing me no symptoms as my F4 is slightly higher now than March's esults, but is going to retest in 6 months, so after a long slog to get a b12 diagnosis am now researching thyroid! I was under the impression is good to be nearer 1. Can you ask for a f4 test?

I was hoping its some kind of healing reaction as I have read it can rise temporarily in a small percentage of people who are recovering from illness, but reading advice from the helpful thyroid site am thinking this is wishful thinking and I have some kind of thyroid problem on the way! Have a read on there, they're another extremely bunch of knowledgeable and helpful people. Good luck...

[Marz in reply to Jo5454]

The TSH test alone is not the full story. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone comes from the Pituitary and stimulates the Thyroid into producing T4. This is a storage hormone and does very little in the body. In the correct environment it will convert into the only ACTIVE thyroid hormone T3 - which is needed in every one of the trillions and trillions of cells in the body.

Also the Thyroid anti-bodies need to be tested - Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg. Auto-immune Thyroiditis - Hashimotos - is the most common thyroid condition worldwide. A TSH of 1 is the usual figure mentioned when people are on medication - otherwise with a healthy thyroid the TSH is around 2.5. Of course we are all so individual.

Good levels of B12 - FERRITIN - FOLATE - VITD are needed for the T4 to convert into T3. Some people have a gene that prevents this happening too.

It is possible to have a perfectly functional thyroid producing good levels of T4 - but the crucial bit is that it must convert into T3. Sadly T3 is rarely tested in the NHS - so patients end up being prescribed so many drugs treating the various symptoms caused by LOW thyroid - blood pressure - cholesterol - fibro - and so on - over 300 symptoms are related to the thyroid. Also lots of expensive tests

In my own case - once I was eventually diagnosed with Hashimotos - my spread sheet of results over a few years - clearly indicated I was not converting the T4 into T3. Often the case. I now take T3 only - which is easier for me as I live in Crete.

It seems that low B12 and Thyroid are poorly diagnosed and treated - when the inexpensive treatments would bring health to so many. If we believed in conspiracy theories we would be thinking Big Pharma does not want us to be well so they can ply even more of their more expensive pills and potions