Test results imply all is normal but my symptoms are so debilitating and similar to hypothyroid. Does anyone have any ideas?

[sandusky]

For several years now and all starting at roughly the same time I have had carpel tunnel, pain and stiff fingers on waking and getting worse. Also my feet hurt around my heels but feels like bone pain, now getting worse and have stiff shoulders/muscles. I feel the cold, my hair is getting thinner though have always had a lot but now noticable to me and generally feel dreadful. I have had my iodine levels checked privately and though on the low of the range is within normal. Also had my progesterone and testosterone checked and though testosterone normal, progesterone very low. I had a full blood count at the doctors along with my thyroid levels, any ideas anyone. It seems there are a lot of people with similar problems and so hard to get it taken seriously.

TSH 1.08

T3 4.3

T4 10.1

ANTIBODIES 1

PROLACTIN 101

The bloods that were low in the FBC in case any light can be had from them

White blood count 3.58 (4.2 - 10.8)

Neurophil count 1.95 (2 - 7.5)

nymphrocite 1.09 (1.5 -3.5)

I was hopeful it may have been an iodine deficiency but it seems not so simple. I am new to this blog but any ideas would be greatly appreciated as really dont know where to go from here.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

It would be really helpful to have reference ranges for those tests. Ranges vary from one lab to another even within the UK, and sometimes do so very considerably.

(TSH range is usually fairly similar. But FT4 varies so much that your number could be below range or mid-range.)

I'd rather not make any comments without knowing the ranges.

Rod

[sandusky in reply to helvella]

I got these levels over the phone and will ask for ranges on monday. I asked for the blood ranges over the phone as was concerned by them and was told the thyroid tests were all normal. Thank you for your response and will get back to you when I know. Thanks Ali

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to sandusky]

I blame the medical professions - it is a bit like being told how fast a car is going, but not whether it is in kilometres or miles an hour! The number means nothing without being able to relate it to the range/units.

They might as well say nothing unless they give you both.

[shaws Administrator]

Once upon a time, doctors listened to the patients' clinical symptoms and prescribed. Nowadays, they diagnose by the TSH with the result that many suffer as GP's don't know/wont prescribe on clinical symptoms alone.

If you look at the link About Testing and the other links within it it gives some good info.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/index....

[sandusky in reply to shaws]

I will thank you

[sewfossy]

B12 really helped me with carpel tunnel, I got sub-lingual B12 online which disolves in your mouth. You need B vits to convert T4. As for bone pain Vitamin D made a huge difference for me, and you need vit D for thyroid hormones to work at a cellular level.

[sandusky in reply to sewfossy]

Thank you for that information - I am taking B vitamins and also vit D but maybe not enough. How long did it take for you to feel an improvement?

[Hidden]

I would specifically add on vitamin B6 for carpal tunnel syndrome too. Didn't get rid of mine by any means, but noticed significant improvement specifically with this rather than B12 which I started much later.

As suggested already, I would recommend vitamin D3 too, (testing if in doubt) and perhaps even Magnesium, but if you do supplement D3, (odds on you will need much more than the supermarket strength 400iu tablets!) then look into supplementing vitamin K2 too, as that in close conjunction is involved in how calcium is used & regulated too, and I have come to believe it wise to take if you do supplement D3 (lots of info on-line: in fact researching ALL the suggestions given on this site is always a very good idea, and best not to take any one suggestion [mine included!] without looking into it closely first, as even with the best will, there are some strange or conflicting suggestions sometimes!)

I always find this amusing (well I would if it was not so important!) when you have bloods clearly below range, yet I can probably bet money on that just being ignored and not even commented on by you GP? I have had this problems so many times myself, and constantly wonder why they bother taking these tests, when they don't know or even try to find out what it is, or to do when they are definitely NOT "normal"

[sandusky]

Thanks you for your thoughts on this. I will indeed research more but have been looking into so much already onlne it can get confusing. I havent heard of vit K2 but will look it up - is vit D3 the same as vit D? Thanks again. Ali

[MSC56]

I can say Sandusky, I have the same exact problem! Just got my endo after years of going to him to test for t3, (can you imagine I had to argue for this??) and he wrote me an email to say it was "normal" and I wrote him back saying why, then do I have no eyebrows anymore, my symptoms are all the same as if I was not on any meds (I take 150 levo) and I also have carpel tunnel which I have had for 16 years now...it is so frustrating!!!!!! I take 6000ius of VitD3 daily, B6 and B12 complex, Vit C with zinc, Primrose Oil which is suppose to help with hair falling out..(so far, no) and when I say to my GP that it seems nothing is working, she looks at me like I am crazy. I went into both their offices with no make-up on recently which means I did not pencil in my eyebrows! This made a shock for both the endo and the GP but so far...the end result is this (your test results are normal!) I do not know myself what to do next................except maybe move to Crete and treat myself!!!!!!

[sandusky in reply to MSC56]

Such a difficult thing to get the doctors to take seriously. Have a look at the comment left by Zabby below, it could be of interest....

[Zabby]

I think you need to have decent iron levels in order to use thyroid hormone properly. This website explains it: stopthethyroidmadness.com/f...

[sandusky in reply to Zabby]

Thank you for that info Zabby, I have briefly looked at it this evening but will study it in depth - I will need to reread several times as there is quite a lot of information which is very new to me. Thank you again. Ali

[LozzA59]

I'm only recently diagnosed after being told for years my bloods were normal.I have most of your symptom too.

I have gained so much weight even though I eat healthily, I have lost most of my eyebrows and some eyelashes, I'm permanently tired, aches and pains, depression, and generally feeling ill! One of my GPs regular answers was 'It's a virus'! How could it be when I could feel terrible one day then fine the next!? Like someone elses comment on here: Some days you feel fine in the morning only to feel terrible by the end of the day and vice versa.

I feel better in myself having found this site with all of you fellow sufferers, knowing that I'm not going around the bend!

Thanks.