I'm new here and posted this a question first....not sure if it is better as a post or indeed what the difference is at the moment so forgive me if this is in the wrong place.
I've been suffering from practically all the symptoms of hypothyroidism for over 8 years now. It has been a living nightmare. I came across the symptoms of an under active thyroid a couple of weeks ago and the hairs on my arms literally stood on end, I have so many of the symptoms. I went to my GP and she agreed to do a thyroid test, I was sure it would show there was something wrong but she told me today that my test results were normal. My TSH was 0.67 and my FT4 was 12.8. Does that mean that my T4 is at the low normal range? My GP insists it's not my thyroid but has agreed to do a T3 test and test for antibodies. This is all very new to me....any help is greatly appreciated. I've tried everything to feel well....even agreed to antidepressants and mood stabilisers in the past, even though I knew it was not depression causing my symptoms. Now I'm told I probably have fibromyalgia or ME.
Written by
Funtimefrankie
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Not an expert but I think it might be better to repost this as a question and also put in the lab ranges with your results, they are the figures that will hopefully be in brackets next to your scores. It helps to know what they are. Hopefully someone will be able to help.
Really sorry - I can't believe I missed where you said you had already posted this as a question. So big apologies, hope someone can help you soon. Liz x
So sorry to hear of your struggles, so many people are in your situation. I was going to suggest for you to ask for your thyroid antibodies to be tested. Do you have family members with thyroid disease or autoimmune diseases?
8 years is too long!!!! it all boils down to your TSH blood test result. Doctors are told to diagnose with hypothyroidism when tsh goes above 10 but our bodies don't read medical text books and don't always do this! Do let us know your results when you get them.
Thanks Suze, I just had a little cry....I finally feel that I might be a least pointing in the right direction! I will definitely update my results once I have had the other tests. I'm in London. I want to get as much information as I can on this so that I can present it to my GP.
Don't get me going on ME/CFS. I've said my piece many a time on here. If your TSH is low AND your T4 is low AND you have hypo symptoms any doctor with a brain (which is relatively few) should start by suspecting secondary hypothyroidism. In which case the FT3 test is essential.
Also make sure you get your iron, folate, ferrin, B12 and Vit D levels tested as these can cause or contribute to your symptoms.
From personal experience I would also look at whether you might have adrenal involvement - there's a good questionnaire here adrenalfatigue.org/take-the...
Then I'd look at kidney function. I recently found out mine was well below normal and had been for several years. I have been treating it with Alpha Lipoic acid and it has made a big difference to my overall wellbeing.
Then - and this is vital - get into the habit of asking your doctor for print outs for ALL your test results whenever they are done and no matter what they are for. This is how I found out about my kidney problems. No place for the GP to hide.
Finally - get one or both of these books - "Your thyroid and how to keep it healthy", "Stop the thyroid madness".
Hello Rose, I made a list and am going to make sure my doctor runs all of the tests you mentioned. It really is about taking your health into your own hands isn't it! I kind of feel, that after all this time my doctor, knowing the severity of my symptoms, should have made sure I had all of the relevant tests but unfortunately that has not been the case. I'm about to have a FT3 test... If that comes back normal is it still possible to have a thyroid problem? I will definitely get one of the books and I am about to read up on adrenal fatigue. Thank you.
Some time ago I asked the question on this site....'How many off you have Fybro or ME aswell as a thyroid problem?'....I was not really surprised at the response I got ......alot of thyroid suffer's also develope Fybro/Me aswell....so it would seem likely that the two are linked in some way......I also asked the question on the Fybro UK site but the other way around ...the response was very similar......keep on to your Doc about your Thyroid .....persistance certainly pay's off.....
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.