Results - any help please?

[Parksie7]

Well, I have a multinodular goitre but results are always 'normal', ok etc... I have felt shocking for the past two years. Never great before that, but absolutely terrible more recently.

In the past month or two I have been feeling hideous - shaky, stressed, palpitations, missed period, very high blood pressure, headache, ear pain. I have had appointments for various things and I have been asked three times by healthcare practitioners if I am 'normally this anxious' - well, actually, no I am not normally this anxious...

Anyhow, I had some blood tests - low haemoglobin, low B12 (sorry, no exact values)

TSH 0.17 (range 0.5 - 6)

Free T4 14 (range 9 - 24)

I had repeat tests and the results are -

B12 and haem are 'borderline' and see GP at my next appointment (thankfully only 8 days away)

TSH 0.13 range as above

Free T4 15.3 range as above

Free T3 (hurrah for a knowledgable GP!) 4.7 (range 3.5 - 6.5)

I am delighted that my GP did the ft3 - a previous GP at the surgery refused when I had a similar pattern of TSH/fT4 in the past... However, I am really surprised that my freeT3 is fairly midrange. I suspected that one of the nodules in my thyroid is secreting T3 as that would explain the symptoms and the falling TSH and fT4 (test before this was TSH 0.5 and ft4 15), but it seems that is not the case.

I do see an endo, but at my last appointment we only discussed the possibility of RIA for the goitre which is large and causing some deviation and slight narrowing of the oesophagus. I am not fully committed to RIA as I can't bear the thought that I might become hypo and feel worse than I do now (I can't imagine feeling worse). The endo always considers my thyroid results to be normal. I have an informed consent form to sign for rhTSH prior to RIA for my thyroid. If there is an active nodule then I don't want to have the rhTSH or the RIA unless they know what they are dealing with.

Not sure how to progress this now. I have a GP appointment for the 28th - no idea what I want from it. I feel almost too tired to care.

Nearly forgot, I had antibody tests which were all negative at the time. Family history of multinodular goitre - mum and sister have and partial thyroidectomies, but function ok. History of hyperthyroid - auntie and two cousins had treatment many years ago for hyperT.

I know that my GP will give me B12 and iron as they are 'borderline' but my TSH has been fluctuation over the past year or two. I can find the fT4 results also, if it helps, but the TSH has been 0.13, 0.35, 1.0, 1.1, 0.5, 0.17 and 0.13 over the past two years.

Not sure where to go next with this. Any thoughts on what on earth is going on will be really appreciated.

I hope that this makes some sense.

Lx

ETA I have low vitamin D which I am currently supplementing.

[Parksie7]

Hi

Thanks for taking the time to read (long post, sorry!) and reply. For the folate, ferritin etc, I haven't been to my doc so I don't have th actual numbers, but working on the basis that if they are low or borderline for the NHS then they are certainly low!

My mum was and sister is ok post- partial thyroidectomy, but I have nodules everywhere they only had isolated nodules so part removal isn't really an option for me.

Sadly, I am on the wrong side of 40 now, but do you have any more info on why the RIA is dangerous below 40? I would like to have a look at it as it might still be helpful.

I am hesitant to have surgery and my endo wouldn't remove by surgery at the moment anyhow as he is very pro-RIA, and it is tempting from a recovery point of view.

I guess my biggest issue at the moment is my tsh bouncing around and feeling very hyper with no results to back it up.

Thanks again.

Lx

[Parksie7]

Thank you for the info. I will do some more research. I don't feel well enough to go through the RIA or anything at the moment anyhow. Perhaps I should question my endo on his beliefs with regards to t4/t3 replacement before I commit to anything... Lx