Thyroid testing

[panda60]

Hello

This is my first visit to your site and I would like some advice. I am 61 and have been having my thyroid tested on and off for over 30yrs as my mother has under active thyroid and I have suffered from fatigue most of my life but the tests results have been normal.

Since 2000 I have been diagnosed with Hughes, mild lupus and more recently fibromyalgia. I go through periods where I feel very unwell, like at the moment, and the exhaustion makes life very hard as do the memory and cognitive functioning. It probably isn't linked to my thyroid but are there any blood tests apart from the ones that are normally carried out?

Thanks

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our site.

I am sorry you are unwell and also have other autoimmune conditions. Thyroid problems usually run in families. I guess you probably first had your symptoms shortly after the thyroid gland blood tests became the way of diagnosing patients in the late 60's. Before that patients were diagnosed according to clinical symptoms and prescribed natural dessicated thyroid hormones.

Around ten years after the blood tests came in three 'new' diseases were name:- Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and M.E!!

Doctors don't know clinical symptoms of thyroid gland problems anymore it would appear, otherwise there would be no need for us to be searching websites. The diagnosis on blood tests alone is flawed.

First thing to do is if you have had a recent thyroid gland blood test, please get a print-out from the surgery complete with the ranges and post on a new question. If you need another, ask your GP to do the Free T4 and Free T3 too (probably wont) and Vitamin B12, Vit D, iron, ferriting and folate and post on a new question. Just tell him you want to get to the bottom of what's wrong with you and you have been ill long enough.