17 Years old TSH of 277 when diagnosed and Free T4 of 0.8 anyone ever heard of a level this severe?

[Ed_lum]

I am just interested to know if anyone has ever heard of a level this high/ T4 low? I was diagnosed at the age of 17 and now a year on I am great. Currently on 125micro-grams

[Hidden]

Glad you are doing so well Ed_lum; it's good to hear.

[nobodysdriving]

I don't think the blood test results make much difference...it's how you feel, if you felt 'dreadful' and now you feel great then that's all it matters

so here's to you feeling well

x

[RustyMary]

I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago with TSH of 240 and free T4 1.59 - my doctor had never seen blood results this bad, though yours are even worse! I'm really happy to hear you are doing well after a year and hope I will be too!

[Ed_lum in reply to RustyMary]

Yeh I was the same that's why I was intrigued, my endocrinologist and doctor who had practiced for 40 years had never seen levels like mine. I was diagnosed 2 days after my IB exams and suspected I have had it maybe all my life progressively worse or maybe just 2 years before. I had extreme anxiety when I had it but now that has completely gone! Looking back on photos I was really stocky and my neck was huge, now after a year I look quite different.

[RustyMary in reply to Ed_lum]

Good to know, Ed! I'm a lot older than you (52) and I've no idea how long I've had it, as my symptoms all looked like something else as I have a history of allergies and asthma. The doctor said he didn't know how I was still walking around, 'How bad can it get?' he said! I'm so pleased to hear that you have recovered so well, it gives me a lot of hope.

[Ed_lum in reply to RustyMary]

They said exactly the same to me! It's amazing how you feel after you take the levothyroxin, it may take a while but it's fascinating how a single pill a day can completely change your life! Just out of interest did your family have any history of hypothyroidism? Mine don't have any and that why it took so long to be diagnosed. I went to the doctors about 20 times in 2 years and they said it was anxiety every time, it was very frustrating

[RustyMary in reply to Ed_lum]

Blimey, I should think it was! I was very lucky with my doctor, I live in Slovenia (although I am British) and he sent me for a blood test which here includes TSH, free T3 and free T4. He called me as soon as he got the results, and I went to see the endocrinologist the very next day! I count myself so fortunate to live in a time and place where this can hopefully be fixed on one pill a day as you say. I suppose 100 years ago women my age would have quietly faded away and died and no-one would have thought anything much of it. There's no other hypothyroidism in my family, but there are some other autoimmune disorders - my brother has Coeliac's, and I thought initially that that's what my digestive problems were. When he told me I had hypothyroidism, I could see I actually had all the symptoms, but thought they were all to do with something else. Great to talk to you and hear you have made such a good recovery

[TSH110]

That is massive! So glad you are doing well now. I nearly pegged it and my TSH hit just 110.

Don't believe having a family history if hypothyroidism makes diagnosis any quicker they just ignored me when I told them and not one gp ever ran tests in the thyroid it was the menopause it was depression it was my heart it was my colon it this it was that ...blah blah blah till it nearly killed me.