GP on Monday, first after test results - what should I say?

[elkclan]

Hi - I've been feeling dreadful, bizarre periods, crazy weight gain, fatigue, sleepiness, brain fog, inattentiveness, dizziness, low grade sore throat, some skin dryness (I'm not a dry skin kinda person though). I had a blood test done to investigate my weird periods and suggested a thyroid because it runs in my family. The GP agreed. When I checked on the results - the receptionist said "all normal, but they want to recheck your thyroid next year. That didn't sound 'normal' to me, so I asked for a printout and got:

TSH level 5.34 - ref. .4 -- 5.00

T4 level 11.4 ref. 10-23

Which checking around sounds like I'd be getting treatment already in a lot of countries.

Anyway, this will be my first GP consultation since the blood test, so does anyone have some advice about what I should do and what I should ask for?

[Clutter]

I don't understand how TSH 5.34 which is over range can be considered normal. Your elevated TSH, low FT4 and clinical symptoms clearly indicate hypothyroidism. NICE guidelines recommend follow up testing in 3 months for subclinical hypothyroidism, but also say that clinical symptoms are usually not present. You need to stress your clinical symptoms and ask for a trial period of the starter dose 75mcg/100mcg with a follow up blood test 6 weeks later.

cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroid...

ps ask your GP for a thyroid peroxidase (TPOab) antibody test. Continual sore throat may be due to thyroid inflammation and the presence of autoimmune antibodies (Hashimoto's) usually means Levothyroxine is recommended when TSH is >5.

[elkclan]

I stressed the clinical symptoms and got a trial dose for 2 months. We'll see.