Bloods normal???

[Mama_K]

Hello all. This is my 1st post although I have been reading up for a few months now. I was diagnosed around a year ago and put onto 100mg levo. Over the last few months I have started to feel unwell again with many of the same symptoms as pre diagnosis. Just however had my yearly blood test and been told my thyroid is under control although my cholesterol has risen to 7.6. Went to see an enchrinologist in January after a refferal by my GP who is very good but told me it was not my thyroid again who basically said I was peri menopausal ( i'm 42 ) and although my bloods were at the higher end of normal no increase was necessary. Also had a cortisol blood test done but they came back normal too. I am now waiting to go back to my gp to explain I still do not feel well, aches depression tired all the time but am dreading him saying its not my thyroid again and nothing they can do. Can anyone give me any info about Armour and where I could get it with out prescription( pm me please into keep group rules ) if I am left with no option but to self medicate, or can anyone give me any advice on what to do next. I will be asking for my latest blood results when I go in on the 22nd although as I said GP told me over the phone they were normal. Thanks and apologies if i rambled on a bit xxx

[Marz]

There is no such thing as normal. You may like to politely ask your Doc - what is normal ? There is no definitive answer - what is normal for one is NOT normal for another. It may be in range - yes - but that does not mean you are well.

We can only really help when we see your results with ranges - TSH needs to be around 1 or below - FT4 high in the range and the FT3. Depression can be a symptom of inadequate treatment or LOW T3 and also LOW B12. Have you had it tested ? - along with Ferritin - Folate - Iron - VitD. Raised cholesterol is often linked with lowered metabolism - so may suggest your treatment is not working adequately....in that your T4 tablet is not converting into the ACTIVE T3.

As is so often suggested on this forum - it is important to obtain copies of all blood tests for your own records - it is a good habit to get into. Having results over the phone is not really a good option...

Not wishing to add to your woes - but have you been tested for Hashimotos - you would need to have had your anti-bodies tested. I wrote a post just a day or so ago about it so perhaps you missed it...

Hope you soon feel better.... healthunlocked.com/thyroidu.......

[Heloise]

Hi mama, such a ridiculous system that keeps people ill. There are many different treatments from synthetic to natural. Do you think an increase of what you are taking now would help? You are still on a moderate dose and this would be the easiest way to go.

If you cannot get any support from your doctors, you could add some T3 to what you are taking now and this might be the least expensive way to go. You'll have to find out about the price of Armour which is kind of a bio identical since it contains T4 and T3. Many find Armour preferable but not always for everyone. Your blood test results are really necessary for figuring out what is going on.

[Kernowlass]

Well I have had problems for 15 years! Never been sent to an enchrinologist even though I have asked! Have spells of feeling well then I either go hypo or hyper so my dose is altered then I go all right for a couple of months and back again either way depending on whether my levothyroxine dose was increased or decreased. My blood pressure which I am treated for as well goes high and is normal when I feel well! I was tested for cholesterol when I was hypo in March and that was high too! I was unable to continue to work last time I had a hypo session! I have been told the normal ranges and that on occasions when I don't feel well I am in those ranges so no need to alter meds! I have also been told it is menopause but now after over 10 years they are telling me it is depression!

One nurse practitioner says TSH level should be 2 - not below or above! How you achieve that I have no idea! Often my T4 is high but my T3 is low! But having the blood test results are no use as no one takes any notice! I have had enough!

If anyone has a plan to stop this nonsense let me know! I signed the petition but nothing is happening to alter things and treatment! It is our lives they are playing with!

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Kernowlass]

TSH level: Short answer - You don't. Most healthy people seem to have a TSH between 0.5 and 1.5. TSH varies throughout the day (by about 75%) and also has a monthly or seasonal cycle. So TSH is a very poor measure of anything except ... TSH. It's very accurate test - it measures the TSH level in minute detail - but without knowing what it was every hour of the day, every day of the year, when you were well, there's nothing to measure it against - for you. And without free T4 and free T3, it's not possible to tell what effect the TSH is having - if any - on your thyroid. If your T3 is low, you aren't converting T4 to T3 properly. Could be a genetic defect, meaning you definitely need to take T3, or it could be low ferritin and/or folate, lack of selenium or zinc, sensitivity to goitrogens like cabbage and soya, estrogen dominance, etc. So your T3 might rise on its own if the underlying problems are fixed.

A nurse practitioner isn't an endo and yours obviously doesn't know that TSH varies from hour to hour.

Sorry, I'm ranting

[Mama_K]

Thanks to all who have commented. I phoned my GP this morning and asked for my blood results. They very kindly printed them straight away but its a full blood count and I can't make head nor tail of them. The only indication of T4 says will be filed as 41.000???? any help on this again x

[Muffy]

100mcg isn't that large a dose, so you could well need an increase to get your TSH around 1 and FT4 at the top end of the range.

[shaws Administrator]

I hate the word 'normal' when it refers to blood tests and not the patient. This word has been misused and should actually be called the 'reference range'.

If you email [e-mail] and ask for a copy of Dr Toft's Pulse Online article and question 6 would interest you and your doctor. Dr T recommends a low (below 1) or suppressed TSH or the addition of some T3 to a reduced T4. Maybe your GP would be amenable to increase your meds to reduce your TSH and see if this helps. Some people find they need a slightly higher TSH. The aim of thyroid hormone replacements is to give the patients 'normal' health not a 'normal' place within the blood test range. The way a patient tells if she/he is on optimum is that they feel normal with all clinical symptoms gone.

For us Thyroid Patients, it would appear that the only way to get better is to avoid Endocrinologist who don't appear to have a clue about the action of T3 or how many receptors we need to be activated by it. Instead they actually diagnose us by the TSH which is from the Pituitary Gland way.

Someone who has info that you requested will Private Message you. You can get well, despite the guidelines.

[stockman27]

Hi I am sorry to hear about your problems, basically even if your on your knees and your TSH is correct then the NHS will not treat you.

Its either down to depression or as you state pre men opausal and that is that.

There are a lot of other things that you may need to get you back into optimum health and the thing to watch out for and this is important. To much thyroxin and too low thyroxin may have the same symptoms.

I would not suggest self treating but if you have to google armour and see what you come up with. I can guarantee though if you think you can take Armour and all your problems go away it will not over night, You amy need oestrogen or DHEA or even prenen alone.

I wish you all the luck its a long dark road out there Also read as much as you can and look and learn.

Yours

John