I posted my results a few days ago but didn't have the ranges so I got them today and my results are
TSH 2.03. (0.34 - 5.6)
Ft4. 11.2 (7.9 - 20)
Ft3 4.2. (3.8- 6.0)
I have lots of symptoms, thinning body hair even losing my eyebrows, tired aching muscles, I'm slow at thinking and walking, I've gained some weight and I'm so irritable at times. Can someone enlighten me?
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Suzywong69
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This is a link which is self-explanatory. If you also have the clinical symptoms and I enclose a symptoms list you can discuss both with your GP. Many GPs don't consider hypo unless over 5 and some insist the TSH is 10 before treatment but you can copy these and discuss with your GP. I don't think they like to look at things from the internet but you can say you've got the information from Thyroiduk.org and leave them for his consideration.
Thanks shaws, I forgot to mention that I had antibodies done and he just said the test said low so I'm no wiser on that, but I will educate myself on thyroid,
Suzy, The symptoms you describe are hypothyroid and it is known that hypothyroid symptoms can precede abnormal thyroid bloods by years. Your blood results are all within normal range which means you will struggle to get a diagnosis and treatment until TSH is over range or FT4 or FT3 are below range. Your FT4 and FT3 are quite low although your TSH is low/normal which may indicate secondary hypothyroidism ie pituitary dysfunction inhibiting sufficient TSH being produced to stimulate your thyroid gland to produce enough thyroid hormone.
I would ask for thyroid bloods to be retested in 3/4 months to check whether your TSH has risen or whether your FT4 and FT3 have fallen. Make sure you have the blood test early in the morning when TSH is highest.
Thanks for your answers, I feel horrible today, my head is aching my body hurts , eyes are puffy, feel drained. I have a horrible feeling I'm going to have a tough time time waiting to be diagnosed by my doc! He says he'll repeat bloods in 6 months time but I may be back well before that.
Suzy, next time you see the doctor ask for ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate to be tested. They often become low/deficient prior to a hypothyroid diagnosis and low levels cause fatigue, musculoskeletal pain and low mood similar to hypothyroid symptoms. Post your results in a new question and members will advise whether supplementation is recommended.
In the meantime taking 1-2,000mg vitamin C may boost your immune system and give a little protection against winter colds and viruses which you'll be susceptible to when you feel low.
Yes I definately will ask. I will get some vit c too! It's so lovely to talk to people who feel the same and then you don't feel like your just being a hypocondriac
Suzy, Patients should never be labelled hypochondriac because of the doctors' inability to make a diagnosis. Perfect bloods when you are symptomatic means they've not done the right tests, the ranges are too broad or there is something wrong with the tests/protocols used to diagnose illness. The failure is the medical profession's, not the patients.
Most UK & US doctors will look at your TSH number and say that you are 'within the bounds of normality' whereas US functional medicine doctors tend to view a number higher than 2 as hypothyroid. Do you have your reverse T3 level as well because if this is high, it is my understanding that this blocks the Free T3 from working.
I have started taking a supplement which has made me feel beighter and has stopped the dizziness which was plaguing me. It has also helped a friend who has been on Thyroxine for about 20 years. It is NOW Thyroid Energy and not expensive.
Seventy to 80 percent of T3 is produced within the cells of the body (from T4), so blood levels do not by any means tell the whole story. The conversion of T4 to T3 is performed by the deiodinases, enzymes which contain selenium. Selenium can be depleted by mercury (found in dental amalgams, some vaccines, fish, coal fired power stations, etc.) which reduces the conversion of T4 to T3 within cells.
Your symptoms are much more important that lab results - a fact that most doctors do not realize. It is also important to check your cortisol levels - a saliva test is best - as cortisol is required to enable the utilization of thyroid hormones. If you take thyroid hormones when you have low cortisol it will make you hyper.
Two books which may be of use are Stop The Thyroid Madness and Mercury Poisoning: The Undiagnosed Epidemic.
Hi Suzy,I was hypothyroid symptomatic for years,but levels always came back"normal".Near3 years ago I was diagnosed with ME/CFS although there are no specific tests for it,more a process of elimination.After my fainting spells became more frequent and a couple of visits by ambulance to A&E my husband insisted that we seek a specialist.Went to a neuro- endocrinologist who is renowned here in Ireland for his work with ME.He treats symptoms but checks bloods as well,before even doing the bloodwork he figured I was hypothyroid.Sent blood to France to check RT3,not done here or UK I think,U.S.A. check it almost always.He also tested my cortisol and adrenal function.My RT3 was raised,causing hypothyroid symptoms,but it's the ratio of FT3 to RT3 that he looks at even more...it should be between 20 and 30.Mine was 2,,,yep almost zero.My morning cortisol was low,as was my DHEA(adrenal function),indicating extreme adrenal fatigue which caused secondary hypothyroidism,he reckons I,ve been years getting this bad.My other thyroid levels were all at the very bottom of the"normal" range,thus making me normal as far as GPs concerned,or dramatic was another word used!He started me on pure T3 medication,Thybon here...Cytomel is another brand of it.I take 20mcg daily...my BP has come up to normal for the first time in years,I rarely faint,my hands and feet are no longer like ice blocks and I have some energy back.I,m on it 8months now...he then put me on DHEA meds to try to get my adrenal glands back in action as they,in turn,will help my thyroid.He says it took years to make me this bad so it will take lots of patience and rest and proper nutrition to get me up and going again,but I am definitely improving...even my GP is amazed by all of this.Read up as much as possible on it,I did and still do,educating yourself is really important,my endo also stresses that..it means that you are taking some control over your own health.But I know I have been very lucky to meet such a broad thinking professor,he is 87 years old and still brilliant.Every doctor in Ireland knows him,but his recommendations are still not put in place,all about money,cost of tests and sticking to"ranges".I,m a teacher and it would be like me saying that a child who scored 4/10 in a test was at the same level as a child who scored 9/10 and I should treat them the same...just because 4/10 is considered a"pass" mark...I would consider myself a very poor teacher if I followed that theory,and any doctor whose child scored 4/10 would be very quick to point it out to me.Hope this info helps in some way,don't let yourself get as bad as me if you can get help beforehand.Good luck
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