Got my results

[Susi1691]

Got my test results recently , and wonder if anyone could help me understand it a bit more ?!

TSH 3.37 0.30 -4.20

T4 10.9 12.00 -22.00

Ferritin 95

D3 81

Full blood count normal

Thank you

[shaws Administrator]

Hi susi1691

I don't know whether you have been diagnosed as hypothyroid and are on thyroid hormones. I looked on your Profile but there's no info.

If you are on levothyroxine your dose is too low and your TSH is too high. Your T4 is below range so you should be on levothyroxine if not already. So I would also imagine your T3 will also be low and that's the active hormone we need in order to function.

[Susi1691]

Hi Shawn,

Thanks for your reply.

I just got my results , and my GP said I am borderline. I asked for T3 , but she said it is not necessary, and also wants me to way another 3 months to do another ( the same ) test. I would like to start treating it now, and not wait, but I dont really know where to go for that, as I would prefer to be on ndt.

Any thoughts about that ?

[greygoose in reply to Susi1691]

Did you point out to your GP that your FT4 is UNDER-range? I think she only looked at the TSH - which she would consider 'borderline' - although in any other country apart for the UK, you would be considered hypo with a TSH of 3.37. I think she needs to Wake up and do something now. Maybe you have to be a little more insistant. Point out the fact that you are symptomatic and that waiting another 3 months could do more damage. They really are hopeless, aren't they!

[Susi1691 in reply to greygoose]

She said my TSH is normal . I asked about checking T3 , she said it is hardly needed. In between her 1.500 Hypo clients only once it was needed. Asked when?! She said the client was in a coma.

She did offer to put me in Synthetic straight away, but I would have to take it for the rest of my life. I should go home and consider. I am looking for other options.

Since I was firstly diagnosed recently, to repeat the text in 3 months is procedure.

Looking in every corner possible for the best way to go with it....

[greygoose in reply to Susi1691]

Your doctor has very little understanding of the Thyroid - how it works, how to diagnosed, how to treat. You won't have to stay on thyroid hormone replacement because you started it, you will have to stay on it because your thyroid isn't working properly anymore. Big difference! And your thyroid obviously isn't working properly anymore because the thyroid hormone - T4 - is Under the range.

TSH is not a thyroid hormone, it is a pituitary hormone - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. And it may be in range, but the range is too high. A person with no thyroid problems has a TSH of 0.8 to 1.25.

If people are put on THR when they Don't need it, they will become over-stimulated and have to stop - they Don't have to stay on it for the rest of their lives just because they started taking it. She's got things upside down as most doctors do - they are so fond on putting the cart before the horse!

So, what will happen if you Don't go onto THR if you do need it? Well, your metabolism will get slower, you'll put on more weight, your heart, liver and kidneys will be affected, become sick, until one of them kills you. You will probably become more and more depressed, lose your hair - your teeth even - it's not a pretty picture at all.

I Don't think your doctor knows what T3 is. It is the active hormone that every cell in your body needs. The thyroid produces a little, but most is converted from T4 - the synthetic THR that your doctor is offering you. However, not everybody converts very well, it is therefore important to test the T3 to know how much you've got to live on, and how well you're converting that T4. And she thinks that isn't important? pfft!

So, what other solutions are you hoping to find? lf it were just a convertion problem, it might be sorted by nutrition. But you Don't even have enough T4 to convert. How are you going to force your thyroid to produce more when the TSH isn't managing to do it?

Did she at least test the antibodies? TPOab and Tgab. If you have high antibodies, it could be that your gland has been destroyed by them. There is no solution for that. Just Thyroid hormone Replacement.

I know that none of this is what you want to hear, but it's the facts that all of us here have come to accept. And we've learnt to be as well as we can despite all that. However, if you do find another solution, please let us all know because we'd all love to have an alternative if one exists.

[Susi1691 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, she seems to think that she knows more than she does probably , and it was shocking to hear that the client had to go into coma to have the T3 tested. So I surely fell discourage with her, and that is what I meant by looking for other options , also what kind of hormone replacement to take etc...

[greygoose in reply to Susi1691]

OK, I understand! Well, I hope you find someone better. But, with thyroid hormone replacement, you can never know what is going to suit you until you try it. There's just no other way. Which is why some people say it's a good idea to start with Levo - because Levo does suit a lot of people, and it's the cheapest and most easily available.

Are you in the UK? In which case you will have a hard time getting NDT prescribed because doctors know nothing about it. You would have to buy it yourself, more than likely. And, although it's touted as all-natural and the best there is, it doesn't suit everybody. And the only way to know is to try.

Then there's T3, either with or without T4. But, again, you'd have a hard time getting it prescribed because - as you've just found out - doctors know nothing about T3. And it's very, very expensive in the UK!

So, those, really, are your options. Sad, but true.

[Hidden]

Hello susi1691,

Your GP will only offer Levothyroxine and then only if your TSH is >10 or >5 with hypothyroid symptoms.

What symptoms are you experiencing?

Flower007

[Susi1691]

OMG ! So I guess the only way would be with a private endo ? Do you know how could I get blood tests on my own ? I wonder how usually people go about treating themselves in this case .

Some of the symptoms are, need to be in bed a lot , always having a cold, head aches,body temperature very low , making it difficult , besides all my profession is very physical .

Thank you Flower