Help, feeling under active thyroid symptoms but gp blood tests show within range. Have requested t3 and t4 after talking to gp.

[Brassband]

Any help would be really appreciated. Struggling with fatigue, lethargic, tiredness, exhaustion, low mood because I feel so tired all the time.

My mum, daughter and sister all suffer with their thyroid. My sister has hashimotos and on medication, my daughter is on 150 Levo a day and my mother has under active thyroid also taking Levo medication.

June 2014 I went to gp and he did a full blood test and my TSH was 1.5 (Range 0.3-5.5) but no t3 or t4 tested.

I have since had two more blood tests done and the gp last time specifically requested t3 and t4 to be tested once I had explained the family history etca nod that since June 2014 I have still felt awful. More recently, I felt so ill the gp signed me off work for several weeks because I felt so exhausted. The gp's tried to suggest I may have depression or post traumatic stress when the blood results stated I was within range. This is something I've never thought I have.

I will phone my gp this week and request copies of my last two blood results and post them up too. Any advice or suggestions would be great. Thank you.

[shaws Administrator]

The Free T4 and Free T3 blood tests are the best to suss out what may be wrong. Did you have the antibodies checked too?

I will give you the interpretation and don't go for the anti-d's yet as it runs in your family. Your GP might be only taking the TSH into account as the prime test, i.e. make their diagnosis on the TSH alone. Some labs don't do FT4 and FT3 if TSH is 'in range' which yours is but you could get a private one and the labs are in Thyroiduk.org and you get a small discount.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

The next blood test should be the earl poyssible and fast. If you were on thyroid hormones you'd leave about 24 hours between the last dose and the test.

Also get checked vitamin B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.and make sure the previous blood tests also have the ranges as labs differ in their ranges.

[HarryE]

You can also get your own blood tests done if your GP won't do them

[Heloise]

Hi Brassband, I'm sorry you have been trained to believe that any NHS doctor is qualified to treat all hypothyroid conditions. I've been reading these texts for three years and there are very few who are doing right by their patients. You should fire them all, your mother's your sister's and your daughter's. This is such a serious condition and they are treating it like it's a cold. You have to have your FT4, FT3 and even reverse T3 in the right proportion. If they are not, you have to find out why and find out if adrenal output of cortisol is the problem. You have to know if your iron levels are high enough to allow your T4 to convert and bind to the active T3. You have to have enough T3 to sustain your metabolism which means you digestion, your breathing, your thinking, your muscles and if they are all inefficient, you will go on to other problems like depression, severe fatigue, weight gain, pain wherever and whenever.......depending what your personal weaknesses are I guess.

I do go ranting at times and I shouldn't condemn all doctors as their training often does not encompass everything they need to know or have the time they are allotted to help you. You really are going to have to take over some of that burden yourself. I hope my remarks don't upset you.

youtube.com/watch?v=T_Re4ja...(Not working as expected?)

[Jose651]

Hi Heloise,

You are perfectly correct in your comments. The posts that I have read on this forum(, going back years mind you ) clearly demonstrates that a lot of GPs are not moving with new researches.

When I was having a discussion last week with my GP one comment she made was "its only Thyroid" .My family are disgusted with the length of time it took to

get a diagnoses of B12d.

She is now injecting me with b12 herself and has sent out a district nurse Thursday past and on Tues and Thus coming.

For me, it is Too little, Too late as I'm using a walking stick .

👍

[shaws Administrator in reply to Jose651]

I'm sorry Jose that you have to use a walking stick now and hope that it will improve. It is ridiculous that your deficiency wasn't diagnosed much sooner.

My mother was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia and was given 1/4ly injections until 20 years later GP told her she didn't need any more B12 injections. Needless to say she died very prematurely due to this wrong advice.

[Heloise in reply to Jose651]

Jose, the video above is great. Dr. Bergman makes two great statements which I believe to be true. First we must respect our bodies and everything they do is an intelligent response to something so it's not just breaking down. Secondly, it will always work toward healing.

I think it's only the treatment that is at fault.

There is also newer information about B12 and I am glad you are getting injections.

[silverfox7]

You are right in thinking GP's don't take notice of research. Mostly when doctors say you are normal they really mean that you are in the range and not what is optimal for you! Read as much as you can and listen to your body

[TupennyRush]

Hi

I spent 6.5 years with normal Tsh but t3 and t4 below range or just above bottom by a max of 0.3. I became progressively more ill until I was sleeping 12-15 hours per day, was wearing two hot water bottles plus house over heated (hubby wearing shorts) and still cold, 7 day migraine every 14 days and having the intellect of a goldfish with memory to match. No eyebrows, no hair on arms and legs plus bald patches. Damage to my body has taken 2 years of meds (1 year levo and 2nd on ndt) to get back to being me. Liver still problematic. Only 1.5 stone of the over 4 stone l put on lost since medicated. All the time having the cabal of quacks telling me nothing wrong or I was stressed/menopausal/over eating or my particular favourite causing all my symptoms by just being too fat.

So, I'm giving you the message that I wish I'd been given then; tsh is not the right way to diagnose hypo, if your t3/4 is in the lower end of the range insist they trial you on levo. When I finally got a diagnosis (changed GPS) he 'trialed' me on 25 mcg of levo for 6 weeks on the grounds that it wouldn't do any harm and my symptoms screamed hypo. By the time I'd got up to 75 mcgs and my bloods hadn't changed (tsh steady, t3/4 lower range) he confirmed my diagnosis. Ended up on 100 mcgs and now 2 grains ndt.

I have a strong family history on my mother's side of hypo problems. So, I know it's difficult because of brain fog but throw a tantrum until your GP tests t3/4 and if s/he won't give you levo if you're at the bottom end of the range then stage a sit in until s/he does.

On the other hand if your t3/4 come back mid range go back to drawing board. Good luck and be weller!