I have a family history of thyroid problems. After feeling so unwell for so long I went to get my blood checked. My tsh is 4.2 normal range I'm told. A few years ago with the same systems I was tested 6months apart 1.9 & 2.
Iv been told I'm normal range & to get on stop worrying. Is that really it?
WITH A tsh OF 4.2 you would be treated most places in the world but in this country the TSH has a wide upper range which leaves a lot of people ill and without treatment. It would have been helpful if you GP had done T4 and T3 as well. You may have to think about treating yourself. Lots of people on this forum can help with that. There is a good book by Dr Peatfeild called some thing like ' How to look after your thyroid' which may help or another American book called 'stop the thyroid madness.'
Even if your TSH goes over range, they'll test your T4 & if that's in range, they'll ignore you. They call it "sub-clinical" Hypothyroidism.
I had high TSH results over a period of 5-6 years, often 9 & 10, but T4 always just in. I didn't do anything about it, as I didn't feel bad.
Worth doing this test bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/e...
(£10 off with code TUK). That will give you the full picture.
Post the results back up here. Then you can get advice to understand your condition & know what to say to the GP.
I agree with Knackersyard, make sure you take the test early in the morning and fasting. I also got the extra things of B12 etc done as the £10 off meant they were effectively free and found I was B12 deficient which is easily treatable and can make you feel really bad with similar symptoms. My TSH was very similar to you last year and eventually went up to 9.55 at which point my GP did decide to treat me and I started thyroxine in November, unhappily she also believes "in range" is normal so I still have a battle to get treatment which actually helps! Do be persistent and good luck! It is very hard to be un-listened to because your numbers on paper don't match with how rough you feel.
I also meant to say that it is very useful to know if you have antibodies as even here some GPs will treat you when your TSH goes over 4.5 if you have antibodies rather than waiting until you get to 10 by which time you probably will have many symptoms! (I don't have antibodies but was gluten and dairy free for most of the months before my tests). They may also consent to you having more TSH tests if you are positive for antibodies as it usually means that your thyroid is under attack.
Thank you for all your advise. I'm feeling terrible the tiredness is pushing me to breaking point & no amount of extra sleep or healthy diet is helping (as suggested 4 years ago my gp) iv got an gp appointment on Monday to discuss my results I want to ask for a antibodies test as well as the T4. Any advise to get a gp to listen?
The word "normal" is meaningless when your doctor does only the TSH, and treats only with T4. A competent thyroid doctor diagnoses and treats on the basis of (at least) all these tests: TSH FT3 FT4 rT3 TPOAb TGAb. If you cannot get on with a better doctor, tell your doctor that you want your TSH to be near the *bottom* of the TSH range, not near the *top*. I did not feel well until I was on T3+T4 and had dropped my TSH to 0.5. That (fairly low) TSH corresponds to pulling my FT3 level up into mid-range.
BTW chances are you have Hashi's, since it is the cause of most cases of hypothyroidism. Your doctor should be checking TPOAb and TGAb, and advising you on how to lower them.
I am in the same situation as you. Was diagnosed with sub clinical hypo and treated with low dose of Levothyroxine. I also have a strong family history of various thyroid issues ranging from grave disease to hypo. My doctor has been increasing very slowly mo dose but I am still feeling unwell and my tsh is still going slowly up but still considered "normal". I just learned from feedback given from my thread that my free t4 is actually too low 16 (range 12-22). Right now I am on 50 mcg of Levo everyday. My doctor is now sending me for a FNA biopsy as I have multi nodules but they were never biopsied. I can tell you that at a TSH of 4.4, I am feeling pretty crappy. I also was just diagnosed with sleep apnea and hope my cpap will help improve my sleep pattern and give me back some energy. Wishing you good luck in getting tested. What I learned now from this site is
1- get tested privately if your GP does not want to give you a full panel blood work
2- get also your b12, vitamin D, iron, ferritin and folate tested.
3- don't accept normal as an answer and ask for the actual results and post them here to get a feedback.
I know I learn a lot in a matter of just 24 hours coming here.
Take care
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