Undiagnosed thyroid issues

Hi all. Apologies for the length of post. Below is a list of what I am experiencing and my recent private blood results. Please advise! I am taking vits a, b6, b12, b complex, c, d3, e, k2 plus selenium, zinc, chromium, magnesium, digestive enzymes cod liver oil and flax seed oil. I am on blood pressure meds, co codamol for pain and naproxen. GP says not thyroid and wants me on anti depressants.

Since 2013:

Fatigue

Tiredness

Headaches

Lack of energy

Poor motivation

Confusion

Tearful

Low mood

Cold hands

Constant feeling of being cold

Difficulty shaking off colds

Aching joints

Difficulty concentrating

Poor memory retention

Difficulty articulating thoughts

Hair loss (lots)

Thinning eyebrows

Dry skin

Weight gain

Difficulty losing weight

Physical weakness

Hand tremors

2013 – signed off work 3 months (Chronic Kidney Disease)

2015 – signed off work 4 months (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)

ENDOCRINOLOGY

Thyroid Function

THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE 1.10 mIU/L Range: 0.27 - 4.2

FREE THYROXINE 15.6 pmol/l Range: 12.0 - 22.0

TOTAL THYROXINE(T4) 73 nmol/L Range: 59 - 154

FREE T3 3.9 pmol/L Range: 3.1 - 6.8

Thyroid Antibodies

Thyroglobulin Antibody 14.9 IU/mL Range: 0-115(Negative)

Method used for Anti-Tg: Roche Modular

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 12.6 IU/mL Range: 0 – 34

Method used for Anti-TPO: Roche Modular

Thank you.

[Ansteynomad]

I wouldn't bank your chances of getting a diagnosis, either NHS or privately, but you are in the same situation I was in for years, TSH not looking too bad, but FT4 in the bottom half of the range and FT3 even lower. Regardless of your TSH, you simply don't have enough thyroid hormone circulating in your body, hence the symptoms.

I was able finally, after nine years, to get somecLevothyroxine off my GP. That made an appreciable difference, but I then swapped to NDT. I'm now fit and well on 2.5 grains of Thyroid S.

Knowing what I know now, I would have started treating myself in 2004, which would have saved me from nine years of crushing fatigue and increasing disability.

The NHS have only ever diagnosed me with CFS and an unspecified sleep disorder.

[Hidden in reply to Ansteynomad]

Thank you so much for your response Ansteynomad. To be honest, I think the cfs diagnosis was just to shut me up and get me out if the surgery. It was a case of "you keep presenting with these symptoms, but I can't find anything wrong so I'm telling you it's cfs and hopefully you'll go away." There was no guidance or support offered as to what I should do. He did a tsh blood test but nothing more so I did the other tests privately. Even then, he said that everything was 'normal' and I need to change my lifestyle. Basically I'm at fault! I have reached a point where I am failing at work which leads to additional stress and anxiety. I don't know how to keep managing as I am. All the other symptoms are overwhelming and I feel like I'm sinking.

Can you please pm me to let me know where you get your ndt from and help me with how I start self medicating. I really need some help and guidance.

[birkie in reply to Ansteynomad]

Hi Ansteynomad

I'm just the same all my symptoms are hyper but I was diagnosed as having thiyrositis..I am attacking my thyroid I have flare ups quite oftern... hence me being up at this un godly hour!!! its strange because I also have CFS/fibro to...before I have a flare up I have the chronic fatique feeling if I do to much I need to rest...but then I have the hyper feeling and can't sleep no matter how fatiqued I feel..the server sweating/shaking and hyper feeling keeps me awake..I've tried four times since ten o'clock to get some sleep but just as I'm dropping off I get the shaking irritating feeling and server sweating..I'm soaked!!! I'm also going threw he menupause but those symptoms are not like the symptoms I'm having...I only get a short feeling of warmth and a short flush and its gone!!! But the other symptoms last for hours...I get very little sleep...spoke to my gp but he says its not thyroid related..as my blood work is in normal levels he says its the menupause....he prescribed me 2 WK course of sleeping tablets...they did nothing..either they weren't strong enough or I'm over riding them because I still didn't sleep...I also have bad body pain..fatique,can't concentrate,'get headhachs I have no social life now as the condition is so bad ,,,,I'm also loosing some hair the showers always clogged up..I've started wearing hats as I can't style it anymore!! For the sweat...I'm also thinking of treating myself as my GP is just not listening ...

Birkie

[Musicmonkey]

What a pity your GP doesn't question why your T4 is so low Have you thought about changing doctor? Louse Warville at Thyroid UK can provide a list of sympathetic GPs.

Also, you could try speaking to your pharmacist as mine wrote to my GP to offer some support (I was medicated, but still not feeling well) and it triggered progress for me, although still on the journey to recovery.

[greygoose]

Ask your doctor to consider secondary hypo, which is a problem with the pituitary,, rather than the thyroid gland itself.

TSH is a pituitary hormone, and in secondary hypo the pituitary can't produce enough TSH to stimulate the thyroid gland.

Hence, you have low TSH, but also low FT4 and FT3, meaning that you have all the symptoms of hypo. Your FT3 is much too low for you to feel well.

[Hidden]

Thank you to everyone for the advice. I am going back to my gp this week - there is a new dr at the surgery. What should I be pushing for? What's my bottom line? What do I do if the blood results are ignored?

Thanks.

[PoDundee]

It might be worth getting tested for SIBO. 

draxe.com/sibo-symptoms/