I Need To Know

[Broken-one]

So I took a third test for my thyroids because I had a an abnormal test result. My TSH is 3.34, FREE T3 is 229 and FREE T4 is 0.9! I don't know what thus means and what is means by abnormal. Does the results indicate Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism? What's the difference?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Broken-one Can you please provide the reference ranges for all your tests, as they vary from lab to lab no-one can really make any accurate comment, particularly as your FT3 is a most unusual result. Can you please just check that as FT3 usually has a very small range, something like 3.1-6.8.

Hypothyroidism is under-active where your thyroid gland does not produce enough of the pro hormone T4. T4 is converted to T3 which is the active hormone.

Hyperthyroidism is over active where the too much thyroid hormone is produced.

You can read about both conditions here thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... - scroll down for links to both conditions.

[greygoose]

Are you sure you got that Free T3 right? I would expect someone to be very ill if they had an FT3 that high! Do you have the ranges for those results (the numbers in brackets after the result. Are you sure it's the Free T3 and not the Total T3?

A little bit of explanation...

TSH is a pituitary hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland to make hormone. If there isn't enough hormone in the blood, the TSH rises. Anything over 3 means your gland is struggling to make enough hormone.

FT4 is the test for one of the hormones made by the thyroid gland, T4. It is a storage hormone, and has to be converted into T3.

FT3 tests the T3.

If you are hypo, you should have high TSH and low FT4/3.

If you are hyper, you should have very low TSH and high FT4/3.

You have a mixture of both, according to these results, and that is what is abnormal. Has it been like this for all three tests? If so, how do you feel?

[humanbean]

To add to the comments from SeasideSusie and greygoose could you post the units of measurement as well as the reference ranges, please.

[shaws Administrator]

Should your Free T3 be 2.29?

[Eddie83]

You need to provide the units for each test as well as the "normal range" that is printed on the lab sheet. Your TSH is really too high (indicating hypothyroid): the AACE range is 0.3-3.0 and functional medicine wants to see 1-2. (However, the average GP will look at 3.34 and blithely pronounce you "normal".)