Don't know what to think....

[Tateanne]

Apparently it's old age my aches and pains. I'm 43. Last test results were .6 higher so I ask you to tell me as even the bf agrees with doctor. Feel a fool but I just wanna be pain free

[PinkNinja]

Sorry for the delay. The site keeps logging me out while I'm typing!

You should not be feeling these aches and pains at your age (I'm the same age). I went to my GP saying it was probably my age and he said that I was too young to be feeling that way. It is NOT your age. Plenty of people significantly older than you do not have aches and pains, including my mother in law who is well into her 70s!

Your TSH is right at the top of the range which indicates that you most likely have an underactive thyroid. TSH rises in response to inadequate levels of thyroid hormone. Unfortunately many doctors are slaves to the numbers and it is difficult to get treatment.

TSH tends to be higher first thing in the morning and lower in the afternoon so having the test done in the morning can be a good idea.

I would ask the doctor to monitor this as it is right at the top of the range. If it continues you may be able to persuade the doctor to try thyroxine. The chances are that your TSH will rise over the next months or years but that doesn't help you now so if you can get a doctor to monitor the situation for a few months and then try treatment that would speed things up.

I notice they have only tested TSH. It would be a good idea to ask the doctor to test T4 and T3 (the actual thyroid hormones) as opposed to just TSH (a pituitary hormone which is affected by things other than the thyroid). This would give a better idea of what's going on. Some doctors will do it but others won't. You may find you need to see a different doctor about this. I had to see a few different ones at the same practice before I found someone who would even test my thyroid! I was repeatedly told I was lazy (I used to run 10k races and go to the gym 4 times a week and walk the 2 miles to work and back every day!) and I was eating too much (No!) when my thyroid first failed all those years ago. I went from doing all this at 9 stone to suddenly not being able to walk around the corner at 13 stone (in the space of 3 months!) and I was told I was just lazy! I did eventually find a great doctor about 3 months later and it turned out I had hypothyroidism.

There are other things that should be tested that could be affecting your thyroid function. If your GP is saying it is not your thyroid then he should test serum iron, ferritin, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D to rule out these very common deficiencies. There is a good chance these will also come back 'normal' but the 'normal' ranges are often far too wide and you may benefit from supplements so do post your results on the forum. Make sure you haven't been taking any supplements for a couple of weeks before the blood tests though.

Basically, it is NOT your age (other than the fact that hypothyroidism commonly starts at this age) and you are NOT going mad or being a hypochondriac or depressed or any of the other things you might be told. Your thyroid is beginning to struggle. This may be temporary but it may be permanent and it needs monitoring.

Have a look at the main Thyroid UK website (Thyroid Uk is actually the charity which set up this community). Here is the link:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/

If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Pink x

[Tateanne in reply to PinkNinja]

Thank you. I managed to convince the doctor to give me 25mg of levothyroxine. It was my eye ball wobble that helped that. Due for another blood test in 7 weeks to see results but she said that if it was too low they would be stopped. With bf agreeing with dr I'm so confused. So I've come on this site for opinions. I will try the drug and I will also ask for T3 and T4 to be tested as well in 7 weeks.

I don't want to give up. I don't want to put it down to age I'm not 70! Cos if I do....what will it be like when I'm 70?!?

Thank you again x

[PinkNinja in reply to Tateanne]

That's good that your GP has prescribed levothyroxine You may require an increase after about 6 weeks to feel any benefit and you may find that it needs to be increased further over the weeks and months if your thyroid function continues to decline. As long as your TSH is not below the bottom of the range, your GP should have no problem increasing your dose.

Do see if you can get the other tests done, including the vitamins and minerals I suggested as these are often low in people who have hypothyroidism (and often in people who don't).

It is best to get your thyroid test done first thing in the morning and then take your thyroxine dose immediately afterwards. Taking it right before can give some spurious results depending on timing.

Hopefully you feel some improvement in the coming weeks.

Pink x

[greygoose in reply to Tateanne]

Sorry, Tateanne, but what does your boyfriend know about thyroid? I should leave him at home, next time, if I were you!

Levo is not a drug, please don't call it that. It is thyroid hormone replacement. 25 mcg is a very conservative dose and may help you but may make you feel worse, so be warned - but never admit that to the doctor! After seven weeks, just say that you feel it is helping a little but you feel you need more. And, you might get it because your TSH could go up in seven weeks. Especially if you have your test very early in the morning, and fast over-night - have your breakfast after the test. And, leave 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test. That way, the TSH will be at its highest. And that is not cheating. Here, in France all blood tests are done early in the morning, no matter what they are, because that's when blood tests should be taken.

[Tateanne in reply to greygoose]

Thank you

[Hidden in reply to PinkNinja]

Hear, Hear really well said and advised x

[Hidden]

4.9 too high, get new bf.

[eeng]

You could try taking some Vitamin D - that helps some people, and as PinkNinja says, people with a struggling thyroid are often low in D, B12 etc. In the UK we have higher TSH ranges than a lot of other countries. In many countries we would be treated at a lower TSH level. You could try taking ThyroGold - it's a low level thyroid hormone dietary supplement (which means it isn't classified as a medication, but does contain something useful), and you have to buy it from the US. However if you find it gets rid of your aches and pains then at least you have confirmed what the problem is. Not all products described as thyroid support contain any hormone, and those that don't are probably a waste of money.

A problem in the UK is that anyone on Thyroxine qualifies for free prescriptions for the rest of their lives. This adds thousands to the drug budgets of GP practices, and in our area I keep hearing of people who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, prescribed thyroxine at a fairly low level for several years, then their doctor suddenly decides they are magically no longer hypothyroid and stops prescribing. Strangely every case I have heard of involves a male doctor and a female patient but that must be a coincidence.

If they want to cut down on their drug budgets they could easily say that for hypothyroid people their thyroid drugs are free but anything else gets paid for, like they do for the contraceptive pill. It's not rocket science. Rant over.

[Jazzw]

You can guarantee that if the doctor's TSH was 4.9 and he felt the way you do he'd get someone to write him a prescription for levothyroxine. Definitely not old age (not at 43!!).

[Clutter]

Tateanne,

For maximum absorption Levothyroxine should be taken with water 1 hour before or 2 hours after food and drink, 2 hours away from other medication and supplements, and 4 hours away from calcium, iron, vitamin D supplements and oestrogen.

It takes 7-10 days for Levothyroxine to be absorbed before it starts working and it will take up to six weeks to feel the full impact of the dose.

For your follow up thyroid test arrange an early morning and fasting (water only) blood draw when TSH is highest, and take Levothyroxine after your blood draw.

Most people will find symptoms resolve after their TSH drops to around 1.0 with FT4 in the upper range but symptoms can lag a couple of months behind good biochemistry.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

________________________________________________________________________________________

I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[Tateanne in reply to Clutter]

Thank you Clutter