So I've been feeling like complete crap. No easy way to put it. Tired no matter how much I sleep, having trouble falling and staying asleep as well. Hair is dry and falling out, skin is dry, eyes are sensitive to light, I've had about a fifty lb. Weight gain since February. Those are just a few of my symptoms. My mother and grandmother both had thyroid problems, so needless to say it raised a lot of questions for me when I started feeling bad. I had the ths test done about ten years ago when I had similar issues, and was told the level was normal. I just recently had another ths and again am being told it is in normal range. The level came back at 2.04, which is in the normal range, but not an optimal value???? I'm so confused, and I'm still feeling terrible. I literally have no energy, my joints ache, etc.
Ths level is 2.04, T4 was not tested. - Thyroid UK
Ths level is 2.04, T4 was not tested.
Sorry you're going through this. My endo says that the latest thinking is that the tsh should be below 2 - closer to 0. But then tsh on their own tell you nothing. You need free t3 and free t4 plus antibodies testing. You could also have adrenal issues but my endo just dismisses those. You can get saliva testing done by post. I've given up gluten too, as that's the common advice. I had to practically stomp on my GP to take my symptoms seriously. He just gave me mental health questionnaires!! Don't take no for an answer! If all else fails, get the tests done privately. Good luck!
I am in the same situation as you my TSH came back as 1.67, yet I have tingling hands and feet, tinnitus, constipation, very high cholesterol, fatigue lack of energy, poor sleep pattern, dry skin, split finger nails, aching joints, I have a feeling of a lump in my throat, choking fits the list goes on and on. Still my GP says that if the TSH level is normal they don't test T4 and T3, although this time she has agreed to test my antibodies, probably because I have RA so have an auto-immune condition already. I did have a very low D3 level of 11 a couple of years ago and take daily D3 supplements now, my rheumatologist wrote to my GP and suggested hypothyroidism then. Have you had D3 levels tested? Why is it you have to fight a GP to find the answers all you want is to feel better it is very sad that some are so ignorant, one told me not to be so silly and go away. I hope you get answers
This sounds so familiar to me, I have all the same problems and every time my doctor requests the T4 and T3 tests the hospital refuse saying that my TSH is within the normal range so they will not test. Wrote a long list of symptoms and gave to my doctor but he has not contacted me to discuss this. I too am fed up of feeling this way.
I'm having the same problem with my GP. The reason given is that the local CCG have passed an edict that says if the TSH is within 'normal' range it won't test FT3 or FT4 at the request of a GP and we all know that this is no good to people graves and hyper. Because I ended up seeing an endo privately because of the waiting list at the local NHS hospital I now have to pay for private blood tests. If you have an NHS endo they can request the tests and they will be done
I feel very sad this is happening to you. You are not alone is this battle. So very many of us have a fight to get taken seriously. Two endos dismissed me as my TSH, and T4 were in the normal range...and totally ignored my list of symptoms. One even went so far as to write in his report a heavy suggestion that I was a hypochondriac!
I went to the other partner in my GP practice and asked him what he thought was the matter with me if he totally ignored the THS and T4 result. Thankfully for me he is an honest and thoughtful GP, and he admitted he had been convinced I was hypothyroid...until the results came back in. He said he would retest all my bloods again, including T3.
In the meantime I'd learned as much as I could take in because of brain fog, from this wonderful site and so when these results came back I was able to point out that my TSH was rising, my T4 was low in range and dropping, and my T3 low in range and therefore not good.
He offered me a low starting dose of Levo to see if my symptoms improved. They did. Gradually since then the dose has been raised following blood tests, and my reporting back re symptoms.
My joints are very much improved. I used to have to bandage my wrists to take away the pain...no longer have that problem. My hips are better. My hands are better. My weight is slowly decreasing....two stones, since I saw the last endo. The fluid retention is no longer such a nightmare. I don't feel frozen cold all the time, etc etc. Despite a very stressful period in my life, my brain fog is far less, and my thoughts are clearer.
Last summer I felt so ill, I couldn't possibly have dealt with all I've had to deal with in the past year.
Learn as much as you can. Hypothyroidism can pass down thro the family. It has in mine. My mother was hypothyroid in the days when drs took notice of symptoms, and before the wretched TSH test.
Keep a personal record of your blood results, so you know where they are in range.
I wish you love and success.
xxx
TSH is a lousy diagnostic tool because it isn't even a thyroid hormone. You need to have the full panel for primary hypothyroidism: TSH/FT3/FT4/rT3/TPOAb/TGAb. You need to find out if you have Hashi's, which can really muck things up. Your symptoms scream HYPOTHYROID! Look up the list of 300+ symptoms listed on hypothyroidmom.com; your doctor should have diagnosed you via symptoms rather than the stupid TSH. I suspect you would feel like a new person on NDT, or a T3+T4 combo. If you cannot get treated by a doctor, then you may have to self-treat.
Personally I feel like crap with a tsh that's not very low. That level of tsh would make me very hypo.
Are you able to pay for your tests for ft4 and ft3? I hope you find another doctor who doesn't consider the "tsh within range" as just "fine".
I never really believed the tsh to be a good indicator of my well being. I've always been within range with utterly hypo symptoms.
youtube.com/watch?v=tOb2POQ...
Always makes me laugh but it explains things very simply about the TSH test.
I've had the same myself for yrs, only test the TSH, tell me everything is normal and ignore my very obvious symptoms. However with the advice of someone who lives across the road from me, a psychiatric nurse, yes a lowly psychiatric nurse, not a Doctor, not an Endo(went to one of them, privately, a waist of time and space, avoid Dr Toft at ALL COSTS(£200 in my case) would be my advice. Anyway, the psychiatric nurse, who I have to emphasize is NOT A DOCTOR, suggested that I get a thing called a THERMOMETER and track my tempreature-Guess what its low and Ive been moaning to them for several yrs about cold intolerence and Im just above hypothermia a lot of the time. Presented the evidence that they cannot dismiss and argue against ie that which came from a £10 thermometer and suddenly THE DOCTOR got blinded by the light and suddenly decided that I may indeed have a thyroid issue and is going to test TSH/FT4/FT3. Also admitting that the increase that has occurred in my TSH over the past year is indicative of a problem and that many of my symptoms would be explained by HYPO. So there you go, if your getting nowhere, buy a thermometer, track your tempreature and then present the evidence. It's also a lot cheaper than Dr Toft and unlike Dr Toft it also gets GPs to DO SOMETHING
Free T4 & THS blood tests?
High TPO 461.7 U/ml yet normal TSH/T4. Abnormal B12 + folate. Not getting anywhere, please advise. 
HELP!..Hypo or Hyper
Newbie with Hypo Symptoms. Tests norm. Please help :( 
