Hi i would like to know what tests i should be asking my doctor for. I recently had tsh it was.
Serum free t4 level 13.4 (11.00 - 22.6)
Serum tsh level 4.6 (0.2 - 4.00)
I was on 150g of levothyroxine and they phoned me saying i need to increase to 200g.
I suffer lots of limb pain, dry skin , brittle hair, fatigue and all the usual symptons as described in thyroid issues. This has been for around five years now. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 10 years ago. Ive just started looking into thyroid condition myself and realise the doctors are not doing anything except dosing me up on levothyroxine. Which i now know is not enough.
I have another appointment on friday and would like help in knowing what tests i should request. Thank you.
Written by
Kpbo5
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
If you are housebound due to illness, state you are housebound and ask for a vitamin D test. Point out to the GP you are aware this is one of the criteria to have one and that you also have joint and bone pain. You need to say this rather than limb pain.
You also want your ferritin, vitamin B12 and folate levels tested. You may need to tell the doctor why but in short one of the the thyroid charities recommended on NHS Choices advocates getting these tested as thyroid patients are often deficient in these vitamins and minerals.
Beware you are likely to have to treat sub-optimal results yourself and that includes paying for private testing to check levels. Unless you are clearly deficient the NHS often does nothing to help people.
As your FT4 levels are low you need a FT3 test. It is T3 which is needed in all of our receptor cells. T3 is the only active hormone required in all of the receptor cells in our body. Our brain contains the most receptor cells so I'd ask for an FT3 test. levothyroxine is inactive and it has to convert to t3, sometimes we don't do so efficiently and it is an important test which they rarely do, for some unknown reason to me.
We need our FT4 and FT3 levels to be towards the top of the range. If GP wont or lab wont if your TSH is 'in range' you can get a private test.
If you have Fibromyalgia this link will be of interest.
Thank you. From what ive been studying i have probably had the thyroid problems undetected all my life. I had my daughter at age 19 then couldnt have any more. Ive had lots of unexplained health problems and complaints all my life including weak teeth. My daughter is suffering too . So ive made it my mission to get to the bottom of it so she doesnt go through same thing. Ive been watching the thyroid secret and omg my daughter has two sons with varying degrees of autism. Her tsh test came back normal last year. She doesnt have the energy to question and fight back so i am fighting for us both to get answers.
Before the blood tests were introduced along with levothyroxine, we were diagnosed upon our clinical symptoms alone and given natural dessicated thyroid hormones on trial. If we felt better it was continued.
There were some doctors who still treated patients in the same way, unfortunately these were hounded by the GMC (patients weren't complaining as they recovered) some resigned their licences and some tried to make those Professionals see some sense. They were stronger and the one-man who appeared about 7 times before the GMC, always found to have treated patients and 2,500 of them wrote testimonials to the GMC (how many doctors who treat hypo patients these days would get such a response from their patients? His patients and staff (who loved their boss) were stunned when he died of a stroke probably brought on by the strain. He even invited every single Endo to a meeting to discuss the parlous situation. One by one they refused.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
What other test should I ask for
which blood test should i opt for?
What private blood test should I ask for re Hashimoto's Thyroiditis? 
Should I ask for a copy of my blood test results?
