I wonder if anyone could shed some light. I was recently tested for an underactive thyroid and it came back low, however Dr said to test again in a month and that one was normal (haven't got actual levels yet) and no further action needed.
When the first result came back I thought finally, I am suffering from 90% of the symptoms including heart palpitations, slow heart rate (confirmed by heart dr) irregular periods, extremly hard to lose weight, low sex drive, foggy brain.....
Now I am at a loss as really thought it was a thyroid issue, can blood tests be misguided?
TIA
Carly
Written by
cquickcrockford
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Hi Carly. Possibly, but the lab ranges are very wide and if you are high in the TSH range and low in the T4 and T3 ranges, it is very possible to be hypothyroid. You need to ask the GP for results, plus ranges. And if you haven't got a result for Free T3, you will not have the complete picture. Free T3 is the crucial test. You may have to get a private test for it if the GP won't play ball. Medichecks or Blue Horizon will help. Details on this site.
Hi, Thank you. I will get the numbers today from docs. Do I need a referral from docs for the private blood test? I couldn't work that from the website.
No, CQ, you don't need a referral. In fact, it would probably be best not to mention it until you have the numbers. Then, if necassary, you can go armed.
It was strange as when Dr said that it was low, I looked it up and the symptoms summed me up completely and thought brilliant this all makes sense. Then the normal one arrive and I feel like I'm back to square one!
There's no such thing as 'normal' when it comes to thyroid. When your doctor says 'normal', he just means 'in range'. But, as steviecat explained, it's where in the range the result falls, that counts. The ranges are so wide, most of the time, it's impossible that it is all 'normal'. So, you need to see the results, get a print-out, so that you know exactly what was tested, and exactly what the results were.
Depends as well on what time of day you were tested, whether you'd eaten before. To get the highest TSH value (the only thing that will make your GP sit up and take notice) you need to get a blood test early in the day and fast beforehand (apart from water).
I didn't know there was a specific time of day to have it done. Saw doc last night and he said my bloods are perfectly fine and that he wouldn't do anything else, I have private insurance and he wouldn't write a referral. Thinking of trying a different doc....
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