TSH 3.26 but endo says it's fine.

Hi guys,

I went to London recently, paid stupid money for a consultation with an endo. Anyway, the appointment actually went well, I showed him all the previous tests I'd done which usually see my TSH at in between 3 and 4. He was like ok theres obviously a problem there, suggested auto immune thyroid disease, maybe a trial of meds but we'll do a few more tests first so I was like cool, we are getting somewhere! Test results come back, my TSH still looks too high at 3.26 yet amazingly he turns round and says it looks like no thyroid problems?! He thought a TSH over 3 was a problem on my first appointment?! To say I'm confused now is an understatement, all the hope of sorting something out gone. So I dont know, am I wrong? A tsh of over 3 might be within ranges but it's not "normal" is it? Still feel like crap, still losing hair and struggling in the hot weather because my body just hates heat for some reason so just sweats non stop! Could anyone offer any advice please? Thanks a lot!

[bluebug]

You have hidden the ranges from your results but regardless until your TSH is above the reference range doctors regard your TSH as "normal" and won't prescribe medication. Even when it is above the reference range it has to reach a certain point before you will be prescribed anything.

So the choice is to live with it hoping you one day get high enough outside the reference range to get treated, or self medicate.

BTW have you had your vitamin B12, vitamin D, folate and iron (ferritin and haemoglobin) checked? Are they optimal not just in range?

[Hidden in reply to bluebug]

Hiya,

Thanks for the reply! My iron is actually always too high and I was recently diagnosed with haemochromatosis. Was caught really early though according to the haemotologist I saw and he said it wouldn't be responsible for any of my symptoms. I'm having blood withdrawn till it's in the normal ranges. My vit d used to be terrible but I've got it ok now I think. My b12 and folate were also both dreadful, I supplement and got the b12 up a bit but the folate doesn't seem to move much.

Vit D - 152 nmol/L range 50 - 200

B12 281 pmol/L range 140 - 724

Folate 3.71 ug/L range 3.89 - 26.8

gyazo.com/c7ce9d99de0f3a1ec...

Thanks again for the reply, I really appreciate it.

[Clutter in reply to Hidden]

John11,

Folate is deficient. My GP prescribed 5mg folic acid for a couple of months to correct deficiency.

B12 is low in range. If you have the symptoms in b12deficiency.info/signs-an... go to healthunlocked.com/pasoc for advice.

[Hidden in reply to Clutter]

Thanks Clutter! You are awesome!

[Clutter]

John11,

TSH 3.6 is usually within range and that's why it is 'normal'. Most doctors, and certainly the NHS, won't usually diagnose hypothyroidism until TSH is over range or FT4 is below range.

TSH >2.0 indicates your thyroid is beginning to struggle but FT4 and FT3 are both good. Symptoms can precede abnormal bloods by months, even years.

Have any of the tests you've had been for thyroid peroxidase or thyroglobulin? These are antibody tests and, if positive, indicate you will likely become hypothyroid.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

[Hidden in reply to Clutter]

gyazo.com/6f1d2b96cca723af5...

Hiya, thanks for the reply! Yep, I've had them done and it looks ok I think! And thank you for the link, I'll check it out.

[Clutter in reply to Hidden]

John11,

Both are within range so they're negative for autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's).

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you considered silent coeliac or non coeliac gluten sensitivity. All your vitamins are rubbish for a reason. Or gut infections another consideration

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

There is definitely a gut connection I believe mate. Something is definitely going on in there! My stools are often stickyish and my tongue is white. I dont know where to go with it though, a gastro doc maybe? A stool test said my good bacteria was out of whack but I tried probiotics and a diet mainly of whole foods and organic meat/veg but didn't seem to change much. And thanks for the reply to you and everyone else, I really appreciate them all!

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Have you considered candida. Men can get it too. White tongue is a classic sign

See this

naturalcandidacleansing.com...

A nutritionist would be better option, looking for causes of low vitamins, gut bacteria, gut infections and food intolerances

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you mate! Yep it's crossed my mind for sure. The internet gives so much info on it it's often hard to know what to do, like even if you can even have a piece of fruit when doing the diet and what not because of the sugar.

[MiniMum97 in reply to Hidden]

Unless you are immunodeficient it is not possible to have a systemic candidiasis. Giving up sugar would be good for you and your gut but it won't be because you are overrun with candida.

[Saggyuk in reply to Hidden]

The likeliest cause of gut issues that cause those type of symptoms and deficiencies is coeliacs or gluten intolerance. Having whole foods and organic wont help you if this is what you have as coeliacs is wheat, barley and rye. You can get a blood test for coeliacs but it isn't reliable and can only be ruled out by endoscopy which also isn't 100% and wont rule out intolerance. Best thing to try is a 100% gluten free diet including cross contamination for at least three months to see if anything improves- one crumb can still make you ill mind you.

If this doesn't work, you could try a six week elimination diet to look for other food intolerances such as dairy.

At least this way, you can properly rule out food as being the issue and think about what else you can look into to resolve the stomach issue and maybe get a referral to gastro?

[Hidden in reply to Saggyuk]

Hiya,

Thanks for the reply! Much appreciated. I will give that a shot I think, it's not like things can get any worse!

[shaws]

It's because the BTA have stated that we've not to be diagnosed until the TSH is 10!!!!

Maybe educate him and charge a fee so he can re-learn a little from TUK.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

[bluebug in reply to shaws]

They have to save the NHS money some how even if it destroys the lives of a few thousand people.

[Clutter in reply to bluebug]

Bluebug,

I wonder how much NHS money is wasted on GP appointments and referrals for secondary care investigations into non-specific of symptoms of patients presenting with TSH >2.5 - 3.0 when a 3-6 month trial of Levothyroxine to bring TSH down to 0.4 - 1.0 and checking of ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate might resolve the 'non-thyroidal' symptoms?

[bluebug in reply to Clutter]

The GP is covering themselves by referral to a specialist. Also the fact they can then ignore you for the next few years means in their book they have saved some of their yearly budget.