Hi all! I've been reading the posts here, hoping to shed some light on my own woes, but I'm still none the wiser. I'm in Australia (I hope that's ok), but this community seems so knowledgeable that I wanted to join. I am a UK citizen though if that makes a difference.
I'm 31, and I've been experiencing what I believe are hypothyroid symptoms for several years (e.g. extreme sensitivity to the cold (I'm freezing and need wooly socks when it's 30 degrees!), unexplained weight gain which I have subsequently been unable to shed, tiredness, lack of concentration, hair loss, migraines, etc...). I've spoken to several doctors about it, mentioning my thoughts about hypothyroidism, and have had some blood tests done. Usually they just do TSH, which has come back normal, after which they say "Everything's fine. I guess you'll just have to deal with your symptoms." Yay.
Recently I put my foot down and demanded that they do free T3 and T4 as well, even though they might not have been covered by Medicare. I really had to fight to get these tests done, and there was a chance that the lab would see the normal TSH and refuse to do the free T3 and T4. Fortunately they did them. The results came back within the normal ranges again, to which I was told to stop making a fuss and to just deal with it. Any chance you guys could take a look? These are just the results I have access to at the moment.
April 2016
TSH 1.52 mU/L (0.5-5.0)
October 2016
TSH 1.69 mU/L (0.5-5.0)
Cortisol 203 nmol/L (74-497)
October 2017
TSH 1.54 mU/L (0.5-5.0)
Free T4 16 pmol/L (9.0-19.0)
Free T3 4.8 pmol/L (3.1-6.0)
I used to have chronically low B12 that required injections every 3 months, but apparently that's fine now.
I hope that's everything that's needed.
Thank you!
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beatricefarl
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Your TSH is low-normal in all of your results which rules out primary hypothyroidism. FT4 16 is over halfway through range and FT3 4.8 is just under halfway through range and are euthyroid (normal) ruling out secondary/central hypothyroidism.
If you are able to get thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies tested that will indicate whether or not you have autoimmune thyroiditis which eventually causes hypothyroidism in 90% of patients.
I'm sorry to hear your GPs in Australia are no more empathetic than many of ours in the UK.
Hi Clutter! Thanks for taking the time to respond! It's much appreciated.
It's good to know that there are still more tests that could be done, and that it is still possible to have thyroid issues even when the TSH, T3 and T4 tests all come back normal.
Unfortunately I doubt I'm going to be able to get the antibody tests done. I saw a doctor for something different yesterday (not my usual doc) and she asked about my weight and all the previous tests in my history. I mentioned my thyroid theory and that apparently there were other tests that could be done, and she rolled her eyes and basically said that no doctor would ever run them because the TSH was normal. It's very frustrating!
At the moment because I'm a student I get free doctor appointments at the uni health centre, which is where I've been going (and my usual doc is great about everything else, especially my migraines!). I could try to go to a different doc and ask them to run all the tests from the get go, especially as I now know what they all are, but then I'd have to pay for the appointment, which I can't really afford at the moment.
Also, from what I can gather, even if you do end up getting back antibody results that indicate autoimmune thyroiditis, the docs won't treat you until your TSH is abnormal. I'm not sure if things are different in the UK, but that seems to be how things stand here in Aus. Gah!
In the UK some doctors won't test antibodies until TSH is abnormal. When antibodies are tested, and positive, NHS won't treat with Levothyroxine until TSH is abnormal.
There's no cure or treatment for autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's) which causes 90% of hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine treatment is for the low thyroid levels it eventually causes. Many people have found that 100% gluten-free diet is helpful in reducing Hashi flares, symptoms and eventually antibodies. Even though you don't have a confirmed Hashi diagnosis you could try a 100% gluten-free diet to see whether symptoms improve. Often non-coeliac members have felt improvement in energy and reduction in weight when cutting out gluten. Supplementing 100mcg - 200mcg selenium is also good thyroid support.
Sorry for the delay in my reply! I've been super busy working on my PhD and keep forgetting to check this email account. Oops.
I mentioned the other tests to my doc the last time I saw them and they basically confirmed that they (and no-one else) would run them because the TSH is normal. It's very frustrating, as I'm sure everyone else on this forum can attest to!
I find the gluten thing interesting. I've found that recently I don't seem to tolerate pasta very well, so I've not really been eating it any more. And I'm not really a bread eater either so a lot of the time I'm unintentionally eating gluten-free foods. Hmmm...
Thanks for the info! You've given me a lot to think about.
Contact Mary Shomon, Hypothyroidmom or ThyroidSexy Facebook pages and see whether there are labs which will let you order your own blood tests in your state.
Being 100% gluten-free means checking labels for the gluten hidden in sauces and processed foods. Gluten is in so much more than bread and pasta.
Thanks for the tip about looking for labs to order tests myself. Though if a doc won't treat me anyway I can't help but wonder if it's worth the cost...
As for gluten, I am aware that it is in many foods, more than just bread and pasta. I don't eat processed foods though, and do all my cooking "from scratch" as people say these days (fresh veggies, dry legumes and grains from the bulk food store etc). I will pay more attention though, and make a proper note of what things I cook are gluten-free. Though I suspect that aside from the occasional pasta, bread, or pizza that it's mostly gluten-free.
"I used to have chronically low B12 that required injections every 3 months, but apparently that's fine now."
Do you know why you were low in B12? Unless it was due to not eating enough of B12 containing foods (eg if you are vegan or not eating animal products eg meat / fish / dairy / eggs) or a reversible cause (eg H. pylori that has been corrected) then I really don't understand why your B12 injections were stopped - they are usually for life. Unfortunately GPs don't really seem to understand B12 deficiency either.
Do you have a recent B12 blood result? If not, maybe get that retested? Many of the symptoms of a B12 deficiency overlap with those of hypothyroid. healthunlocked.com/pasoc can help with B12 related stuff if you want any info / help with investigating this further.
Hi taka, sorry to butt in, but I wonder if you could expand on the B12 H. pylori thing! I had horrendous stomach pain for at least 2 years and they detected helecobactor?? and gave me antibiotics. The pain was still there and they gave me an endoscopy but couldn't find an ulcer. Coincidentally at the same time they said I was severely anemic (I had coughed up black coffee grains) and gave me iron tabs. Miraculously that stopped the stomach pain. Recently I've stopped iron and have been left with severe constipation.
Anyway, members on another chat thought I had lowish levels of B12 so I'm wondering if it's all connected to infection. The GP never tells you causes or bothers too much with a cure. Thanks
I don't know much about it but I think H pylori produces a chemical to neutralise the normal acidic pH of the stomach (This also causes stomach irritation and potentially ulcers etc.) From what I understand the more neutral pH means it is harder to free B12 from food and thus B12 is less available to bind to intrinsic factor (which is essential for B12 absorbtion). Treating the H pylori should improve things allowing more normal B12 absorption.
Did they retest you to check the H pylori was successfully eradicated? It can sometimes need more than 1 round of treatment.
I had a quick look at your previous post with a B12 of 85.5 (range 25-165). I'm guessing this is an active B12 test from the range? I'm not used to seeing active B12 test results but this seems fairly reasonable at just under half way through the range? Were you taking any supplements with B12 in at the time?
healthunlocked.com/pasoc it the best place to get B12 related advice if you want to look into this further.
Sorry I am clueless about whether the results were active or otherwise. They said H pylori was gone when they did endoscopy but think they just wanted rid of me! I actually read somewhere that once you have it you will always test positively for it so who knows!?
Not currently on any supplements but couldn't do any harm as I'm not a red meat eater!
Apologies to you as well for not replying earlier! Life etc!
I am vego, but I eat some dairy. Not too much though because large quantities don't agree with me. I did actually get a H. pylori test recently (within the past 2 years) due to constant heartburn/reflux, but it came back negative. And because of that the matter was dropped. More frustration!
I haven't had my B12 tested for a while it seems, as they were coming back normal. I'll request another test next time I see my doc. I wasn't aware that B12 injections were usually for life. It does seem really odd that they were stopped. I have moved around a fair bit for uni so my medical records are scattered all over the country. I might have to try to track them all down one day soon.
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