Temperature Drops In The Afternoon

[Marigold57]

Does anyone find their temperature drops in the afternoon to low levels? I have had this for many years as I have ME/CFS and it is a known symptom, but since finding out my T3 is at the bottom of normal I am wondering if this is part of the problem. So today when I got up it was 36.5 and this afternoon at 3pm it was 35.4. Just in case anyone hasn't seen my latest Medicheck results they are

ENDOCRINOLOGY

Thyroid Function

THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE 0.995 mIU/L 0.27 - 4.20

FREE THYROXINE 14.6 pmol/L 12.00 - 22.00

TOTAL THYROXINE(T4) 77.1 nmol/L 59.00 - 154.00

FREE T3 3.96 pmol/L 3.10 - 6.80

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY 19.300 IU/mL 0.00 - 115.00

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 22.9 IU/mL 0.00 - 34.00

I am supplementing iron, B12 Vitamin D and Folate as these levels were all poor and I am incorporating selenium rich roods into my diet.

So any thoughts on the low body temperature that fluctuates through the day and falls low in the afternoon and it is something you get if you are hypothyroid or low in T3? Thank you.

[shaws]

I have read that after blood tests were introduced in the 60's for the diagnosis of dysfunctions of the thyroid gland and not referring to clinical symptoms (which was always taken into account before this time) that many remained undiagnosed but after some years new diseases were named, i.e. Fibro, ME and CFS and the doctor (deceased) stated that some people may have resistance to T3 and need T3 prescribed to recover their health.

So your suggestion about your low T3 may be an issue.

The following is a link to an archived site and the doctor was an Adviser to ThyroidUK before his untimely death.

web.archive.org/web/2010112...

You may find the the second link topics helpful although a few may not be accessible.Click twice on the topics and there is one on T3.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[Marigold57 in reply to shaws]

Just to say thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to reply to me. It is so kind and is appreciated so much. I will look carefully at the links you have listed.xx

[silverfox7]

The aim is to get both FT4 and FT3 in the top third or even the top quarter of their respective ranges. Both yours are under half way so I would suggest you ask for an increase in medication.

[Marigold57 in reply to silverfox7]

Hi there

I know this is a big issue but as my TSH is always normal I have no diagnosis of hypothyroidism so am not on medication. I have some antibodies but again in range. All I can do is make sure the vitamins and minerals I need to convert are optimal which they weren't. Do you think anyone would diagnose me as hypothyroid without TSH elevations?

[mstp in reply to Marigold57]

Actually your TSH looks quite near the bottom of the scale to me which seems to indicate you are probably under-medicated. I have found that the NHS normal ranges do not always coincide with symptoms, ie if I'm near the bottom of the NHS range I am usually feeling quite unwell.

[Hidden]

Why does it matter if your temperature drops in the afternoon? Your FT3 is way too low what are you taking and how much?

[Marigold57]

Not taking anything at all Bunnyjean as all results normal according to doctor.

[SilverAvocado in reply to Marigold57]

Hi Marigold57, I think most of the comments you've had so far are from people thinking you have been diagnosed hypothyroid and are taking hormone replacement - probably Levothyroxine. So they are talking about tuning your dose rather than about getting a diagnosis in the first place. People on thyroid replacement will aim for different blood test results than the normal population.

As you're on nothing, yes a low body temperature can be a hypothyroid symptom. I haven't heard of it dropping so much during the day. Do you feel unwell and like you've got a lot less energy at the times its dropping?

Your TSH is pretty much perfect, but both your freeT4 and freeT3 are pretty low. This makes me think of central hypothyroid - this is when the thyroid itself is completely healthy, but it is not receiving a message from the pituitary to do its work. TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is the message the pituitary sends. But I'm not sure how low freeT4 and freeT3 need to be before you would consider this.

[Marigold57]

Hi SilverAvocado-

Many thanks for your reply which is so appreciated. I am inclined to agree with you about it being central hypothroid. Having ME/CFS we have a problem with our HPA axis, and so I believe it is probably the hypothalamus malfunctioning as I have a lot of issues with autonomic dysfunction. Dy Myhill, who is an ME expert, treats her patients with thyroid hormones in my category, but I am still worried about this as other doctors feel the thyroid may have down regulated to save your life for reasons yet to be discovered fully. As you say how low would these T3 and T4 numbers need to go before they are pathological and warrant treatment - out of the range given by the lab I used maybe? At the moment they are low normal. I will keep an eye on the levels again in a few months.

I do feel very cold when the temp drops to 35.4, and it is especially noticeable if I get cold outside- it is like being chilled to the bone literally- the only thing that warms me up is a hot bath!