Update on bloods last TSH was 72.12!!

[MrsBargirl]

Hi all

I had bloods done 4wks ago and was on 75mcgs thyroxine.

Serum free t4 level lo 10.3pmol/l (12.0-22.0u)

Serum tsh level hi 72.12 mu/l (0.27-4.20)

GP advised doubling dose to 150mcgs thyroxine.

Had repeat bloods done last week and these are results

Serum free T418.8pmol/l (12.0 -22.0)

TSH18.32 mu/l (0.27-4.20)

Gp has advised stay on 150mcg and repeat bloods in 4 weeks.

Any comments grateful.

Sarah x

[Aurealis]

Seems sensible as 75mcg to 150mcg is a big jump and levels could still be rising. If it starts to go too high you may need to reduce, who knows? But how do you feel?

[jimh111 in reply to Aurealis]

Good advice! It's nice to see a GP that takes a confident and competent approach. It can take many months to recover and it's possible TSH still has some way to go on this new dose as fT4 is now at a reasonable level.

[MrsBargirl in reply to jimh111]

Hi. I shouldve mentioned i had a total thyroidectomy aug 2007 and been on 75mcg ever since and been fine. Had another thyroidectomy in march 2018 as it had grown back. I knew myself i wasnt 'right'. My surgeon knows about the doubling of thyroxine and said he wouldnt have jumpedit up so high but to stick with it as i had already started on it.

[jimh111 in reply to MrsBargirl]

It's OK for two doctors to have differing opinions. As it turned out your GP appears to have got it spot on, your fT4 is now 18.8 but may creep a little higher in the next few weeks so their advice to check again in four weeks is also good. It used to be recommended that dose increases are taken in small steps but the latest advice is to start patients on 100 mcg and then titrate, the idea is to restore full function sooner.

It can be incredibly difficult to do a 'total thyroidectomy', every persons physiology is different and thyroid tissue can be hidden behind other tissues. It is also adjacent to the vocal cords and of course a surgeon does not want to risk damaging the voice. It's no reflection on the surgeon if a total thyroidectomy doesn't turn out to be completely total.

[MrsBargirl in reply to jimh111]

My right vocal chord was damaged in 1st op and had surgery the following year to repair. Recently they thought they were going to have to take me back to theatre to put a trach tube in as i choked on my tablets and breathing was really strained. But steroids and a nebuliser helped. Voice still not fantastic gets hoarse if talking a lot.i went back to work last week. I work in a bar that serves food and it near killed me! Have another shift fri so we'll see how i feel after that. Might need more time, but im a bit of a bull lol