I've just got my blood test results back from Medicheck. Please can you give me some advice as I'm very dubious about going to my doctor after my last experience regarding my thyroid a few years ago.
TSH = 4.13 (Range .27-4.2)
Free T4 = 14.5 (Range 12-22)
Free T3 = 4.27 (Range 3.10-6.8)
I am very symptomatic of being hypothyroid (continual weight gain, extreme tiredness, high cholestrol, depression, puffy face, brittle nails, dry flaky skin, very heavy periods, headaches, constipation, memory loss and sluggishness) but I know that my doctor will not want to prescribe any medication. The last time I went for a thyroid test I was told my results were normal and my symptoms were all dimissed as 'not relating to thyroid issues' and 'have you ever had thoughts about jumping off a bridge' and then inviting me back for a depression test.
Any advice on what I can do next would be gratefully received as I just want to feel better!
Thanks!
Written by
Teresarainbow
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Your GP is unlikely to consider treating you, though your TSH is high in range
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies and also very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or vitamins
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
Did you do this test like this?
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are very common too, especially gluten. So it's important to get TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once .
Yes these were the only tests I had done. I just wanted an initial idea of what was going on with my thyroid and tbh I’m new to this and wasn’t aware that antibodies were so important and that hashimotos was so prevalent.
Yes, I did this test at 7.30am after a 10 hour fast.
It looks like a bigger test is needed then to get a fuller evaluation.
I am fairly new on here myself (9 months) and your results are similar to mine when I first came on here. Only difference being I had half my thyroid removed through surgery. My doc would not accept that I was hypo even with half a thyroid because my numbers were within range and also tried to tell me I had depression. Docs tend to look at the numbers instead of looking at the patient's symptons and using the results to guide from there. (Don't mean to generalise but this seems to be common) It took me months of battling with my doc to get on medication. The only way I got through was with the information and knowledge from others on this site like shaws and SeasideSusie . That gave me the confidence to say to my doc I don't care what the numbers are saying, I know I am not well. She got sick of me coming in eventually and started me on a trial and has since agreed that I need to stay on thyroxine. I am still having a lot of symptoms but am feeling much better. I did not win every battle but I feel I won the war.
My advice to you is - Arm yourself with knowledge, write down every symptom and be prepared to challenge or change your doc or ask for a referral to an endo. The more knowledgeable I became, and the more I questioned my doc, she seemed to start taking me seriously.
I know this is not practical advice but I hope it encourages you to keep going and not be fobbed off.
I feel it is not the doctors fault completely or the endocrinologists as that's what they seem to have been told/trained is best.
It is only those patients who suffer and remain undiagnosed, or even prescribed levo but developing even more symptoms and the insistence that the TSH has to reach 10 before being diagnosed when other countries diagnose, with symptoms, with a TSH over 3. Doctors also worrying if our TSH is below 1 when most feel best when it is around that or even lower.
We used to have a 'choice' when not improving, i.e. NDT or T3 or T3/T4 but these have been withdrawn from the NHS with a detrimental affect on patients' overall health.
We certainly wouldn't be on the internet if thriving on levo as many people do. My severe palps only resolved when I swithced from levothyroxine which would have saved the NHS lots of money investigating why these were happening and having all the necessary checks..
Thank you Stephi, I am taking your advice and arming myself with all my symptoms and info. I'm now also taking my basal temp which is averaging at 36.1 (not too sure if that's low of not though tbh!) I'm going to have a retest in a few weeks but in the meantime I'm taking B vits, iron, vit D and magnesium which has eased the exhaustion slightly!
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