Underactive Thyroid

[retrieverk9]

Hi Everyone, Just introducing myself, I Joined the community today. I was diagnosed in March/April this year & have been taking a daily dose of Levothyroxine Sodium 50mg first thing every morning since my diagnosis.

I believe I was very lucky to have seen the specific locum Dr to get my test results, as he showed me on screen how the 2 tests were not showing positive for under active, but in his view because the results were border line at opposite ends of the scale (sorry I don't have the figure readings), in his opinion this indicated a problem somewhere. He also told me that my records showed in 2008 I had a thyroid test which had given the same readings! but because it wasn't red flagged nothing had been done. He prescribed the medication and said I probably feel a lot better than I had in a long time. He was right, I could not believe how much better I felt.

However 5 months on & I am having days when I sleep for England yet again (this was the original reason I went to the Dr) & the hot sweats I am experiencing are incredible.

So here I am hoping to find out some facts about this condition for myself.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

retrieverk9

Welcome to the forum.

The reason you're now feeling like you do is because you haven't had an increase in your dose of Levo. You should not have been left on a starter dose for 5 months. Once prescribed, protocol is that retesting is carried out after 6 weeks, an increase of 25mcg if appropriate followed by a retest after 6 weeks, increase if necessary, retest, etc, until your levels are where they need to be for you to feel well.

The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges when on Levo if that is where you feel well.

You should ask to be retested. You really need TSH, FT4 and FT3, unfortunately some surgeries only test TSH but that isn't enough. When you've got your results, post them on the forum, with their reference ranges (because ranges vary from lab to lab) and members will comment.

Always useful to test vitamins and minerals as well because they need to be optimal for thyroid hormone to work properly - Vit D, B12, folate and ferritin.

And if thyroid antibodies have not been tested, then see if you can get these tested as well - Thyroid Peroxidase and Thyroglobulin. Postive antibodies would confirm autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) which is where the antibodies attack and gradually destroy the thyroid. Hashi's can cause swings from hypo to hyper-type symptoms.

[retrieverk9 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi SeasideSusie, thanks for your interest. I did have a second blood test after 3 months, when I returned to the surgery for results the original locum had left unfortunately the Dr that I saw showed no interest at all, and just told me the results were fine, carry on with the Levo. I am going to get the printout of my results as everyone is advising, I'll let you know the printout results when I have them.

[greygoose]

It would be very interesting if you could get hold of those readings the locum was talking about. I'm curious to see just what he meant. In any case, you should start keeping your own records - a printout of your results, on which you note how much levo you were taking, and how you felt. And having the very first sets of results could prove invaluable in the future.

[retrieverk9 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks greygoose, I am going to get the printout of my results as everyone is advising. The locum did show me the graph on the computer screen, there were 2 slide scales and the reading was borderline to the left on the upper reading, and borderline to the right on the lower reading, sorry to be so vague but I'm not medically trained so can only relay what I saw. I'll let you know the printout results when I have them.

[greygoose in reply to retrieverk9]

Sorry, but you might just as well be speaking Chinese for all I understood of that. I am absolutely hopeless at maths, and never did understand graphs very well. Sounds to me as if he's making it up as he goes along! I can read and understand lab results when I see them - which is more than a lot of doctors can! But I don't know what graphs have got to do with thyroid. Do post the results when you get them.

[shaws]

Blood tests for thyroid hormones always have to be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) (you may already be aware of this). Also allow a 24 hour gap from your last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards.

Levo should be taken, usually first thing, with one full glass of water and wait an hour before eating. Food interferes with the uptake of the hormone.

[retrieverk9 in reply to shaws]

Hi Shaws thanks for the reply. I do take my Levo first thing in the morning and don't have anything to eat or drink for 30 minutes, thats how I have been told to take it ?

My blood tests were starving ones (12hrs). Interesting about the 24hr gap on any retest, I will apply that in future

[silverfox7]

Locums can either be very bad as not got used to the job yet or very good as in trying to do a good job they accept thinking outside the box is also impprtant so can be like a breath of fresh air. I would with medical students for 20 years and when you thing you need the highest grades to get into medical school

Then academically they should be at a similar level but that doesn't work in practice. Possibly the amount they have to learn sorts them out a little. In theory you would think they would all be keen to get on and do a great job but for various reasons it doesn't always work out like that.