Hi all I’m a first time poster looking for advice. I visited to doctors in late December after having a persistent dry cough for two months. I had a chest x ray and full blood test at the time i seen the doctor he thought it might be asthma but i am doubtful of this as i don't wheez and get out of breath. Anyway the chest x ray came back clear but the blood test came back as FREE T4 AND TSH
Serum free T4 level 14.6 pmol/L [10.0 - 20.0] Serum TSH level 4.6 mu/L [0.5 - 4.4] Above high reference limit Results suggest subclinical hypothyroidism. If on thyroid hormone replacement, results suggest inadequate dose or poor adherence to agreed therapy. I am not on any thyroid medication and my doctor is calling this borderline and want me to have a blood test again in 3 months. They are still pursuing the asthma line and want me to have a spirometry test next week. I still have my dry cough but now i am finding it hard to swallow and have a feeling like the is something stuck in my throat. Also i am sleeping all the time up to 15 hours a day i have a lot of mind fog and no motivation this is really worrying me i was treated for depression and anxiety last year. Thanks for any help.
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metrorooms
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That is not borderline at all a normal person has a TSH of about 1. It looks like your thyroid is struggling to me. Does your throat feel swollen? I am asking this because I sometimes cough and choke on food because I have a multi-nodular goitre which means my thyroid has numerous small nodules all over it. My goitre is just one symptom because I have Graves' disease which is an auto-immune thyroid disease which means my own antibodies are attacking my thyroid. You can read my story on my profile page. Back to you .... I would not wait 3 months because you might become sicker. I was left over 2 years with untreated Graves' and by the end I looked and felt dreadful. I was balding, my nails were lifting off their beds, I was sweating and my heart was beating fast and I was very thin .... some of my friends thought I was suffering from cancer. You need further investigations starting with a blood test first thing in the morning before eating any food. Ask for TSH, T4, T3 and antibodies also vitamin levels can be low in people with thyroid disease so you need to test your B12, Iron and Ferritin, Vitamin D and Folate. I would also ask for a thyroid ultrasound to see if your thyroid is enlarged because it sounds like it might be Once you have these results come back here and post the results so other members can advise you. Good luck!
Thank you for your reply yes my throat feels swollen and i find it hard to swallow the cough is all the time not just when i eat. Im just frustrated at how long the doctors are tacking to help me the feeling of no motivation and being tired all the time is really getting to me now.
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin levels and thyroid antibodies
You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3 £29 (via NHS private service )
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