Thyroid numbers?

[jmsutt73]

I'm new here. Is there a chart showing what Thyroid norms are. I was recently diagnosed hypothyrod and do not know a single thing about thyroid. Any suggestions for reading material will be appreciated. Thx. J

[fuchsia-pink]

Let's break this down. First, you will find lots of useful info on the Thyroid UK site; and helvella has produced an excellent glossary [pinned, on the right] of the key terms you will find used on this forum.

As regards what is "normal" ...

* when you have blood tests done, you will get the lab ranges, which vary from lab to lab, and indicate a "normal" result

* but what is acceptable for someone who is euthyroid is not necessarily where someone hypo and on medication wants to be

* most of us need to be on enough medication to keep our TSH below 1 and our free T3 and free T4 in the top half, and often the top quartile, of the range.

It's very much trial and error, and slow steady changes in meds, to find out what is best for you. Here in the UK doctors will tell us we're "normal" if we are in-range, but to feel well, we need to be in our particular sweet-spot within the range, and (generally) with optimised key nutrients.

Good luck

[silverfox7]

I read the site but didn’t understand much at first but I kept reading the questions and answers and things slowly started to sink in! Then I got really brave and read the questions but jotted down my own answers and then compared mine with the experts! Sounds silly I know but to find I did agree gave me the confidence to carry on learning!

[Wetsuiter in reply to silverfox7]

that s more or less what i did

[Wetsuiter]

it can be useful for you to post thyroid test results on here, and clever folk on here can interpret them and explain what it means. if you read enough of that kind of post, it starts to sink in.

there is a LOT of repetition on this forum, but let's face it, a lot of us need that.

[vikki222]

do you guys get bloated every now and then with underactive thyroid ?

[jmsutt73 in reply to vikki222]

I have often had bloating these past couple of years, but, until now, never related it to hypothyroid. As II look back over my thyroid results on yearly blood work, it does appear to intersect with the numbers going awry. J