I have all the main hypothyroid symptoms right down to having lost the outer 1/3 of my eyebrows, weight gain, edema, internal shaking and feeling heart is fast, digestive issues and almost constant diarrhea, dry flaky skin, thin skin, gum issues (dentist says thyroid), sore knee joints, muscle cramps, tingling in toes, brain fog big time, total utter fatigue, shallow breathing, anxiety and tenseness often then depression like, muscle shrinkage, rapid heart rate occasionally (did the heart halter, no response back from hospital, so assume ok), slightly high BP ........
I am 62, have Hashi based on antibodies (never test for them anymore, always 70-90) and thyroid ultrasound. I am Not on any thyroid medication. I do take some bioidentical hormone cream estrogen, progesterone, testosterone.
Have had enormous stress taking care of elderly patients, so I presume my adrenals are fatigued. Have done the 24 hr saliva test (pretty good) and 24 hr urine test - normal.
So - My blood work in normal range - but why do I have the hypo symptoms?
Is it Thyroid Resistance?
I am having a teleconference with my encrin tomorrow - would hope to have something to say to her when she hides behind the normal blood ranges.....and says I am fine!!!!! Sigh.
Would appreciate your interpretation.
Many thanks to you all.
"Many hands make light work"
TSH - 2.13 (0.35-5.0) Taken while fasting
Free T4 - 15 (12-22)
Free T3 - 5.6 (3.4-5.9)
Reverse T3 - 22.5 (9.2 -24.1) This is increasing by the year, last year it was 20.0
Calculation - Ft3 5.6x100/Rt3 22.5 = 24.8 - Supposedly over 20 is good?????
B12 - 1104 (>220)
Ferritin - 106 (12-289)
Vit D - 141 (76-250)
CRP - 3.2 (<8.0)
CRP High Sensitivity - 2.9 (<=3)
ALT - 21 (<36)
Cortisol Morning - 379 (130-540)
DHEA - 5.4 (0.51-5.56) - Coming down, has been as high as 8 within past year
Testosterone - <20 (<30) Supplementing
Progesterone - 2.7 (post menopausal of course is low <0.7) Supplementing
Estradiol - 60 (post menopausal <202) Supplementing but low??
ACTH - 4.7 (<100)
Aldosterone - 275 (118-946)
Written by
ASkepticalConsumer
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Don't worry about your rT3, it's a red herring. It's not even worth testing because it doesn't give you any useful information.
Many, many things can cause high rT3, and only one of them has anything to do with thyroid. Your high rT3 has nothing to do with your thyroid because your FT4 is not even mid-range. In any case, rT3 does not do any harm. It is inert and leaves the system after about two hours, when it's converted to T2. It does not block T3 receptors, as used to be thought, it has its own receptors. And the T3:rT3 ratio is pretty meaningless.
You have Hashi's, so levels can jump around. So, just because that's what they were when this blood was taken, doesn't mean they're always that good. In any case, what those results say to me is that your thyroid is struggling. Your TSH is over 2, which whilst in-range, is still too high for a healthy person. Your FT4 is low, but your FT3 is top of the range, which means that your failing thyroid is putting more effort into producing the active hormone, than the storage hormone, which is something that happens when the thyroid is failing. So, I wouldn't call your results 'normal', no. So, keep an eye on them, because they will probably get worse.
total utter fatigue, shallow breathing, anxiety and tenseness often then depression
Internal shaking is a classic symptom of adrenal issues. It can be caused by too high or too low a level of cortisol. The best test for cortisol levels is this one :
It is the best one because they deal directly with the public, have sensible reference ranges which don't include zero, they always give an actual result rather than "less than something", they also measure DHEA which may be helpful in interpreting cortisol results.
It is possible to buy iron supplements of the kind that the NHS prescribes - but you need to know where to get it, what options are available, and how much to take. Iron is poisonous in overdose. Frequent testing is essential for safety.
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Magnesium - as long as your kidneys still function reasonably well then supplementing with magnesium isn't a problem - your kidneys will excrete any excess. If you have kidney failure or severe chronic kidney disease then magnesium should only be supplemented under the guidance of a doctor.
Magnesium testing is pointless - the body prioritises having enough magnesium in the bloodstream by stealing it from other cells. So you can have enough in the bloodstream and be deficient everywhere else. So, on the basis of simplicity, magnesium is a simple thing to experiment with - no test required and just buy a suitable supplement. There are lots of different ways in which people can supplement magnesium. See these links :
You should aim to take supplements that include roughly 300mg - 400mg magnesium per day. Some magnesium supplements can have a laxative effect - avoid those if that is a problem for you. Some make people sleepy, so take magnesium in the evening.
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Potassium : Ideally, this should be tested before considering supplementation. An article on the subject you may find interesting :
Hi, I just wanted to say that you are not alone. I have many of the hypo symptoms that you have and many others that you don't mention!! I can't find an answer. Just under a year ago my bloods were similar to yours except my TSH has been suppressed for many years. I've just spent £250 on a private consultation with a thyroid specialist. I got there to be told he's not a thyroid specialist, he just specialises in the endocrine system. If you're interested I've just posted about my experience. It was not good. "I'm an unusual case" but I should reduce meds to the absolute bottom of both ranges!! I believed I was very under medicated and just needed to increase them. I tried that and it hasn't worked. There is always some improvemnent to some symptoms but I very quickly become hyper. I reduce the meds, the symptoms get worse again. I really thought this consultant was the answer. He was just an arrogant, ignorant, greedy b.... My gp thinks that I am resistant to T3 which causes the T3 to attach to some cells but not all. She knows more than most about the thyroid as she worked for years along side a thyroid specialist. This certainly seems to fit with my symptoms.
I wish I knew where to go from here. He did confirm I had hashi s, which was positive for me.
I have spent so much money over the last couple of years seeing various consultants and I still suffer!! £2000 two years ago for bladder and bowel tests which showed they were healthy but just don't work properly!
If you do find an answer and some relief please don't forget to post it on here. Good luck
Wow everyone, it really is true, the old farm saying I grew up with "Many hands make light work" - Look at us helping each other.
Your analyses are super - I respond:
* I am not gluten free, gluten reduced and working on eliminating same.
* I use a lot of magnesium - use gel as well to avoid irritating my stomach
* I also have high cholesterol and osteoporosis - more hypothyroid symptoms
* I checked out the pituitary gland re: secondary hypothyroidism, I can see this could be a problem
*Question - is there any benefit in supplementing with Synthroid to take the pressure off my failing thyroid (Greygoose response). My free T4 is very close to the bottom of normal, so that is a concern
* I have had all the normal adrenal tests - no one has said I have an adrenal issue. My saliva test indicated lower in the morning (I am much more tired in the morning and more awake later). Wondering.
Thanks for all your help.
I get way more out of this site than going to my doctor.
Osteoporosis isn't particularly related to hypothyroidism. It can be related to untreated overactive thyroid. Going gluten free has to be total. There are no half measures. Even a small amount can irritate or inflame the gut apparently.
BadHare - I did some checking on the secondary hypothyodism, attached is an interesting item. I have every symptom less the constipation (I am the reverse).
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