Can I rule out a thyroid problem? : Hi all, me... - Thyroid UK

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Can I rule out a thyroid problem?

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Hi all, me again.

I’ve had a more comprehensive test done. Is it fair to say I can rule out a thyroid problem? My ft4 is a little bit low but everything else is looking really good.

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14 Replies

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SeasideSusieRemembering4 years ago

Jfrox

No, you can't rule out a thyroid problem.

Your FT4 is below range again.

Please re-read my reply in response to your previous post about Central Hypothyroidism because this is what your two sets of results strongly suggest:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

• in reply toSeasideSusie4 years ago

Cheers. Been advised over the phone by a doctor to retest in 3 months as it probably doesn’t mean anything so will do that. Thanks again

SeasideSusieRemembering• in reply to4 years ago

Jfrox

Doctor's are very ignorant about thyroid disease, most have never heard of Central Hypothyroidism. I'd go as far as to say that as most endos are diabetes specialists they've never heard of Central Hypothyroidism either which is why I said you need to make sure you are referred to a thyroid specialist and not just an endo whose specialises in diabetes.

I gave you links to information about Central Hypothyroidism from reliable sources, one of which was BMJ - British Medical Journal - which has to be acceptable to your GP. Please discuss these with your GP, not in 3 months time, do it now or you are delaying the inevitable and the closer we get to a new lockdown the more difficult you will find it to see anyone.

• in reply toSeasideSusie4 years ago

Thank you. I’ll try and speak with someone else and see if I get better results. At our surgeries we don’t tend to have a GP and just see whoever is available to it’s different every time.

Just looking over previous results from the docs and my TSH level was 1.7 last november. Wouldn’t this be dropping if it was a pituitary problem? I always thought this was the case

• in reply to4 years ago

Also wouldn’t my t3 be low?

SeasideSusieRemembering• in reply to4 years ago

Jfrox

If you read the articles that I linked to in my previous reply, they state that it's FT4 being low, with a normal, low or slightly elevated TSH, that suggests Central Hypothyroidism. FT3 is not mentioned. This is possibly because T3 is the active hormone that every cell in our bodies need so your body will do it's utmost to keep producing T3 whilst possible and in time I expect this would go low as well.

• in reply toSeasideSusie4 years ago

I’ve read them cheers. Will investigate further TY

SlowDragonAdministrator4 years ago

Have you started taking vitamin supplements as recommended?

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Getting thyroid tested via GP after 6-8 weeks improving vitamin levels

Come back with new post once you get results

4 years ago

Not yet. Waiting to hear back from HV regarding supplements as I am breastfeeding

SlowDragonAdministrator• in reply to4 years ago

So how long ago did you give birth

Thyroid can be unstable in year after giving birth

Ask for thyroid ultrasound scan

20% of Hashimoto's patients never have raised antibodies

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Paul Robson on atrophied thyroid - especially if no TPO antibodies

paulrobinsonthyroid.com/cou...

Are you giving your baby vitamin drops

llli.org/breastfeeding-info...

breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk...

internationalbreastfeedingj...

4 years ago

20 months. They're already on vit d supplements and have been since birth. TBH im looking at thyroid symptoms and literally the only one i really have is exhaustion but i've got low vitamin d and folate so it could be that.

Briefly spoke to a doctor that specialises in thyroid today and he doubts its central/secondary hypothyroidism as its very rare and I would be having other problems associated with my pituitary gland which i'm not at all. He didn't think my t4 level was very low and would be in range by some testing centres ranges so recommends i retest in 3-6 momths.

Shall wait for my HV reply then see about a supplement.

Thanks

tattybogle• in reply to4 years ago

I realise 'hidden' is not here to read this response , but for the benefit of others........ The GPs comment that the low FT4 would be within range on some other laboratories ranges is nonsense.....

Results from an FT4 blood test must to be looked at only in relation to the range given with that test. If the same blood sample had been processed at a lab using a lower range than [12-22] , then the FT4 result would also be lower than 11.5pmol/L..... so it would be under range wherever you sent it to be processed.

userotc4 years ago

Approx 4 years ago, my levels were not too different to yours (FT4 a bit higher at 14.4, TSH at 0.96 and FT3 at 4.4 with same ranges). As with you, I was advised on this forum that it may be Central Hypothyroidism and so to consult an endocrinologist specialising in thyroid. Therein is likely to be the difficulty as the endo I saw a few weeks before was as useful as a chocolate fireguard!

If we both have CH and assuming it is acquired and not congenital (we'd probably know if it was?), I suspect our root causes are different. Mine is likely to be a side effect of a prescription drug >4 years ago. Maybe yours was caused by something else eg injuries including breech birth are included as a cause in reports.

Presuming you havent done so, I will probably start a new post on CH to get feedback from those that may have it or had it and this may be of interest to you.

Alternatively feel free to send me a private message to compare notes etc.

helvellaAdministrator4 years ago

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