I posted my recent bloods results recently just to get an idea before I get to see Endo again.
But wanted to ask you couple of things.
What is the reason for TSH to go higher even though on Levo for hypothyroidism? I know you'll say that I'm undermedicated but I would hope that TSH would stay in the same level not go higher and eventually get lower once higher Levo dose is introduced. I want expecting it to be on highest level since I got ill. Does it mean that my thyroid is not coping even more now with time and that's why it needs higher dose?
Also might be a stranger question but what's the point of keeping the Thyroid in place and not to have it removed when it's not functioning and has to be supported/replaced it's function by Levo?
Many thanks
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bajmon
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It means that the patient is on an insufficient replacement dose that would eventually bring TSH to around 1 or lower.
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) when our gland is not producing sufficient hormones rises to try to raise more hormones.
My TSH rose to 100 but the GP pnoned and told me'your results are fine' and you don't need to worry'.
I cried and his response just shows that a majority of GPs don't really understand what the function is for the Thyroid Gland. I had to diagnose myself.
The TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) rises when insufficient thyroid hormones are being produced as they enable our whole body to function, the brain and heart needing the most T3 (liothyronine).
(T4) levothyroxine is supposed to c onvert to T3..
Thank you. That's shocking to hear stories like this! No idea how did you function with TSH 100 when I can't function with it being at just under 3 🙈 which is obviously in regular range still.I am on Levo and felt good for months bus suddenly I started to feel terrible again and I guess I'll blame TSH to go from 1.5 to 3 which makes the change. However I don't know why being on the same fine for months suddenly it looks like it's not enough. What makes thyroid to suddenly produce more hormones? 🧐
I also diagnosed myself a year ago with Subacute Thyroiditis but everyone was telling me I needed thyroid removed and there was a hight possibility i might have cancer. It took them 6 months to figure out out something I googled in few minutes!
We have an appendix which doesn't do anything and can become life threatening when it gets infected, as happened with me, but we don't remove them routinely. As Greygoose says all surgery carries a risk and the expense of removing thousands of thyroid glands each year would be enormous.
As a matter of interest, which doesn't affect your point, there has been a lot of discussion about the possible role of the appendix, for example:
Appendix may have important function, new research suggests
The human appendix, a narrow pouch that projects off the cecum in the digestive system, has a notorious reputation for its tendency to become inflamed (appendicitis), often resulting in surgical removal. Although it is widely viewed as a vestigial organ with little known function, recent research suggests that the appendix may serve an important purpose. In particular, it may serve as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria.
Hi I had my tonsils whipped as a kid because they were enlarged. Doctors just assumed tonsils were useless but now they know they have an important role in the immune system. Guessing the appendix will get a get out of jail free card at some point as well.
I was lucky in that regard! For some reason, my mother was set against my tonsils being removed, despite many nasty bouts of tonsillitis - mainly below 11 years old.
Seems there is quite some concern about the long term impact of tonsillectomy on other issues.
Association between tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and appendicitis
Thanks for those SlowDragon , helvella .. i feel vindicated .. i have always tried to dissuade my tonsilitis prone kid from pushing the GP to have them taken out ... which she hasn't thanked me for so far.. she think's if they are taken out she wont get tonsillitis anymore,, but i always said . "yes, but you might just get something worse instead" .. but i never knew quite what . Now i can tell her if she has them out she might increase her chances of ending up like me.. that should put her off
Could be all sorts of reasons. But without the actual numbers - results and ranges - it's difficult to hazard a guess.
Does it mean that my thyroid is not coping even more now with time and that's why it needs higher dose?
No, it doesn't mean that. Your thyroid has doubtlessly been out of the equation for quite some time. Levo does not top up your thyroid's output of hormone, it replaces it. As the TSH reduces, the thyroid works less and less until if finally stops.
what's the point of keeping the Thyroid in place and not to have it removed when it's not functioning and has to be supported/replaced it's function by Levo?
I'll return the question: what's the point of removing it if it's not doing anything? All surgery entails a degree of risk. Why take the risk of a general anesthetic for something that's not going to benefit you in any way?
Then your dose was increased to 62.5mcg at end of July (50 /75 on alternate days)
Results now :
TSH 2.94 mU/L [0.35 -5.5]
T4 14.5 pmol/L [ 10.5-21 ] 38%
The TSH has lowered a little as we would expect due to the dose increase , but it's still a bit higher than usual for most healthy people , so these results still say you probably need another dose increase (unless you feel well on your current small dose ).
The fT4 is a little bit lower than last time , which you wouldn't expect after a dose increase , but the fT4 does naturally go up and down a little throughout the day anyway, so i wouldn't get too confused by the Ft4 appearing to have gone down, as it might have been slightly higher if the test had been done half an hour earlier or half an hour later.
As to "why keep the thyroid ".. taking it out is serious surgery with potential risks , voice box can get damaged, the parathyroid glands can get damaged , giving another problem of hypoparathyroidism which must then be treated .
Even if our thyroid only works a little bit and can't produce enough T4 /3 anymore , a lot of our conversion of T4 to T3 happens in the thyroid tissue ..take it out and you might loose quite a bit of your ability to turn T4 into T3. so you might feel less good on levo because you might have less T3 than if you still have some thyroid that works a bit .
Thank you, that's very kind of you to explain. The test results you see are from earlier. I also have some from October. And again those you have already quoted, from October when TSH was 1.78 but at about mid November I started to feel bad again with aches, constipation, heartburn, palpitations, migraine, fatigue, brain fog, irritability, emotional, anxious.
I agree that I need dose increase just don't understand what has changed literally within 2 weeks to feel worse and I'm assuming TSH going up to 2.94 is only a prove.
In what way it sucha if it doesn't function anyway?Just to be clear, I'm not considering the surgery! In fact, I refused one a year ago when going through Subacute Thyroiditis diagnosed at first as possible cancer. I didn't want to go ahead with the surgery and since then two Endos confirmed that it was the right decision.
The problem with being thyroid-less is once the doctor gets your labs in the “magical range” your deemed perfect no matter how bad you feel and if your TSH goes too low even if you feel fine they take meds away from you…. Its not a fun way to live stressing every darn time you get a blood test done wondering how your going to defend yourself against a doctor who wants to take away your medication plus they don’t even do a complete thyroid test which leaves you to pay for your own test out of pocket.
I would seek a second opinion and get a complete thyroid panel prior to whatever decision you make.
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