High TSH, Normal T3 T4 Help

[stckdg]

During a pre-op over all wellness check, blood was taken (my TSH came back 55. T3 and T4 within accepted range), which I did not know at the time. Five days later (admitted to hospital for a Myelogram for the up coming back surgery) and more blood taken, along with heaps of test to make sure I wasn't going to sue the hospital and could proceed with my back surgery.

This test came back with TSH - 45.5 , T4 10.6 and T3 4.1.

The hospital GP cancelled my surgery until I saw and Endocrinologist. Fair enough, however in late November 2022 bloods were taken (I had RND - radiofrequency needles used to deaden nerves to lower pain in my back and they took bloods to see I was okay) which came back NORMAL RANGE!

In between 22 Dec 22 and late April 2023 I had a few dental visits - x rays, crowns, amalgamates taken out, and all the X rays the HOPITAL GP want to clear me for surgery, which were six in total from him.

I have been working out hard to get in shape for this back surgery. I am 65 and every test came back as if I were an athlete. I WAS in really good nick. The bloods were excellent, except this thyroid TSH, x rays etc excellent. No issues.

GP guy put me on 75mg of thyroxine, which turned my lips blue, caused pain in my thyroid, swelled my neck, lost my voice, couldn't swallow and I got a bruised look to neck and skin - splotchy but bruised looking a sore to the touch. Lethargy and yuck feeling - after 3 days I quit it -- Got verbally abused by GP guy and surgery cancelled.

I want to say here, I have waited 13 years for this surgery. My partner has stage 4 renal cancer and his health and life came first over a bit of pain. He is in remission now, and because my back issues elevated , falling down, etc, I was told that yes, you need this surgery as the time is running out.

I will be in a wheel chair without it. I have a 38 year old Harrington Rod that is bent and impeding on my spine (horse fell on me 13 years ago and bent the bugga - oops).

Endocrinologist here I come, She put me on thyroxine, 75mg, and no shock, shame results as above, but add a couple more this time around as I was on it for 5 days.

Off it again.

What is going on? Can anyone tell me if all the RFR (radio frequency radiation) and X rays are to blame for these readings?

The Endo was called and her response was take an antihistamine. I took an antihistamine, it calmed some of the side effects of the thyroxine, but now I am back on that roller coaster, take one drug you need (?) and four others for side effects.

REALLY?

Am I depressed? You bet your aunty I am. Am I an emotional wreck, yes, now I need tablets for that.

Has anyone else gone through this?

I need help and hand on heart, NO ONE will help me. I can't think well enough to help myself, and this is within a week. God help me if I have to be on it longer.

If nothing else, thank you for letting me vent. At least you haven't charged me an arm and a leg.

Kindest to all.

[greygoose]

Hi stckdg, welcome to the forum.

First of all, can you give us the ranges for the FT4 and FT3. We cannot interpret the results without the ranges, because the ranges vary from lab to lab.

So, how many times has your TSH been tested now? And, were all the tests done in the same lab? It is possible for antibodies to interfer with the TSH test if tested by a certain method - sorry can't give you any more details than that, it's a bit technical for me. But, I know it happens.

And apart from your back problems, how do you feel? Do you have any other symptoms that could possibly be due to a wonky thyroid?

[waveylines]

Have they tried you on a different brand of levothyroxine or liquid levothyroxine? I ask because it sound like you are reacting to the fillers Different brand use different fillers

Some people are very sensitive to them.

As for the fluctuation of treatment it's difficult to comment on without full thyroid results being posted with the ranges. So TSH, ft4 & Ft3 would you mind putting them on your post.

[stckdg in reply to waveylines]

10.9 T4 /4.2 T3 - Urea a bit high, but only by .03 and the other 35 bloods all in the black. This is the third tablet I was on, and this one only lasted 4 days before I was in bed. Blue lips, unable to breathe, swollen neck, no voice, ear felt like a needle in it , the list goes on... three days prior I had no illness, no ear ache no blue lips, no soreness in neck. My tonsils have been a bit swollen and that is all. U beaut Endo said I only needed to present to hospital when I couldn't breath. Take an antihistamine and suck it up (not her words, the suck it up part lol) and keep on it, nothing else to take only different breeds of the same thing. What if I don't have a thyroid issue and it is something else? Like radiation poisoning? Doesn't that make TSH high? And why would I get all the symptoms AFTER taking a tablet not before? I go off the tablet and a few weeks later, I am myself again and usually my TSH goes back to normal. I was in really good condition and active, then with in hours (literally hours) I was down and out. So once again I am off of them and no back surgery that I have waited 13 years for, as I can't meet the hospital criteria due to the TSH level. Now besides the Thyroxine, antihistamine, I need an anti-depressant. Three tablets for one problem. My my my. What a roller coaster. I am 65, and yes I know, I SHOULD have thyroid disease, because everyone else my age does.

[stckdg in reply to stckdg]

Oops sorry it took me awhile to figure out to navigate this site and find any replies to my question, I hope I have sorted it now. Lol .. darn.

[waveylines in reply to stckdg]

Well I have to say a number of people are indeed sensitive to some of the fillers. The trick is to look up the contents of your current levo tablet. Should be on the patient Instruction leaflet. Talk to your pharmacist to find one that has different fillers in. They should be able to check the other brands put. Then try that brand. I think your Endo is being rather bullish by ignoring you like this.

[stckdg in reply to waveylines]

Thank you waveylines. I did look up the difference, the first one I had to keep in the fridge, the second was completely different in 'fillers'. Oh btw - Test was Roche and the TSH - is 0.5-5.5 (mine went from 55 to 45 in five days) the T4 11 - 22 and the T3 3.1 - 6.4 (I am new to this sorry for my senior moment, and those results actually got higher on test two ). My husband was ropeable when the Endo told me to do my own 'homework'. LOL, so much for the $400.00 pre paid phone consult (her computer wasn't working). Anyway, what is meant to be will be as far as waiting 13 years for a back surgery ... now I am off the thyroxine, I am getting back to my old self and working out again. Sheep and cattle don't wait and my garden has been suffering along with me. Sometimes enough is enough. When I am told not to present to hospital until I need a ventilator, that is criminal and I don't believe a word THAT woman said to me. Shameful, as if taking an antihistamine is normal. Then a blood pressure tablet, and then an anti depressant. I didn't need them BEFORE all this, so let's start from scratch is my thought. I just thought I would ask. I have a sore back, okay, a really really sore back and a bent Harrington rod that is impeding on my spinal column that will put me in a wheel chair. It won't kill me. It will make life different, but suffering the side effect and all the effects of a drug that not one of the Endo's I spoke with can tell me about is not on in my book. I use to grow ears on pig. Sounds harsh, but I was into genetics and I thought I was doing something good for burn victims, veterans, etc. I was good at my job. I loved my 'babies' and they in turn loved me back. Never once did I have an issue with any of the process (which was mainly petri dish) and the 'girls' loved the attention. We would play fetch with a ball, after bundled up they could roll and grout to their hearts content and have a nice bath after. Granted, it is hard sneaking up on a pig with 6 ears, but all of my babies either ended up on my property to live out their lives or breed because of their temperament (in selected homes) was exceptional. Now I am finding that that same care afforded them is not offered to US. Shame on doctors that dismiss our needs. Especially since it seems easier for them to just get paid to prescribe a drug that isn't helping so many of us.

[waveylines in reply to stckdg]

I sympathise but with a TSH so high you do need treatment for your underactive thyroid as eventually not having it will cause you to become poorly. If you cannot tolerate any of the levothyroxine brands and your pharmacist can't provide liquid levothyroxine then you need to consider alternative like a NDT. And if that doesn't work then T3 only.Have you found before that you are intolerant of medications prescribed by your doctor?

Have you been tested for these allergies/sensitivities?

[stckdg in reply to waveylines]

Bloods again, just got the results ... TSH now at 21.3 - T4 up to 12.2 and my T3 4.3 I have been off the meds for five days now. I have been de-toxing from all the X-rays with saunas and healthy food (darn, no bier or wine allowed), de-stressing etc. Other than pain meds for my back I have quit everything. I am now losing the weight gained on the thyroxine, my hair is still falling out, ugly as sin, but I keep telling myself it is only vanity. I agree I need to keep watching this, but .... what if my thyroid is not the issue? What if something else is causing this? Lips don't turn blue. Bruises don't turn up on your arms, torso, legs and neck within hours. I had to listen to my body telling me it didn't like whatever was being pumped into it. I don't know what the issue is. My thyroid test is getting closer to the November 2022 results (I had the Radio Frequency Nerve treatment in Dec. 22 to ease the back pain. I had bloods taken just prior to the procedure) which were almost dead centre of normal ROCHE again. In five months I am off the charts and all this started. I am trying to behave and listen to the doctors, I never practiced on humans, only animals so I am out of my league. I do know when something is wrong and puts me in bed. I am still confused and will still follow this site. I am now worried about something I don't know enough about and need to read more on the axolotl and figure out what it has and how people that are studying it are planning to help us with their findings and if they have found something, which they know it does help thyroid, how to get ahold of it and experiment on myself. This course isn't working for me.

[stckdg in reply to waveylines]

oops, unless housework is considered to be included in the question no. I have a really bad reaction to having to do house work. Yard work all day long, just don't keep me inside ... smiles. No, no allergies, and no I have not been tested for any sensitivities. Until now there has never been a need. I know the spin/scratch tests well and would have to trust the lab that was doing it and only two labs come to mind and both are in the States.

[tattybogle]

Anaesthetist won't agree to do it because the General Anaesthetic might cause life threatening problems on the operating table :

eg undetected/ asymptomatic hypo case , TSH later found to be 57 ..... ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... "Cardiac arrest was secondary to severe myocardial depression due to routine doses of drugs used to induce general anesthesia in a background of severe hypothyroidism. Patients with apparently asymptomatic hypothyroidism (increased level of thyroid stimulating hormone, but a normal level of thyroxine) have an increased risk of congestive cardiac failure.[1] Increased sensitivity to cardio-depressant effects of anesthetics in hypothyroidism is due to decreased intravascular volume, decreased preload, blunted baroreceptor response, and decreased cardiac output. The only suggestive preoperative finding for hypothyroidism in this patient was an ECG with low-voltage complexes. This was over looked in preanesthesia check up, as the patient had no other symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism and no other significant changes in ECG."

Being pragmatic about it ,

~ They won't agree to General Anaesthetic for elective surgery with TSH that high (for good reason).

~ The only way to get your operation done is get TSH down with replacement thyroid hormones .

so ...deal with whatever it takes to get TSH down , so aneasthatist can agree to give you GA and get the op done.

If you don't want to take thyroid hormone after the operation ... you don't have to ....untreated hypothyroidism won't kill you instantly , it might never kill you .. and it might be a few yrs years before it gives you any actual problems / symptoms .. you can cross that bridge when you come to it ....... but not getting the operation will definitely give you permanent life changing consequences ... so deal with the operation first , even if it means taking something that makes you unwell temporarily ..once you've got what you urgently need , then forget about the hypo until it gives you problems .

[stckdg in reply to tattybogle]

Weeks since last posted, and continuing with my detox from all the Xrays, dental, RFD RFF etc ... decided to go on to black seed and since then have had brilliant results. Pretty pleased with the pharaohs cure for me. If I was having symptoms, the weight, the thickening of the neck etc, all of the typical thyroid issues that point to Hasi or Hypo then I would be the first to go for it. But having an Endo tell me to take an antihistamine to counter act the reaction of the thyroxine tablets was incredulous to me. I have been in the red light sauna, taking black seed 2 g a day and my ears, throat nose eyes breathing have all gone back to what I almost was before going on the thyroxine 75mg a day. I was in hospital for two days after being on it for only five days. They wanted to intubate me, which was NOT going to happen. That is not a drug I want to be on. I think I was misdiagnosed and that woman who calls herself a doctor should have something to answer for. My husband heard her say that when I had problems breathing or my heart rate was too high just take an allergy tablet. He had to talk to her, as I had lost my vocal ability at that point. Thank you all for all you messages and help. But honestly, if 60% of us women are having a thyroid problem, and having issues with this drug that hasn't been updated or researched again in over 40 years ... think twice. I nearly died. My levels are still a bit strange. My T4/T3 are all within normal (abet low normal, but normal) range of the guide lines. My TSH are all over the place. So please don't place all the science on TSH. Think what else could be the issue. For me personally it was radiation poisoning. High Frequency radiation pain management needles. Along with anesthesia over a 4 day period of 19 hours. I worked that one out. No one helped me until I reached out to you all, and other sites to see what was going on with my health. As I said, I was in really good health. My heart rate was low, due to being a bit of an athlete and meditation, but when my hair started coming out in hanks (like my knitting) due to the thyroxine and radiation, oops. Please, please do your own research, please take on your own health and not over trust what some of these doctors want to tell you and then just collect their $400 fee and walk away. My GP was amazed that the Endo never got in contact with him to up date him on my husbands and my conversation with her when I was in bed not breathing and curled in a ball. My GP was the first to be at the hospital to see me. Brilliant man and so upset referring me on to that horrible woman. He is taking steps against her because of all of this. DO NOT TAKE ANTIHISTIMINE to off set side effects of thyroid meds. It says that on the label of all of the drugs that are out on the market. Kindest as always and please be safe