Newbie with Health Anxiety

[WorriedUser]

Hello all.

I have come across this group, after having bloods back this morning… waiting for my GP call next week, but a GP friend has let me know the results (low TSH, high T3) is hyperthyroidism. GP reviewed and put a non urgent telephone call in for next week. My anxiety is through the roof! Can anyone share experience of dealing with hyperthyroidism. I’m guessing it’s very treatable?

Thank you in advance.

[greygoose]

Hi WorriedUser, welcome to the forum.

Can you give us the exact numbers, please? Just saying 'high' and 'low' tells us nothing. We want the exact results and the ranges to be able to make sense of them. But, pretty certain that if your doctor isn't that bothered, you aren't actually hyper.

Did you have anything else tested apart from TSH and FT3?

[WorriedUser in reply to greygoose]

All other bloods I had came back in normal range.

TSH 0.02

T3 17.3

[greygoose in reply to WorriedUser]

OK, but we do need the ranges because they vary from lab to lab. Was the FT3 really 17.3? Or was that the FT4? FT3 is not normally tested, and not without an FT4. So, what was the FT4 level if the FT3 was high?

Just having a low TSH does not in itself make you hyper. It's having very, very high thyroid hormone levels - FT4 & FT3 - that makes you hyper

[WorriedUser]

I will check tomorrow. Thank you for replying to me.

[greygoose in reply to WorriedUser]

You're welcome.

[vroooom5]

Don’t worry! All will be well! Whatever it is, it can be tamed — hyper or hypo.

Do come back to these forums with your full results, everyone is very helpful here, and if it is anything, you wouldn’t be alone working it out, like I was, and wasted so many years.

- A fellow worrier!

[WorriedUser in reply to vroooom5]

Thank you

[pennyannie]

Hello WorriedUser and welcome to the forum :

Anxiety is a common symptom with thyroid health issues and yes it is treatable so do not worry - though fully understand this much easier said than done.

Your T3 level of 17.30 - looks to be quite high as most ranges are in single figures - but we need more information to help you better understand what is going on.

We need to see a TSH - Free T3 - Free T4 results and ranges + an antibody reading which is what tells us what health issue you are dealing with -

These can look like TPO - TgAB - TRab - TSI initials with numbers and ranges alongside or written more clearly as the TSH Thyroid Receptor antibody alongside a single number and range.

If you have online access to your surgery maybe more information will be found there today.

[JuSa44]

I have Graves Disease and it makes me very, very anxious and panicked. As soon as you stabilise (with carbimazole), you will notice you start to feel a lot less unhinged. All the best!

[pennyannie in reply to JuSa44]

Did you consider switching to Propylthiouracil - PTU - as suggested in your last post since you were talking of liver issues -

or has this now sorted itself out as you have settled down on the Carbimazole ?

[JuSa44 in reply to pennyannie]

My liver seems to have improved as my thyroid improved. The thyroid really does impact everything! I am having blood tests every month and slowly reducing my carbimazole. It was a nasty experience and I never want to go back to being so hyper ever again!

[WorriedUser]

Update! I have seen the endo and they have confirmed hyperthyroidism. I have an appointment to get bloods done for a TSH receptor antibody test in 8 weeks, along with my other levels to be run again.

I’m on 40mg 3 times a day Propranolol and 20mg Carbimazole once a day.

Hoping to feel better in a few weeks!

Thank you again for the support.

[pennyannie in reply to WorriedUser]

Good to read - hopefully once these medications settle in your body - you will feel more comfortable -

don't quite understand why your TRab couldn't have already been run -

Best to start a new post with new information as you progress through this first phase of ill health.

You can find all you have ever written on this open forum -

if you get lost reading around and learning form other forum members -

just press your Profile icon top right on this screen facing me on my laptop - alongside My Hub - Chat - Post - Alert and Menu :

If you want to read anybody else's Profile just press their icon alongside their name in any post where they have written something.

Thyroid UK -the charity who supports this patient to patient open form is also an excellent research tool - thyroiduk.org