GP mentioned something being a bit low today although thyroid was correct. Is it possible that based on the above that the thyroid is not the issue put the pitruitary glan could be?
Symptoms so far
Vison issues
Headaches
Pains in joints
Depressed and tearful
Tired, yet unable to sleep
Heart skipping a beat, enough to take my breath away
Weight gain
Short term memory loss - can recall things from years ago but what happened ten mins ago is a mystery. I have become repetative, and even forget ever speaking with people.
Confused
Never sweat anymore
Have always felt the cold for years
There are probably more but I forget....someone help me to feel better please because I feel so down )O:
Written by
Ceri1970
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I have been on meds since April just 25mg then I was put on 50mg in June. I still felt ill, so I returned to my GP and they put me on 75mg. August I was told to bring the dose down but I didn't until two weeks before my blood test. During the first part of August I felt alive again, once I reduced the dose the weight went on - I was a danger to myself and others to be honest, I became a joke as a human being, so i booked myself back to my GP's practice but picked a more experienced GP. He sent me off for further bloods and has agreed that I can go back to 75mg, he did however mention that my TSH level are a little low but I am new to this and I really don't get it.
I find when I am poorly I cannot park my car for toffee, it often resembles an abandonment. I have vision problems and general perception of distances, door frames are shocking - funny I am sure for those who watch me blatantly just walk in to something but it sometimes makes me cry with frustration. I feel like I am drunk.
I can honestly say I dont recognise who I am anymore - I do feel 70% better on 75mg but there are still issues on certain days with perception. I am able on this higher dose to move my bowels without the aid of a chemical so HOORAY for that god given right - I never realised that this would ever mean so much to me! As a rule I am a happy go lucky hard working functioning human and valued member of society, so turning in to a "wally" with the attention span and memory of a gold fish is a bit of a shocker to me.
Please explain what the TSH and T4 means. If TSH is normally 1 and mine is currently 2.74 what does this mean.
I am going to try and laugh at myself more because this time last week I was totally the reverse side of the happy coin.
Thanks Nel for answering....don't feel as alone now x
I completely understand how you are feeling! You are still under medicated, your TSH needs to be under 1 and your Free T4 needs to be at the top of the range. Do you know the lab range for your Free T4, mine is 12 to 22 and my Free T4 is 23 at the moment.
Try to see a different doctor at your surgery, your symptoms are almost certainly thyroid related.
The other blood tests to have are vit B12 (which needs to be 500+) your folate, ferritin and vit D.
The little book by Dr Toft which is under £5 from most good chemists explains the above. Also if patients are still symptomatic then adding a little T3 often helps. Your GP also received this info in the Pulse magazine that docs have, I think it was the April issue.
Unfortunately you will not be up to going into full battle with doctors, if you could get someone to go with you and write everything down that you want to cover then hopefully you will get somewhere.
Another pointer .... have your blood tested as early as you can, I take my blood form to my local hospital at 8am when they open, your TSH is at it's highest around 3am and then slowly goes down, so if you have had blood tests much later your tsh will be lower, keep us posted, you will get there!!!
<smile> I have no idea what the lab range is or the T3 count or come to thing of it any of what you wrote above! I have decided to write a diary because often I forget things. I do how my blood test early in the morning, always becasue I am still trying to hold down a full time job and bring up my children on my own....so squeezing this illness in is sometimes an issue. I need my income and my children rely on me to keep the world rotating for them, I am struggling!
Ceri x
in reply to
HI Ceri,
You're going to have to do some reading I'm afraid...... suggest you look at Dr Barry Peatfield's book Your thyroid and how to keep it healthy... he's one of the medical advisors on this forum and on thyroid patient advocacy too.
Your hypothalumus produces TSH (Thyroid stimulating Hormone) to tell the thyroid to produce more hormones when your cells are short of them. The thyroid ususally produces thyroxine (T4) which is a storage hormone and which can live in the blood stream for weeks and some Liothyronine (T3) which is the active hormone your cells need. Unfortunately the t3 can't live in the body for more than a few hours so when the cells need some energy, they raid the store of T4 and turn it into t3.
A normal thyroid is stimulated enough with a TSH of 1 to produce enough hormones for the body. If the thyroid is struggling to make hormones it will need more and more stimulation (TSH), or you will have to help it by taking medication..
If your TSH is 2.7 then you need meds. In lots of countries (sweden america, belguim) when tsh is over 2.5 you will be treated with meds but in the uk you are sometimes not treated until your tsh is over 10. (or you are dead- whichever happens first )
If you are being treated with thyroxine only then you will need to convert it into t3 to be able to use it. Some of us cannot do this trick about 13% of us). Selenuim helps with conversion, in fact it is essential. so buy some supplements. Vitamin C also.
Okay Nel, thanks for the simplistic approach you have taken >smile< it helps trust me x. If a TSH of 1 produces enough hormones and mine is 2.7 does this mean its giving out to much (i would not look good with a beard). I am taking levothyrxine.......a couple of weeks ago I would have accepted death with open arms.
Do you see how the questions are getting less. I think the slightly increased dose is improving me life....managed to make a long drive without the desire to stop and sleep!
I really appreciate everyone who has answered this post so far....I am reading and learning and forgetting just as quickly, its a side affect of the illness LOL x
in reply to
Hi Ceri,
No you haven't quite got it...... a nomal thyroid would produce the right amount of hormones with a Thyroid Stimulating Hormone of level 1.
But if the thyroid is poorly and not working properly, it needs to be pushed much harder to make it produce the right amount of hormones. So the TSH rises to make the thyroid work harder. Eventually, if you are hypothyroid (usually because of hashimotos) the thyroid is unable to make enough hormones (due to it be attacked by antibodies) and the tsh rises higher and higher to try to force the thyroid to work.
So, you don't have enough thyroid hormones and your TSH has risen to 2.7 to try and force your thyroid gland to work harder.
When you have enough hormones in your blood (from taking meds) then there will be no need for any thyroid stimulating hormones as your body won't need the thyroid to produce any more. So the TSH will drop. At this point the doctor will panic and say you are over medicated...... but maybe not, it's a whole new ball game at at that point.
YepYep....I think I have got it! along with a cold again x With the eyesight issues I am having, will a standard opticians actually realise or do I need to tell them about my thyroid? Coz I know thats going to pot along with the rest of me hee hee...gotta laugh or I would cry.
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