Hidden10 years ago

Hi Ian - I just wanted to welcome you to the site - have a good look around.

Although I'm sorry you are here, for many, like me, it is the beginning of a self-help journey. It does seem to be expected to be a predominantly female ailment, so you guys especially struggle to get proper treatment.

As docs go by blood tests - your TSH is high, I am 'borderline' too at 5.12 (range here to 5.5) yours is high at 7.83, the pituitary is telling your thyroid to produce more hormone - unfortunately doc guidelines say it can be 10 before treatment (sadly despite obvious symptoms) Your reading/range for antibodies is different to mine. I hope others comment on FT3 and FT4 levels, as I'm untreated.

Here's a link to the main TUK site for getting a diagnosis (& treatment)

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

Can you ask for a Trial of thyroxine (T4)? - also we suggest you get other stuff tested like Vit D, irons ferritin, folate, B12 for starters - all are in the mix to feel better.

Best wishes, Jane

Jackie10 years ago

Hi Ian,

Advice above good idea! there are some very good endo`s who will treat on these results, if you feel ill. You will have to search for one before, you ask for a referral, research is vital. In any case I would say that without treatment ,in time, you will definitely need it. the trouble is they are your results now, set against the general population, not individually to you because when well , unlikely you had a test to compare them to?The treatment has to be just right for you or problems will arise. I would suggest you try and have a PTH ( parathyroid ) test and a vit D ( a hormone ) and a alcium test, bloods must be done together and AM. If problem that may show it. Also an ultra sound of your thyroid. You will need a referral but if paying yourself not too expensive ( unlike most tests). Above all I would press for a good endo as their speciality is so wide and not just all hormones, that they have a vast , detailed knowledge of all the body and how it works. i know mine often picks up on things ,that are glaring but that my other specialities miss!

I hope this helps, you know your body best so trust your own judgement, a good doctor will recognise that.

Jackie

shawsAdministrator10 years ago

Welcome Ian

This is a link to a Doctor who is a thorn in the side of the BTA as he treats upon clinical symptoms as he was trained and refers to the TSH as a tool. Many of his age had the same training. Upon introduction of the TSH as the only diagnostic tool for determining a thyroid gland problem - we have 3 new diseases - fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and ME but they all have a connection to the thyroid gland.

worldthyroidregister.com/Go...

Issy10 years ago

Ian, you're in pretty much the same position I was in 10 yesr ago. I now feel well, with sufficient energy - heck at the age of 54 I now have more energy and stamina than I did when I was 30... (and less migraines, days off sick, other things too).

I used a good GP in Birmingham...

snowstorm10 years ago

Hello Ian, Welcome.

Sadly it is one of the problems these days to find a GP/Consultant who actually listens to what you are telling them rather than reading what is written on the piece of paper in front of them. No idea what happened to the ART of LISTENING and as a result diagnosing then treating. Far too much reliance these days on modern technology which does NOT give the whole story, nor are we treated as a whole, only the symptom.

These last few years have been a real learning curve and have to say, am highly disalusioned (spelling ooops) with the NHS. You have to fight for everything. Initial testing is insufficient, inefficient & not thorough.

Stick to your guns -- demand the tests, change GP if necessary and/or consultant or both. Thyroid UK is a mine of information so do use them.

Happy New Year.

x

Hidden10 years ago

Your brain is signalling to your thyroid to produce more hormone. Regardless of whether your levels of T3 and T4 are in the so-called normal ranges, you body wants more for your cells to work properly and you are getting symptoms that tell you that your cells are not getting enough hormone. Blood test reference ranges are very wide and are based on an average of 95 per cent of people who go for (presumably) thyroid blood tests. That means that only 2.5 per cent at the lower end will be picked up as hypothyroid and 2.5 per cent at the upper end will be diagnosed as hypothyroid. Symptoms are simply ignored. Absolutely insane. You need to educate yourself about hypothyroidism in order to deal with many of the medical profession that you will come across, including endocrinologists, who are often only expert in diabetes. They know very little about treating it, the involvement of the adrenal glands, which can cause all sorts of unpleasant symptoms, and the nutritional deficiencies that can result.. Dr Barry Durrant Peatfield has produced an excellent book, Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy. Thyroid UK also has plenty of information. If your GP won't treat you or refer you to an endocrinologist, change your surgery. It is your health. You cannot wait until you become ill enough to show up on their laboratory test. You may never do so or it may take so long that long your body is seriously damaged.

Hidden10 years ago

Also I don't understand your thyroglobulin antibodies. It says negative, but they are 526.8 and the range is 0-115. I don't know anything about hashimoto's disease, but I thought raised antibodies mean you could have it. I would certainly consult your doctor, read up on the condition, and get some action out of him

ianessex10 years ago

hi ian,,, this is another ian aged 40.... just to let you know your not alone mate,,, i too was diagnosed in 2010 and have had the ( what seems to be ) usual pleasure of having to arm myself with plenty of good, sound information. also, some doctors will treat you and some only the numbers. my tsh was under 10 when first diagnosed (about 8) but i was very symptomatic and my endo put me on thyroxine straight away. all the best !!

ianessex in reply to ianessex10 years ago

maybe check out a book by anthony toft called thyroid disorders. one of the bma books so pretty sound...

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Hidden in reply to ianessex10 years ago

Recommended books here

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/suppor...

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Heloise10 years ago

Still trying to learn about all this myself, but one idea is that the adrenal gland might be struggling which causes the thyroid to try to assist. Since there are things you can do for yourself, perhaps you could look into that theory before you start thyroid medications which will probably be a lifelong problem. If your diet includes a lot of processed food with artificial ingredients, colors, dyes, sugar, try to improve that.

Hidden10 years ago

I don't agree with your statement about being at death's door before a gp will deal with it. At worst, all the ones I've dealt with seem to regard it as a simple problem to deal with; dish out the levothyroxine (it's cheap and seems to work in most cases). It's a real problem because for a lot of us, there are NO obvious symptoms. Symptoms that can be put down to 'psychological' problems or other, physical causes. And whose to say?

Having never been ill during my life until 2008 with the accidental discovery that I was hypothyroid, it took three years for my body to adjust the hormone. And all that I achieved was to get back to where I was before I started using it. And three years of feeling like I was at death's door.

What I can say is that during the process, I discovered that the mind and the body are inextricably linked and hence affect each other in all kinds of ways, both physically and psychologically and I suspect more psychologically than physically.

I also suspect that the vast range of symptoms on display here simply reflects the vast range of people.

As far as I know, it seems to affect women more than men (and read I somewhere Eastern Europeans) and the most common symptom seems to be brittle nails, hair falling out, and being overweight (or is that after the levothyroxine?). My current doc doesn't believe lethargy or depression is a symptom of hypo or feeling the cold. Other docs I've seen don't agree. The same goes for bad cholesterol and hypothyroidism. My current doc is hypothyroid and seems totally unconcerned about it, even saying it doesn't matter if I miss a few days of taking it. Yet he also knows that it's making my pituitary work overtime, and who knows what that does?

The thyroid/pituitary/hypothalmus pretty much controls the entire production of hormones of all kinds, so it's not surprising to see a vast range of symptoms on display. No wonder it's difficult to treat. Another thing I learned is that you have to be persistent with these 'specialists'. My gp now sits down with me and goes through the entire blood test, and explained what everything means. He still puts down googling it but then they said that about me blogging news stories ten years ago.

Thus I'm vit d deficient (and so are most of us here in the UK), serum folate is low (3.0 when it should be between 3.10 - 20.50ug/l), not enough iron, so I'm upping my broccoli and fish intake. and my liver is getting old probably due to the heart drugs I'm taking (Ramipril, bisoprolol and clopidogrel).

But doesn't this all get bit anal? Maybe ignorance IS bliss?

Go well

Bill