Had second lot of test results. T4 14.4 and tsh 3.2. I've been taking vitamins and natracalm. Annoying thing is actually felt slightly better that morning but just a brief bout of energy as back to normal straight after. I also am late having my period by 3 weeks - had pregnancy test. Doctor wasnt all that bothered when I said I was late.
Thing that is confusing me is my last results were t4 14.5 range of 12-22 and tsh 4.04 range of 0.3-3.94. I'm still waiting on antibody result. Is it all in my head??? What do I say to my doctor I'm totally confused
Thanks in advance
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Emmac52000
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AS most of the well population is around 1-1.5 then if you have many symptoms this could be why.
In the NHANES study, 17,353 subjects were screened. After excluding people either for possible thyroid desease, pregnant women or patients already taking thyroid hormones, there were 13,344 oeft in the survey. These had a TSH range between 0.3 and 2.5. The mean TSH was 1.18 for African-Americans and Caucasians respectively.
Also the Nastional Academy of Clinical Biochemistry when studying 1,488 subjects, the TSH was between 0.25 and 2.12. NACE suggested the range should be between 0.4 and 2.5!
Ref: Subclinical hypothyroidism - the treatment controversy.
A report by Hossein Gharib, MD, MACP, MACE
<b>Updated on Jan 19 2011 12:26PM:</b> Missed out the caucasian figures, they were 1.40mlU/l.
No it's not in your head - it's in your neck! That's what I thought at first too!
Perhaps your tsh is slightly lower because the vitamins are helping, or perhaps it was just a good day. Nevertheless TSH should be 1.
It's so hard convincing a doctor you don't feel normal despite 'normal range' blood tests! instead we get told we're anxious or got ME etc.
I sympathize. The whole world is saying "you're fine, everything normal". I'm starting to believe it's all in my head.
I personally think a big part of it is not just in my mind, but I try to be open to the idea because it makes me more convincing to the GP, etc. I acknowledge that a part of it can be psychological, but often it just doesn't add up (e.g. I would normally feel down in a particular situation, but for some reason have energy, while in other situations I feel happy but have no energy).
In my latest test, my T4 also went up (about 2 whole points - a lot more than yours) since my previous test and tsh changed correspondingly. Weird. I swear I read in BMA's thyroid book that TSH is suppose to be some magic number that is set when you are born and doesn't change. What does the BMA know.
my free t4 reference range is 12 to 22 and when I was first ill my free t4 result was around 12 i.e. at the bottom, I can never understand how doctors say that it is fine, now that my Free T4 is at 25 I feel heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps better.
When my Free T4 was around 12 or 13 I could hardly get out of bed.
Your TSH needs to be under 1 and your Free T4 needs to be at the top or just above the lab range.
Your GP could refer to his/her Pulse magazine in April last year I think it was
Basically you need an increase in meds, personally I cannot see how the vitamins will help when it is your thyroid that needs more thyroxine
Thanks for the link, really useful! I have to sign up to read it but the doctor shouldn't need to!! I have to go back next week once I receive the second lot of tests
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