ive just been told my tsh levels are raised but that they are borderline and the drs just want to recheck in 12 mths time. im worried ....

ive just been told my tsh levels are raised but that they are borderline and the drs just want to recheck in 12 mths time. im worried about this as my father died aged 48 from thyroid related problems. the range i was given is 0.40 to 5.00 and my result was 5.63. should i be concerned about this? thanks

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Yes - I would be. (I was started on levothyroxine at around that level.) But don't panic - at that level in an adult things will only be happening slowly.

Do you have symptoms?

Do you have any other test results? Maybe Free T4?

I urge you to go to the main Thyroid UK site and have a good read. Maybe read some of the Case Studies (under the Get Involved menu along the top)?

Maybe read questions and answers, blogs and comments here for a few days?

Rod

[Hidden]

thanks for your reply. to be honest, i have a few of the symptoms as normal occurrences, so its difficult to say. i will make an appt to see the dr who ordered the bloods to see what she says. every dr seems to have differing opinions.

[moodymoocow]

I wouldn't be at all concerned. My tsh is 6.2 but other results need to be seen to relate them. a simple tsh result doesn't give a very clear picture.

I think your fear from your experience is clouding your perception (not that I am saying thats wrong, we all have fears).

If you can provide a more comprehensive list of your results the more experienced members can give you a better idea

[shaws Administrator in reply to moodymoocow]

I think most of us on the Forum agree that the TSH doesn't give a clear picture unless the clinical symptoms are also taken into account. Unfortunately, these appear to be ignored by the medical profession.

[Jackie]

Yes, A proper diagnosis needs T4 and Free T3 any way, penny pinching! You could pay , if you wishes through TUK site for Blue Horizon intermediate test,which are these 3 then, show the doctor. it depends how ill you feel.If quote TUK 10 then it costs £61. Untreated thyroid disease can cause other problems.

Jackie

[Cee123]

Hi, My tsh was above a 4 for nearlly 6yrs without me noticing symptoms and it wasnt until i had my daughter neally 7yrs ago that i started to develope noticable symptoms. I thought they might be thyroid related but as my tsh was then around 5.9 i was told it wasnt. 3yrs after that and i really started to feel ill, very ill and my tsh hadnt changed much, still around a 5 so i paid to have a private test as the gp would only test tsh and i wanted to know what my thyroid levels were and they came back that it was failing and my ft4 and ft3 were low. So basically, for me, it lookes like i have had a possible thyroid problem for years and years but the symptoms came on slowely and the tsh didnt give much away as it was around a 4-5 when i didnt have symptoms (not that i noticed) and around a 5 was i was very ill with every symptom going!! The Thyroid UK website has lots of information as everyone says, i would read up and decide what your next course of action would be : ) x

[Hidden]

How do you feel? If you have symptoms of hypo and a raised TSH then you probably need treatment. They need to test for free T4, T3 and thyroid antibodies. A TSH greater than 3 is linked to heart disease. In some countries it is a cause for concern if it is more than two. Get a blood test done privately and then post the results on this site for interpretation. Get the blood drawn early in the day. You need to read up on this condition in order to do battle with the medical profession who are woefully lacking in knowledge on how to treat thyroid disease.. Dr Barry Durrant's book Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy is excellent. Thyroid UK have plenty of info.

[tavy]

DO NOT ALLOW them to leave you a year! 3 months at a go. they all leave us all too long. please dont be fobbed off