Unsure of what my result means

[starlight78]

I recently had my thyroid tested and my doctor said its just in the normal range but my brain is having to work a lot harder at getting it to work. Does anyone know what that means? Should I be concerned?

[greygoose]

You really should get a print out of your results with the ranges. 'In the normal range' means nothing. Yes, you should be very concerned!

Hugs, Grey

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

What you should do, in my opinion, is ask for the actual test results as numbers - and their reference ranges. We all know blood tests are far from perfect, but they are often all we have to begin with.

See here:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/NHS_In...

Rod

[starlight78]

Thank you for answering. I've been getting a lot of the symptoms for hypothyroidism and I need answers. So thank you very much.

[Jackie]

Hi First make sure that you have had a test for TSH, T4 and importantly FT3. Doctors sometimes only do TSH now, cost but these 3 together with how you feel are essential.

Best wishes,

Jackie

[Heloise]

I've been posting this example by Dr. Rind:

When’s the last time you went to the doctor and gave a blood sample – that was then sent to a lab? Chances are that lab result came back ‘normal’. Too often, when interpreting lab values, the doctor looks for normal rather than optimal.

A comparison of values relative to each other yields a great deal of information that would be lost if the values were viewed independently of each other. For example, if the normal height for a man is between 5’3” and 6’ and normal weight is between 130 lbs and 200 lbs., scanning the results column of a lab or other report (for flagged abnormal values) would declare a man who is 5’3” tall weighing 200 lbs to be just as normal as a man 6’ tall weighing 135 lbs. Both are in the ‘normal’ range and therefore would be considered normal. In reality, however, simply looking at a short/obese man next to a tall/thin and a possibly undernourished man would suggest that the two are more than likely not in the same state of health.