ONLY TSH!!!

[Stourie]

Grrrr I got a phone call last week from drs receptionist to tell me that my yearly blood test was late so duly made my app. It was today and the nurse said its your thyroid bloods and I said yes. What are you testing and she just said your thyroid. Me now thinking she really doesn't know so said is it my tsh and yes was the reply. Is that all yes says she. What about my t3 as that is the medication I am on. Went to find out and came back and said that's fine . T3 and TSH. So that is all I have had done. It must have been the doctor who told her what to take blood for as she was a healthcare assistant and couldn't make that decision herself. Nothing against HCA's as I am one myself. Anyway just thought I would let you know.

Jo xx

[susie59]

the lab where my GP. sends my blood tests TSH now, they used to do at least T4, but not any more, my G.P phoned them but they wouldnt budge!

[Stourie in reply to susie59]

I would have quite liked my t4 done just to see what I was making myself but somehow didn't ask. Couldn't believe she just kept saying she was checking my thyroid when I asked what was being checked.

[NBob in reply to susie59]

your doctor is your clinician not the lab. the lab should test what your doctor tells them to. it is not up to the lab what test you need, its not their job, its your doctors job. if the lab decides on what tests to do they are acting ultra vires, i.e. beyond their powers.

I said this to my GP, she phones the lab and now i get TSH T4 and T3 done.

[Issy]

whats the point? Do they have no science and no logic? They need to research closed feedback loops.

[Stourie in reply to Issy]

That's what I thought BUT as you say what's the point.

[ThyroidThora]

It's like hitting your head against a brick wall.

I've found out that my Diabetes blood tests have not been fully done since I was diagnosed nearly 5 years ago. They've only done 2 blood tests for my Thyroid during my Diabetes screenings, which I didn't know they'd done until I queried why I was so ill with my GP during my Diabetes review appointment. He said they were normal but I wasn't convinced and since then I have been diagnosed with vf papillary cancer. I also managed to get a print out of my blood tests from the Receptionist and when I checked my Thyroid blood tests the TSH was near the high end of the range and only my T4 was tested. When I asked why T3 was not on the results he said that it is not routinely tested. When you consider that T4 to T3 conversion is important and that it is relevant to how your metabolism is working it is a necessary measure when you're a Diabetic and it can be indicative that you are not metabolising carbohydrates (sugars). Which, is what I think is my problem because I have continued high blood sugars despite following all the diet recommendations of eating unrefined carbohydrates, low fat foods and lots of fruit and vegetables. I'm hoping that now the cancer has been cut out and I've started on Levothyroxine that my weight will come under control and my blood sugars will improve so I can give up the diabetic medicatio, that I started on last August.

[susie59 in reply to ThyroidThora]

i really think its awful the way we are all treated, i wish you well, and hope you have a speedy recovery, x

[Stourie in reply to ThyroidThora]

Good luck with your thyroid and your diabetes.

Jo xx

[ThyroidThora]

Thank you. It helps that others are thinking of me xx.

[Stourie in reply to ThyroidThora]

(((((Hugs)))))

[Gullaway]

My annual blood test measures TSH and FT4 - only T3 if I particularly ask for it. They give me the results printed out and the surgery IT system builds a line graph of all my annual test results which they have printed for me if I've asked. I still can't get over how variable the response to hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is in this country with regularity and standard measuring schemes and what is measured being so different.

[Stourie in reply to Gullaway]

I only take t3 so thought that that is what they would be testing for.

Jo xx

[Gullaway]

Hi - It might be worth chatting things through with someone medical - I'm not medically trained but I like to know how things work as far as I can understand them and have picked up information over the years. The range used in the medical profession to check whether TSH, T4 and T3 are "normal" is quite wide. For example, the current ranges for TSH and T4 are: TSH-0.34 to 5.60 mu/L and T4-7.50 to 21.10pmol/L. This is taken from the results form I got back today. The feedback loop between the pituitary and the thyroid gland means that less stimulating hormone is produced if the thyroid is functioning well and kicking out its own hormone. The two main thyroid hormones produced are thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) (4 atoms of iodine and 3 respectively). Although the thyroid gland produces more T4 (80 percent) compared with T3 (20 percent), T3 is 300 percent more active than T4; it's this hormone which is responsible for increasing metabolism. Much of the T4 is converted into the more active T3 inside the cells of the body. Certainly you can get a lot of information about what is happening inside you from where TSH and T4 sit in their ranges, so if TSH is high, say 5mu/L and T4 is low, say 8, then your pituitary is working overtime to push your thyroid into functioning properly - and you would probably need hormone replacement.

In any event, finding someone sympathetic to have a face to face chat with will give you lots of reassurance I feel certain plus knowing how things work too.

[Stourie in reply to Gullaway]

Thank you

Jo xx

[ThyroidThora]

Hi Gullaway,

Can you interpret my results. My endo did not explain them to me but gave me the printed list of my blood tests and confirmed that I am hypothyroid. My results are:

TSH 6.0 (Range 0.27-4.2 mlU/L)

FT4 11.8 (Range 12.0-22.0 pmol/L)

FT3 3.8 (Range 3.1-6.8 pmol/L)

Imm Thyroglobulin Level and Ab

Thyroglobulin 20.1 (Range 1.4-78.0 ug/L)

Anti-Thyroglobulin Antibody 11 (Range 0-115 IU/mL)

I gather that my TSH is high and my FT4 low which is indicative of a stressed Thyroid, hence been given Levothyroxine.

Thanks for your help.

[Gullaway in reply to ThyroidThora]

Yep, I can see that your TSH is over your range (and mine - and why do range numbers vary from place to place anyway???) and your FT4 is still lower than your bottom figure - but is within my range. Still, it means that your pituitary is working hard to make your thyroid produce FT4. I am not going to go any further as I am not medically trained but someone on the site I've just been reading about has told me about a great website - it's called Stop the Thyroid Madness - you should take a look. All the best - you'll get there.

[ThyroidThora]

Thanks Gullaway, it's reassuring to hear from you. I'll definitely look at the website.