All the symptoms of hypothyroidism but told test normal.

[lorilou107]

I have felt unwell for months and months, in fact I cannot remember when I did feel ok. I have symptoms of tingling and numbness in my fingers. I feel boiling hot (running with sweat) or freezing cold (teeth chattering cold) when everyone else is fine, I'm wearing a cardigan when everyone else is in vest tops. I cry at the slightest things, can't cope with anything going wrong, I have put on a load of weight even though I have not changed my diet and am doing more exercise than previously. I am dog tired, I find it hard to get up in the morning and I often fall asleep in the afternoon. I am incredibly constipated even though I have been taken off of opioids since having a morphine pump put in. I suffer from chronic back pain due to a botched epidural. My nails are breaking off, my hair is falling out, not in clumps but strands and strands when i comb it. I went to my gp and told him my symptoms. I told him my dad has an under active thyroid and asked to be tested. Whilst waiting for the blood test to come back a large goitre came up. My blood results came back normal according to my gp.

They were TSH 4.9 (0.3-5)

Free T4 9.1 (7.9-16)

I can't believe that he says they are normal when I feel so unwell.

I had another blood test done after the goitre came up and this was 3.6 (0.3-5)

Free T4 9.6 (7.9-16)

The endo I saw (private ) said he didn't think I had symptoms of hypothyroidism!!!

I am having a right side thyroidectomy next week and hope when my tsh levels are measured again after that I might be low or high enough to get medication. I desperately want and need to feel better. I am 49 but I don't think its the menopause as my symptoms don't seem to match up.

I am getting more and more depressed. I'm desperate to get the surgery next week as maybe I will get help after this. If that fails I will pay for blue horizon medical and get all the tests done myself. If they show what the problem is I am going to demand I get started on medication.

It seems there are thousands of us all in the same boat, going nowhere!

Loubelle

[Nanaedake]

Sounds like you've had a tough time. Have you had blood tests done for thyroid antibodies? Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies or TPO and Thyroglobulin Antibodies or Tg ab? I hope your thyroidectomy goes smoothly and you've got good support for afterwards to make it easier for you.

Please do get your vitamin levels checked afterwards, iron levels, ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D as they can often be low if you've been slightly hypothyroid for a while. Optimising them will aid your recovery.

[Hidden]

We can look first at your TSH, which is at the very end of the range, and see you are almost Hypo (by the NHS standards anyways). The trouble with the broad range is it leaves you the sufferer out in the cold, feeling all the symptoms but unable to access help. And they didn't even request your Free T3 levels!! Absurd! 😤💩

I see 2 options: go to Thyroid UK and get their email contact info as there is a list of "thyroid friendly" mds available on request - if you have the means for a private GP. The second option might be to create a new post asking members to PM you with reliable sources of NDT (natural Dessicated Thyroid). With just a half grain to start you can implement your own treatment. Also, Thyroid U.K. Has a list of private labs that do testing. They will get you the vital stuff: TPO antibodies, free T3, free T4 plus the essential nutrients we need to know: B12, D, folate, and ferritin. But next time you have blood drawn fast before testing (water OK) and first thing in the morning as this will affect your results! Once you are on hormone you need to leave off dose 24 hours before test also. (Note: every Thursday Medicheck has a discount on different lab tests).

I hope this helps. Just a note tho: I was also deemed "sub clinical" Hypo but because I was so ill, and so insistent, I finally got Levo. Sometimes it pays to be a squeaking wheel! (And a little white lie won't hurt - but you didn't hear this from me OK - tell them it runs rampant thru the family, and name off three fictitious people that have it (i.e. Auntie Jo, cousin Bettie and my sister Louise too!) X Rusty