Thyroid tests are normal?? Are you sure?

[nonstickpam107]

annie, that's what we are discussing----the doctor's who don't want to get with the new TSH labs, as well as the fact that's the wrong antibody test, and your fREE T4's are low enough to be hypo, and your TSH is above a 1----and where is your FREE T3??

See?? I wouldn't have waited for the ink to dry on those test results to walk out to another endo---run, that is lol Pam

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[annie5773]

Originally posted by nonstickpam107
annie, that's what we are discussing----the doctor's who don't want to get with the new TSH labs, as well as the fact that's the wrong antibody test, and your fREE T4's are low enough to be hypo, and your TSH is above a 1----and where is your FREE T3??

See?? I wouldn't have waited for the ink to dry on those test results to walk out to another endo---run, that is lol Pam

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Okay, so I need to specifically ask for a Free T3? Is the antibody test that she ordered the correct test? It read on the sheet as "anitimic AB"?

I don't know if I am dealing with thyroid or the chiari I. I have posted on the Chiari board, but the people there aren't famililar with thyroid.. LOL and my doctor is looking at me like I have grown a third head...

[nonstickpam107]

Bump for information. Pam

[nonstickpam107]

Bump for Bela. Pam

[nonstickpam107]

Bumping for newbie. Pam

[spookie]

Thank you, Pam, for all the info on hypothyroidism. Now I feel I can go to my endo and ask for a more thorough test. I have many of the symptoms (always cold, tired even if I sleep 11 hours! hard time concentrating, dry skin probs, hair sometimes comes out in clumps...) I'm on week one of induction and just gained 6 pounds; my last 3 days have been very strict, too, yet I'm blowing up. My clothes are tight! I hope my doctor listens this time, with me being armed with more knowledge of what to ask for and about. Thanks!

~Suzanne

[Bela]

Pam -- thanks for bumping this. You asked if they tested for antibodies? Not specifically, but when they checked my cholesterol, my c-reactive protein levels and fibrinogen were off the charts, even though all my other levels were excellent. Is this related in any way? The dr put me on antibiotics for a full month and daily aspirin afterwards for it and said that would take care of it, with no follow up. (And so now I have yeast symptoms on top of it.) Please don't tell me he isn't a good doc because he's the only one around here that supports lc -- I called around and asked before I went. Most of the thyroid symptoms I had went away or got alot better when I started low carbing, but I still freeze all the time and can hardly lose at all now, even on induction level. The dr said this was just because my body is adjusting? I'm also a lot more sluggish than I was when I first started lc and don't get that energy boost any more. I've noticed my periods are starting to get worse again too -- they were great for about 6 months. What should I do?

[nonstickpam107]

Hi again, Bela,

Well, you certainly need to have your TSH under a 2, and your cholesterol will be high if you have hypothyroid, also you need your FT4 and FT3 at midpoint of lab range or higher.

No, you would ask for a Hashimoto's antibody test. That's ok if that's the only doc who is gung-ho for lc, you can always ask for a referral to an endocrinologist if this doc doesn't know much about thyroid. Think about it.....doctor's who are going into just family practice take less than four hours of classes of thyroid disorders!!! What do they know????

I like my family doc, too, but had to go to an endo, as he was taught years ago that "if a TSH isn't over a 10, and the patient hasn't gone into a coma from it, then they are ok." Unfortunately, I DID go into myxedema coma with a TSH of .08!!! Almost died cuz he just didn't know enough to do a FT4 and FT3 test!!! Not a good thing for either of us. Oh, and he now knows just how horrible a patient with this disease feels at even a TSH of .08 if their T4 and T3 are at the bottom of the barrel. Pam

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[nonstickpam107]

Bumping for newbies. Pam

[rach]

Just to add, having a high TSH and low T4 would indicate that you are hypothyroid.

[nonstickpam107]

Ummm, rach, not necessarily. It might point to a pituitary tumor. Or Cushings, or Addison's or, or, or. NOT everyone with a high TSH has hypothyroid. It's the FT4 and FT3 that has the most information about how your thyroid is responding, not your TSH. Pam

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[vixendrop]

Well now I'm more confused than ever... I know I have hypo... 3 doctors over the last few years have confirmed it... the last doctor said my thyroid was pretty much *dead* though and had to raise my meds so to try to keep it in a normal range because even on my previous level of meds it was dangerously low...
What I'm confused about though is the testing and levels... are their different kinds of basic tests that work differently? 2 of the 3 doctors all said that the higher the number the better your thyroid worked... I don't have my tests in front of me, but the last test before my meds were raised came back as a 4 and he said I should be at 600!!! Does that make ANY sense at all? He raised the med (Synthroid) and the symptoms of hypo went away and I'm losing weight, so I'm happy... just confused about the testing scores... I don't know if it makes a difference but it was a nephrologist that did the last tests

[rach]

You have low T4 and elevated TSH in primary hypothyroidism (i.e. disease of the thyroid) and low T4 and low or normal TSH in secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism (i.e. hypothalamo-pituitary disease which is rare compared to primary hypothyroidism). In other words you're only going to have a high TSH if your hypothyroidism is primary, and not due to other diseases that you mentioned such as Addison's disease. Also, Cushing's disease does not cause you to be hypothyroid, it may occur alongside hypothyroidism. Likewise, Addison's is associated with hypothyroidism but not the primary cause.

[nonstickpam107]

Individuals presenting with a very low TSH and low FT4 and FT3 usually have Hashimoto's. Pam

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[nonstickpam107]

vixendrop, most good endo's who are knowledgeable about thyroid disease are going by the "new" TSH lab values, which go from .55 to 3.0. I need my TSH under a 1, and my FT4 and FT3 at midpoint or higher to feel my best. Pam

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[rach]

I would urge anyone who is worried about ANY symptoms they may be having to go to see a doctor. It worries the whole medical profession when people take advice from others on the internet because who knows who they are and what training they have. Anything can happen these days and anyone can give advice on the internet. It is also worrying when people group all doctors together and tell others not to listen to a word they are saying. To say that your average doctor only spent 4 hours training in endocrinology "and so what would they know" is a load of rubbish. I would warn anyone that to take medical advice from someone not trained in that field could be a very dangerous thing. So always take it with a pinch of salt. If you are worried, go and see your doctor. Not everything you read on the internet is accurate, and a little knowledge can most certainly be a bad thing.

[nonstickpam107]

I agree, rach, after all it is well known that in the UK more and more physicians are treating people according to their symptoms, and that will be a whole new ball game for everyone involved. Thanks for wise comments. Pam

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[nonstickpam107]

Bump

Pam

[oow-woo]

Just my 2 cents since this is a Thyroid based thread..... I just got through reading a book by Dr. Siegel "Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat?" It is very interesting. He does NOT go by traditional lab blood work to diagnose his patients as he feels it is very unreliable! He has his own tests he does. Anyone who is following a strict diet regimen (of any kind) and NOT losing wt. (I mean without cheating), should really read this book.

Carol

[merlene22]

Check out this site

https://menopausediet.com/amember/diva/welcome.htm

She talks about hypo and estrogen

[nonstickpam107]

I agree oow-woo. I have another one that you would just love, and so will a lot of other people affected by thyroid disease. Actually, this has been called the "bible" of thyroid books. It is "The Thyroid Solution" by Ridha Arem, M.D. It explains everything so well, and Arem is one of the first doc's to go by a person's symptoms, and he explains the emotional/psychological aspects of the disease.

Pam

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[Mony]

Hi There

Im going to the dr this week to get tested for hypo as I really think I have it because of my symptoms. All the the labs etc you all are referring to are like greek to me lol but I wondered if someone would be kind enough just to briefly list what the labs would be for the TH's if you are hypo - like 1.0-2.2?? Im sure that sounds ridiculous i made those#s up lol
Thanks a bunch

[nonstickpam107]

Hi Mony,
Lots of controversy over what is "normal" on the tests. So, you need: TSH, FT4, FT3 testing, make sure you get a copy of the report when it comes in. I'd be glad to take a look at it for ya, feel free to PM, or even email me from my profile.

Pam

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[NancyC]

I'm going to see my dr. this week and try to persuade her to do some more testing on me for hypothyroid, so I'm trying to gather as much info as possible before I go. But I'm confused about one thing that I'd like to get straight (just one???). I'm perimenopausal --- is it more possible that perimenopause MIMICS hypothyroid, and that's all it is, or does perimeno. help BRING ON hypothyroid?

[nonstickpam107]

Well, Nancy, both. My endo insists that my daughter is "peri" because she is under 40, but only an FSH test can determine whether you are peri, or full menopausal, but it is safe to say that most women who are past 45 are in menopause.

As with pregnancy, giving birth, being menopausal these are the times when thyroid disease strikes. It's so very, very easy to just take an antibody test to find out if you have Hashimoto's hypothyroid, but for those who are wondering about how low estrogen mimics hypo---you need: TSH, FT4, FT3, FSH, estradiol, progesterone testing, and then look at the whole picture.

If the FSH is high, you are in menopause even if you have your TOM---just because you still have that doesn't mean you ovulate, therefore the thyroid alone can bring that on. Low ferritin mimics hypo, too, but with a high TSH, not the T4 and T3, so that is why you NEED a FT4, and FT3 testing, not JUST a TSH test---these are the definitive tests to find out if you have hypothyroid.

Keep in mind that some doctor's know so little about the disease that they will check mark tests like "T3 uptake" thinking that's a measure of your T3---it's not!!! It's a measure of T4 in the bloodstream.

Some doc's (mainly GP's) think just TSH is just fine, too, when it's not. If your FT4 is low, it means your thyroid is "conking out". My TSH looked great, actually a little "hyper" at .80, but my FT4 wasn't on the lab range, it was under it, so then I was checked for antibodies---sure enough, there they were.

One person's TSH can be a 20, and they won't exhibit any symptoms, while another person's can be .80, and a week later they are in a myxedema coma (that was me!!!) because they have NO T4 hormone in their body.

Pam

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[nonstickpam107]

Bumping for information.

Pam

[nonstickpam107]

Bumping for information.

Pam

[nonstickpam107]

Bump

Pam

[2B Me]

Does anyone know of natural supplements that would improve thyroid performance? My tests recently were on the low side of normal and I'd like to help it out, if possible.