What were your previous thyroid levels and what meds, if any, that you were on and how much?

This would help to see the comparison between the two labs.

{{{hugs}}}

P.S. Sorry to read about you're stressing over your husband's health. :-(

Even though you didn't ask about it, your FT4 has really been too low for your past two sets of labs. Most Graves' patients fare best with FT4 levels near the high end of the range - yours is slightly over mid-range.

Your Total T3 was hypo last time and it's worse now.

Stress can interfere with conversion so, the little T4 you have isn't being converted into T3 so that's probably why your Total T3 level is lower than last time.

You might want to consider supplementing with 100-200mcg selenium, if you're not doing so already....this helps with conversion.

Without a doubt, your lower levels could be the cause of your hot flashes. I'm surprised (but happy for you) that you don't have any other hypo symptoms.

I think you might want to talk to your doctor about taking 1.25mg every 3rd day.

If your TSH is still .3 (or higher) after being on that dose for 4-6 wks., it would be appropriate to get a TSI test because it looks like you're nearing remission (if you aren't in it already :)

I was taking 1.25 mg of MMI daily for several months and because the TSH was showing signs of coming up without being over medicated we opted to go to every other day at 1.25 mg beginning with the Oct 30 labs. The FT4 have been holding at the 1.20 level since June. This
is the most it's gone up since then.
The 3t Total has been at 133 and then dropped to the 120's and now at the 106 level.
I am taking 200 of the selenium and have since I started with you guys in 2011. I also take D3 2000, Cal/Mag 1-1; B12, Vit E with
tro something or other, and sometimes B50. CoQ10 and
Omega 3-6-9. I eat pretty healthy but have some of the usual
carb cravings when I'm low on the levels.
I feel more lethargic but have good energy when i get going so i just figure since I'm not living at Mach I anymore that this is more
"normal" whatever that is i guess.

Hope that helps and if you need any further labs, i'd be happy to supply the info.

Thanks you guys!! Can't do this with out you.
I was wondering about every 3rd day with the 3t being so low, so
thanks for that info.

I'm also glad to report my husband is doing well now and getting
his strength back. That is a huge relief. He spent 5 days in the hospital mid oct with colitis caused by being exposed to the norovirus - a highly contagious virus that can do a lot of fun things
and no i didn't get it - must be all the supplements i take. LOL


Cindee

MMZT - Here are the rest of the labs - well not all but from April

4/6 tsh .05, FT4 .9 t3 129 started taking 1.25 mmi
6/8 tsh .24 FT4 .9 T3 133 went to every other day on 1.25
7/19 tsh .159 FT4 1.24 T3 130 went back to every day 1.25
9/21 tsh .24 FT4 1.20 T3 120 stayed on 1.25 every day
10/30 tsh . 54 FT4 1.21 T3 121.5 went to every other day 1.25 again
12/5 tsh .33 fT4 1,24 T3 106

Hope that helps see the trend.
Thanks so much for the help.
Cindee

cindee:

I was in such a hurry that I failed to see that you actually had two different dates listed.

The T3 could be the problem with feeling something like the hot flashes.

I know that if I had your FT4 levels I'd be feeling great. I can't have it up there in the upper third range no matter how I'd like to.

If your Selenium comes in caps or tabs (or whatever) of 100 mcg each, perhaps adding another 100 mcg to equal 300 mcg may just do the trick for you to get your T3 to come up.

{{{hugs}}}

Thanks Laura,
I'll give the extra selenium a try. Would you stay at the everyother day
or go to every 3 days at this point?

Cindee

If it were me, I'd leave the current every other day ATD dosing alone. Just concentrate and see if the T3 is the issue and try a different dosing for the Selnium.

The T3 has nothing to do with the ATD you are taking for the Free T4. If you were taking PTU, yes, it would because it works on both FT3 and FT4.

{{{hugs}}}

Thanks Laura. It sure makes me wonder why the T3 dropped so much so quickly....Do you know what all will affect the T3?

Cindee

Stress and eating raw goitrogen foods. Certain vitamins and drugs will do this as well.

{{{hugs}}}

Cindee ! Hi !

Look at that FT4 just holding steady. :)

My first thought on the total T3, is are all those results done during the identical time of the month for your menstrual cycle ?

TT3 measures differently than the FT4 which only measures thyroid hormones available for the body to use. TT4 and TT3 often reads falsely high in childbearing age women, but not always. It varies by individual so much the tests are outdated now that we do have accurate FT testing available, so don't put too much stock in it.

Some women always run high, some always run low, and some it seems to swing, with no obvious reason that I've been able to figure out over the years. But that only happens when we get a regular poster in one of our groups that has a doctor that runs ALL of them. We can watch the TT3 and FT3 and the TT4 and FT4 all laid out there. A brain twister. LOL
Estrogen and thyroid hormone compete for the same receptor sites and estrogen generally wins.

Any chance you might be seeing the appearance of menopause ? That can make things interesting.

As far as if you go every other day or every third day... trust yourself on that. You have a better idea what's right than anybody else at all.

Oh, and with the extra stress.. good job holding on there. True the antibodies may have wanted to have a little party, and the tiny TSH change might show that, but it's still fine. Life happens, stress comes and we weather the storm and get our footing as things calm down. Well down.

argg.. work through my typos. My keyboard broke and I'm trying to type on a old standard one. My challenge it seems. Feels like typing on the back of an elephant. = :-o

I typed Peri-menopause I thought..and the end there is "Well done !"

Thanks Pam. I am menopausal at 56 1/2 yrs old. So not sure how that plays into this. i do know that I felt the best with the fT4 in the 1.20ish range (which on old labs before Graves diagnosis in previous years seemed to be normal for me) and the T3 in the 1.30-1.40 range.
I am going to beg...:)) for a FT3 test next time and see if he humors me. Is Selenium my only option to get the level up?
The only change in vitamins has been the addition of the Vit E with the tocotrienols and the omega 3-6-9.

Another thought though, I have been using a lot of herbs and spices because my digestion is so slow - licorice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardimon, ginger and others - these are the regulars.
Anything there that could affect this? As far as goitergenic foods,
i've actually cut back on the raw veggies because of the digestion
and eating more cooked but have limited my usual broccoli and cauliflower this past month.

I am struggling to lose a few pounds and seem to want to gain but i chalked it up to the normalization of things. I run 12 miles a week plus swim, and other weight training and cardio so I should be holding but am struggling in this area as well. Sleep is so-so. Some nights are good and some not so much.

I appreciate all of you guys help here and I will post what the Dr says when i get back on Sat - won't have computer with me and trying to do this on the smartphone could make my typing more interesting then it already is....;00

i so appreciate you guys.
Cindee