I should also add- I've been eating two brazil nuts a day for selenium and eating other foods for beta carotene. I've been treating any eye dryness with refresh drops...

Oh yeah- and watching out for goitragens :)

You are still slightly under mid range with your FT4...1.3 is mid range for you...your goal would be to have your FT4 around 1.6. Everyone is different...some people feel there best at mid range but those are few but you may be one of those people.

Your FT3 is quite low...mid range for you is 135...ideally...mid range or slightly above mid range is the goal. Having a low FT3 can cause all types of hypo symptoms...similar to the ones you have described and more.

If these were my labs I would be needing to take a small amount of T4 replacement with a T3 built in...or...take a T3 separately...my personal choice would be to take Cytomel because I would be able to control the amount taken to bring my T3 up...with built in T3 you dont have that luxury. It would just give me more control.

As far as you finding a new doc...I would highly recommend it unless you can convince him/her to let you try a small amount to see if it would make a difference...call it an experiment...Big Hugs...Kathy

Thanks, Kathy...

I'm conflicted...

I think I will seek out another endo- the thought of it is so overwhelming because I'm limited with my location but I think I will still attempt to do so.

Another thing- I contacted Elaine and bugged her with this question as well. She said the following:
Levels aren't too low or too high. T3 could be higher so be sure you're taking at least 200 mcg selenium daily. But we have 10-20 times as much FT4/T4 as FT3/T3 and your FT4 is right at mid-range.

But, previously I had some lab numbers I was shooting for and I'm not there yet- so I'm kind of confused. I'm planning on bugging Elaine further. I also look back on my labs prior to any meds- right when I was diagnosed and I did feel good at that time for the most part- was just experiencing hair loss and heart was racing, I'm assuming that was from the antibodies. I struggle with some of my symptoms- are they hypo symptoms or symptoms of getting older, have had a baby, etc. My current endo certainly would not let me experiment- nor would my GP. Do you have any insight into Mary's about.com site???

Thanks for taking the time to respond!!! :)

Also- above is my T3, not FT3, I believe... My endo doesn't do a FT3 test...

I went to Elaines site and could not find your post...must be under a different name. Everyone is different...most people feel better at the top half of there ranges but some feel good at mid range...as I mentioned...you may be one of those people. If these were my labs...I would be very hypo...but that is me.

However...the complaints you have are hypo symptoms...joint issues and not being able to loose weight are just a few....but again...if you do feel well its not a worry. With your low T3...which could be the culprit...perhaps you could eat 3 Brazil nuts a day and see if that helps. Also...adding a small amount of Vit E gives the Selenium you are presently taking a bit more punch. Big Hugs...Kathy

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/777483_5

Thank you so much for your post, Kathy... Very much appreciated...

I actually have been emailing Elaine- that is how we have been corresponding...

I was originally shooting for these labs- this was my goal and Elaine had provided me with these numbers. I think I'll contact her again for further information.
TSH would be between 0.4 and 1.0, FT4 would be around 1.6 and T3 would be around 160.

I find myself confused. I mean, I don't know what normal is anymore. For years, I went from fertility treatments to pregnancy and now Graves and remission and probably hypo. I have no idea what I should feel like. I always seem to question all of this- do I feel this way because I'm getting older? Am I tired because of my child or because I'm hypo? Am I hot because it's just summertime? Do my knees hurt because I lift and bend all day long? My knees are the weirdest thing though- they vary so much from day to day. They feel great today but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm hurting badly tomorrow...

I have off from work next week and I'm going to really treat my body with care- be a bit more serious with attempting weight loss and see if those pounds still won't budge. I also find that prior to my treatment my labs are nearly identical to now. My antibodies have decreased but all else is close to the same....

Also, it's more than just how I feel right now. I'm hoping to have an embryo transfer this fall and I don't want to mess with anything. However, I also want to be in the best shape for pregnancy. I struggle with this because I don't have an endo that is particularly good and there is a huge disconnect with my current state and preparing for pregnancy. Feeling lost and wishing I could find an endo to string all of this together. That would alleviate quite a bit of stress and anxiety...

I think in my heart I'm a bit hypo... not entirely sure but I kind of think so...

I know that when your TSH and thyroid hormones are both low, without autoantibodies thrown into the mix, it could indicate central hypothyroidism, aka hypothyroidism as a result of hypopituitarism.

That could be a cause of fertility problems as well as the low thyroid. Generally, it takes an endocrinologist to diagnose it. If your current endo can't or won't test you for it, you may need to look elsewhere.

I think the doctors usually say it is better to have higher thyroid levels when pregnant.

Best wishes and good luck.

Thanks for the info, Fern :)

Also, I'm 65. It isn't old age setting in. Hypothyroid symptoms are horrid.

Finally, after 6 months of Hypo Hell after I was able to stop taking the MMI, one half tablet of liothyronine (Cytomel) jolted me back to health, I think. Being in control of the doses myself, I skipped it the next day, and took it every other day for a while--6 tablets in all, and have not taken any in the last 12 days. I feel great!

I still have to get the labs done in August to tell the tale, but I am hopeful that I got my thyroid "re-set" to where it should be.

I wish you the best also.