Graves' Disease Support Group
Graves-Basedow disease is a medical disorder that may manifest several different conditions including hyperthyroidism (over activity of thyroid hormone production), infiltrative exophthalmos (protruberance of one or both eyes and associated problems) and infiltrative dermopathy (a skin condition usually of the lower extremities). This disorder is the most common cause of...
Hi all,
I called today to get my test results since a few of you, my friends, had wanted to know what they are. Here they are:
T 4~~~ 7.2--- range: 4.4~12.4
Free T 4~~~ .84--- range: .73~1.95
TSH ~~~ 3.5---range: .3~5.1
Free T 3~~~ 2.6---range: 2.3~4.2
See how the free T 3 and Free T 4 are kinda on the low side? I know at the fibro clinic the doc had told me that in order to be healthy one should really be more in the middle ranges instead of on the edges.
If anyone can help me figure these out I would really appreciate it. I know your not doctors but you may have been where I am before and know these numbers better. Thank you so much!! Love, Tamye
I called today to get my test results since a few of you, my friends, had wanted to know what they are. Here they are:
T 4~~~ 7.2--- range: 4.4~12.4
Free T 4~~~ .84--- range: .73~1.95
TSH ~~~ 3.5---range: .3~5.1
Free T 3~~~ 2.6---range: 2.3~4.2
See how the free T 3 and Free T 4 are kinda on the low side? I know at the fibro clinic the doc had told me that in order to be healthy one should really be more in the middle ranges instead of on the edges.
If anyone can help me figure these out I would really appreciate it. I know your not doctors but you may have been where I am before and know these numbers better. Thank you so much!! Love, Tamye
I'll let those with way more experience give you better direction. All I can share is that for me I feel best when the FT4 is in the mid range and the FT3 in the mid to upper range. So, how are you feeling?
I do know for myself that when I was at the lower ranges, I felt hypo and the TSH started registering which from what I have learned here is a result of the levels being hypo for my body and that forces the Graves anitbodies into action and forces the TSH to show up so to speak. However as I said, the gang here is so much more knowledgable and will help you understanding the labs and the process.
I am responding here than in the other post when you asked for people to look over your lab results.
Both of your Free T3 and Free T4 are too low for your needs. If these were my Free Ts, I would be hypO and having problems.
Your eye problems and, of course, thyroid antibodies are probably way up higher due to the lower Free Ts. I would work to get the levels up.
I'm sorry I don't remember what meds you are on (and I have to leave to get my children from early out at their schools) and if you would post the meds here, how much and how often, I will decipher when I get back.
Again, I apologize as my mind is elsewhere and I know you have been posting responses in several threads to others. I will reread everything everyone has been saying to get the gist of it all.
Bye for now and {{{hugs}}} :-)
Thank you so much for your great response. I knew all along I could count on you! :-) I tried to make an appt with an endo who is listed in my provider book but they said they don't accept my insurance any more. That really frustrates me cuz I have good insurance and I know the doctor dropped the insurance because sometimes they are slow in paying the providers. You would think that with the way America is today with its multitude of medical needs and insurance dictating so much that doctors would find it in their hearts to simply remember the Hippocratic oath they once took and get their minds off the "almighty dollar" as my dear father used to call it.
Well enough rambling. My meds I take are: depakote 500 mg twice a day, cymbalta 60 mg twice a day, ativan 2 mg at bed, gabapanten 400 mg twice a day, valturna the small strength at bed, bystolic 5 mg twice a day, omega 3 oil twice a day, st.johns wort twice a day, 5 htp twice a day, ginseng twice a day, magnesium at bed, SAME-e twice a day and then I use thera tears preservative free, one vial at bed and blink lubricating eye gel drops about 2-3 times a day. I think thats it. I probably left out a few supplements but I can't think they are very important ones.
Well thank you Cass if you can help me figure this mystery out. Also my moods have been way off and I can't help but think thats related. I go through episodes where I sweat very quickly and when no one else is. Florescent lights make me sick, such as shaky, nauseous, sweaty, and my eyes are deeply affected. I absolutely can not tolerate any heat at all, nor temp extremes, of course fatigue is a given, no motivation, socially awkward with a strong aversion to any social gathering (was not like this before), strong desire for isolation, even from my own immediate family. Then of course there are all the MS symptoms which I am still in the process of working out.
So there you have it. I also have swollen lymph nodes around my ears many days of the week. Headaches about 5 of the 7 days and just plain miserable what with all the physical aches and pains and the mood issues that affect my whole family, not just me.
If you can give any advice or have any suggestions I would so appreciate them!! Thank you Cass so much!!
Your friend always,
Tamye
Correct?
{{{hugs}}}
P.S. Yes, I can sympathize with you about doctors not taking insurances when they have a problem with not getting paid. Nowadays it is all about how much money a doctor can make, I am afraid...!:-(
Thank you both for ur replies. It does help knowing what levels are usually the most comfortable for people. It just does not fail to astonish me how my current doctor could have seen those test results time after time and just simply ignored them. Sometimes I wonder if some doctors just check to see if there is a number in the abnormal column. If there is nothing there then they don't check any thing else.
All I know NOW is that my doctor is soooo fired!!! He has made his last screw up with me! Oh and as far as the fibro, I unfortunately have more than the 11 tender points. I have chronic fatigue syndrome also. I think so much of what I have is virus related. Having had Epstein Barr Virus with such an extremely high viral load that my docs actually sat me down and flat out told me that I was going to end up with lots of autoimmune disorders. Then I found out I had chronic Cytomegalovirus. Thats a nasty virus that if pregnant women have it, their babies usually get it and most of those sweet babies flat out die from it. As for me I get it about every 4-6 weeks, it last about 4 days and causes headache, neck ache and usually a sore throat. I have about 7 different chronic herpes viruses and some kind of weird stomach virus that makes your burps sound like a semi automatic gun going off...I kid you not!!! My husband always made fun of that one and I bet I don't have to tell you what happened!??!? Yep big boy has a louder gun than mama!!!!! Ahhhhh....it is the little things in life isn't it?? ;-D
Anyway, I better run for now. My "fake" MS symptoms have been really bothering me tonight. Oh, wait, my fired doctor said that my cigarettes cause all my so called MS symptoms. So I was hurting so bad and I had been right in the middle of answering you guys. Had to literally drop my phone and curl up in a ball. My husband brought me a pain pill and it is working some what. I hate taking pain pills cuz with me being bipolar everyone jumps to the conclusion That I am self medicating just cuz they saw bipolar people like that on a lifetime movie or on law and order. Well if I was going to self medicate it sure wouldn't be pain pills. I don't know a single bipolar person who self medicates with pain pills. Favorites are any type of speed, alcohol, or anxiety meds like xanax. It is miserable beyond most peoples most horrible meaning of the word miserable to have bipolar. So if you ever hear people putting bipolar people down, especially calling them studies, please, for me, take up for the bipolar people. You should go to daily strength bipolar board sometimes and read a few of their posts. I swear you will wonder where those folks find the strength to go on living every day. Its really sad there and I don't visit very often because of that. Other times I feel like God wants me to visit so I can try to help someone there. They usually don't have much hope left and when one of their own stops by and lets them know that there IS hope cuz look how they have turned out...well it will make their whole week. A lot of attempted suicide and actual suicide within the walls of the different bipolar boards.
Okkkaaayyy....so sorry!!! Miss "swypes"too much at it again. Ii was actually going to try super hard this time! If I don't watch it I'm gonna get kicked off of all the boards EXCEPT the bipolar board...every fourth person there is a writer so I fit in really well in that way!!!
Luv you guys!!
Tamye
I am not a bipolar but do have a dear friend who has several family members this way. So lotsa love and {{{hugs}}} to those going through this.
{{{hugs}}} :-)
P.S. I guess you are not taking either the ATD or a replacement med.