Hypothyroidism Support Group
Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...
Hi all. I was sent this direction from someone who thinks you all might be able to help me. I've been feeling pretty awful for the last year and a half. Lately I've been getting worse and my doc can't figure it out. He keeps running tests on me and they are all "normal". All of my symptoms point to hypothyroidism, but my lab results say "normal". The lady that said I should come here said even though my results were in the normal range, the free T4 was so low that it could be whats making me feel so bad and I was just wondering what you all thought. Here is what the labs said.
T4 Free Free T4: 0.90 ng/dL Final
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (Tsh) Tsh: 1.518 uIU/mL. There was no test for free T3. I've read a lot of the posts on here and I have a majority for the symptoms you all have, especially the fatigue and joint pain, (I gave myself 2 ulcers taking so many ibuprofen for the pain). Basically if you can name a symptom that's not "female related", I seem to have it, lol. So, what does everyone think? All replys are appreciated and I hope you're all doing well.
Jeff
T4 Free Free T4: 0.90 ng/dL Final
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (Tsh) Tsh: 1.518 uIU/mL. There was no test for free T3. I've read a lot of the posts on here and I have a majority for the symptoms you all have, especially the fatigue and joint pain, (I gave myself 2 ulcers taking so many ibuprofen for the pain). Basically if you can name a symptom that's not "female related", I seem to have it, lol. So, what does everyone think? All replys are appreciated and I hope you're all doing well.
Jeff
If you think your thyroid is the culprit, then get the appropriate tests to sort out - and you'll have to request the correct tests in most cases I'm afraid.
You'll need a Free T3 and a Free T4 test. TSH doesn't mean much for certain conditions.
When you have those tests, come on back, post them if you want opinions on them...and hopefully we can help you sort it all out.
Godspeed...
Could you please list the ranges like this?
Free T3 (.85-1.2) or whatever...and it looks like your result is .9 correct?
For instance - my lab uses the following lab ranges:
Free T4 0.600 -2.000
So if my result was : 0.900
That would mean my percent of range would be 21.43%
Which is so low that I absolutely wouldn't be able to function...and would be VERY sick.
But, other labs use different ranges, so it's hard to say. You might call your doc and ask for a copy of the labwork which should have a range on it...or simply ask the dr's office what the range is.
I hope that helps.
If you lab uses a range like mine (and I would confirm that if I were you) then yes, that's quite low and would cause serious symptoms.
Free T4
Range: 0.760 -1.760
Result: 0.900
Percent of Range: 14.00%
Where you should be: 1.51-1.76
At 14% of range, I can't imagine how badly you must feel. I'm sure there are some days you simply cannot function.
You need thyroid replacement meds ASAP.
I hope you get help soon....
Jeff
Today, it's dangerous to believe "whatever" your doctor is telling you just because they say so. They're overworked...and often do not keep up with research and new guidelines.
Keep us posted on your progress!
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources
Here's a sample: (It's a bit misleading because they're talking about fibromyalgia and CFS - but it's really about hypothyroidism)
http://youtu.be/KjFjrPcNB5o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjFjrPcNB5o&feature=youtu.be
Jeff