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...
I was recently diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I am finding all of this confusing. I would like some advice from other suffers.
4/7/16 tsh 4.770
vitamin d, 25-hydroxy 24.7
4/20/16
glucose, serum 93 65-99
t4,free(direct) 1.01 0.82-1.77
tsh 9.220 0.450-4.500
triiodothyronine,free,serum 3.3 2.0-4.4
6/21/16
t4,free(direct) 1.51 0.82-1.77
tsh 1.430 0.450-4.500
thyroid peroxidase (tpo) ab 156 0-34
thyroglobulin antibody 1
Dr called and asked how i was feeling. I told her crappy. She wants me to keep taking levothyroxine 1.25 mg. I pushed and will be doing an adrenal blood test.
Thanks in advance
Michelle
4/7/16 tsh 4.770
vitamin d, 25-hydroxy 24.7
4/20/16
glucose, serum 93 65-99
t4,free(direct) 1.01 0.82-1.77
tsh 9.220 0.450-4.500
triiodothyronine,free,serum 3.3 2.0-4.4
6/21/16
t4,free(direct) 1.51 0.82-1.77
tsh 1.430 0.450-4.500
thyroid peroxidase (tpo) ab 156 0-34
thyroglobulin antibody 1
Dr called and asked how i was feeling. I told her crappy. She wants me to keep taking levothyroxine 1.25 mg. I pushed and will be doing an adrenal blood test.
Thanks in advance
Michelle
While it's not a bad idea to get an adrenal assessment, it's clear that you have a thyroid problem. Here's why:
4-7-16 Your TSH was 4.77 *Most* people feel well with a TSH around 1. Anything over that, and you're usually looking at hypothyroidism.
4-20-16 Your TSH is a whopping 9.22 (waaay over 1, right?)
Your Free T4 is 20% of range - that's waaay below the 60-100% of range where *most* people feel well. Now your thyroid is screaming for thyroid meds.
Your Free T3 is 50% of range - most people feel well at ABOVE 50% of range...you're hanging on here, but with the slipping Free T4, your Free T3 will soon plummet.
6-21-16
TSH is 1.43...you're getting closer to "normal" on your meds, but you're not there yet...and TSH isn't the greatest indicator of health once you start medication. We rely more on Free T4 and Free T3 here.
Free T4 is 72% of range - you're closer to normal here too.
Your TPO-AB is a resounding positive (you most likely have Hashimoto's), it's hard to say fer sure because your other lab was cut off. This site has an annoying feature that cuts of anything after a less than or greater than sign. If you have Hashimoto's....you WILL feel horrible for a while.
However, we are NOT our lab values. They're merely and indicator as to which way our health is going...and sometimes you don't feel your lab values until a week or two AFTER they're drawn. So, yeah, I"ll bet you DO feel crappy.
I'm going to list more information here, but DO keep taking your meds:
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources/discussions/messages/17754063
It's alot to take in, but will help you on your journey.
Taking thyroid meds isn't like taking an aspirin for a headache, it's more like trying to balance insulin levels in a diabetic. It's time consuming and takes effort. But, lucky for you, you found the right spot for information on how to do that. I can tell you it takes on avg about 18 months to balance a thyroid. Give or take 6 months.
Hashimoto's can flare up at any time - it can be triggered by anything, really, or sometimes seemingly nothing at all. I have Hashi's so, I know what I'm talkin' about. ;) So, you have to keep a weather eye on the storm, so to speak. Meaning you have to do the following:
1. Get labs (you've done that)
2. Get meds (you've done that) (or med adjustment)
3. Wait four weeks (it takes about 4-6 weeks for the meds (levo/synthroid) to get into your system)
Rinse, repeat until you reach optimal. Meaning, get more labs at 4-6 week point, get adjustment in your meds based on your symptoms and your labs (you HAVE TO HAVE BOTH), so keep a symptoms journal (yes, every day) and a folder by date with your labs. Look back over it when you get your new labs to see if your Free T4/Free T3 has gone up or down with this goal in mind:
*Most* (certainly not all) people feel well with a Free T4 above 60%-110% of range and a Free T3 of above 50% of range. That's a place to *aim* for to begin with.
Where your labs folder and symptoms journal will come in is when you get to that point (the percentages listed above) because not everyone is the same and you'll have to use them to figure out where YOUR optimal is. We'll be glad to help with that, but you have to do your part by keeping the journal and your labs, k?
There are 300+ symptoms of hypothyroidism/Hashi's
http://hypothyroidmom.com/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really/
And many mimic HYPER thyroidism. For instance, being jittery/nervous/no appetite is both a HYPER and HYPO symptom as is Heart palpitations. So, you have to compare your labs and your symptoms journal to see where you feel BEST. You'll see as it progresses that this is the best approach to getting to your optimal. There really is no rushing this process. So, remember: Slow but steady wins the race.
Here's more on that:
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources/discussions/messages/17754063
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources/discussions/messages/17785295
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources/discussions/messages/19619927
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources/discussions/messages/17745645
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources/discussions/messages/17985033
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/thyroid-resources/discussions/messages/17745683
If you can't see the threads above just join the Thyroid Resources Group.
I know its alot to take in...but bookmark the link and review it as you can.