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,
Had the usual thyroid panel tests done in Aug 2012, when I was first diagnosed, Dec 2012 (forgot to ask for a copy) and early last week.
Aug 2012:
- TSH: 3.82 [0.65-3.70]
- Free T4: 7.7 [8.8-14.4]
Apr 2013:
- TSH: 1.71
- Free T4: 10.7
Currently on 37.5 micrograms of generic T4 a day (endos here in Singapore) are still stuck in the 'just manage TSH' protocol). Feel much better now than in August. Hardly get cramps, don't feel so cold, no more pins & needles in fingertips, not sleepy in late afternoon, hardly any gas either end, much less depressed, fewer ridges on fingernails, no more frizzy hair, much less water retention, itchy spots on legs, pant less when walking up slopes.
Dunno how much of the improvement is due to the T4. Think most of it is attributable to the herbal thyroid capsules and the barley grass powder I've been taking along with selenium, Vit C and Vit B12. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), hypothyrodism is caused by spleen qi deficiency, poor qi circulation and other factors so I've also been taking TCM herbal extracts for those and doing Jin Shin Jyutsu exercises (see http://www.flowsforlife.com/).
Hoping to achieve these going forward: normal nails with luna, less sallow complexion, weight loss, muscle tone (bought a bike to help with that) and full eyebrows. Wishing you guys the same :)
Had the usual thyroid panel tests done in Aug 2012, when I was first diagnosed, Dec 2012 (forgot to ask for a copy) and early last week.
Aug 2012:
- TSH: 3.82 [0.65-3.70]
- Free T4: 7.7 [8.8-14.4]
Apr 2013:
- TSH: 1.71
- Free T4: 10.7
Currently on 37.5 micrograms of generic T4 a day (endos here in Singapore) are still stuck in the 'just manage TSH' protocol). Feel much better now than in August. Hardly get cramps, don't feel so cold, no more pins & needles in fingertips, not sleepy in late afternoon, hardly any gas either end, much less depressed, fewer ridges on fingernails, no more frizzy hair, much less water retention, itchy spots on legs, pant less when walking up slopes.
Dunno how much of the improvement is due to the T4. Think most of it is attributable to the herbal thyroid capsules and the barley grass powder I've been taking along with selenium, Vit C and Vit B12. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), hypothyrodism is caused by spleen qi deficiency, poor qi circulation and other factors so I've also been taking TCM herbal extracts for those and doing Jin Shin Jyutsu exercises (see http://www.flowsforlife.com/).
Hoping to achieve these going forward: normal nails with luna, less sallow complexion, weight loss, muscle tone (bought a bike to help with that) and full eyebrows. Wishing you guys the same :)
While your FreeT4 level is better, it's not a level that would relieve most people's symptoms.
Most people need their FreeT4 level near the high end of the range to be free from thyroid symptoms.
Even if your endo is a TSH-watcher, he/she should be medicating you so your TSH is similar to the type of TSH a healthy person will have: TSH 1.0 or lower (as low as .3).
Is there any chance you could convince the endo to increase your dose.....if not because your levels indicate the need but, due to the fact that you still have some symptoms?
Also, you just might want to confirm that you did indeed get a FreeT4 test.....I know you're in Singapore but the ranges look very much like the ranges US labs use for "plain" T4 which isn't an accurate test at all since it measures T4 that is bound to proteins and not usable by the body.
FreeT4 often looks like this on a lab report: thyroxine, free, direct.