For me, my TSH has nothing to do with being hyper now that I'm on med. In fact, my T4 and free T3 scores went down and my med had to be boosted because my symptoms returned. With a TSH at .013.
I'm just worried because although I do eat a lot of veggies and pretty healthy, the one area I've been really neglectful in is calcium. I don't drink milk much and eat a lot of veggies but broccoli isn't a favorite.
I wonder how much makeup I can do in 5 weeks when I'm supposed to be tested?

Here's some info about the test you'll be having done:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003603.htm

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/calcium-ca-in-urine

Based upon what WebMD has to say, I'd be inclined to discuss your calcium intake with your NP for guidance re the test.


I'm sure you recognize that calcium is a vital nutrient. If you are not getting enough of the RDA for calcium, you just might want to change that.

Here's a list of dietary sources of calcium:

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/

Obviously, we all need adequate levels of Vit D for proper calcium metabolism. Hopefully, you know what your level is and, if it's less-than-appropriate, you are supplementing with intentions of followup/possible dose adjustments until your level is optimized.

Here's some info on that:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/testing-for-vitamin-d/

BTW.....my TSH when taking thyroid hormone replacement has never been as "high" as yours and I am far from hyper.

I started my thyroid disease journey with Graves' so I know what being hyper feels like.

Thank goodness my doctor told me she ignores TSH....and knows that each of us have our own personal setpoints - the FT4/FT3 levels that keep us functioning best.

TSH has no physiological implications. Looking at TSH (pituitary hormone) to judge thyroid status is like looking at the odometer in attempts at figuring out how much gas is in the tank.

If you want to know how much gas is in the tank (thyroid hormone), it makes sense to look at the gas gauge (measure the levels of thyroid hormone that are usable by the body - FT4 and FT3)

I'm just really nervous she'll cut off my thyroid med when she sees test results that probably have more to do with bad nutrition and a Vitamin D problem! Although that office has always been so great. I don't like milk but will drink it anyway from now on...

Per the Medline link:

"If you are eating a normal diet, the expected amount of calcium in the urine is 100 to 300 mg/day. If you are eating a diet low in calcium, the amount of calcium in the urine will be 50 to 150 mg/day.

Urine calcium levels can help your doctor:

Decide on the best treatment for the most common type of kidney stone, which is made of calcium. This type of stone may occur when the kidney leaks too much calcium into the urine.

Monitor someone who has a problem with the parathyroid gland, which helps control calcium levels in the blood and urine.

Help diagnose the cause of problems with your blood calcium level or bones."

If your calcium intake is low, I can't see how your results would be problematic.....unless you are excreting calcium at a rate that's higher than the high end of the normal range.

I could be wrong (it's happened before - lol) but calcium regulation largely has NOTHING to do with TSH. Calcium regulation has everything to do with the parathyroid gland which is NOT stimulated by the pituitary hormone TSH, rather it responds to levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. In fact, in SOME cases parathyroid glands that were inadvertently removed during a thyroid-ectomy can be inserted into the forearm of the patient and work fairly well if caught in time:

http://jonbarron.org/article/endocrine-system-thyroid-and-parathyroid-gland#.VCzX4PldV24

Of course, getting your doctor to "remember/recognize that" is next to impossible, so do as CD says :)