Weird that he gave you total T3 instead of free T3--maybe just a silly error in communicating it to the lab or something? Your free T4 seems pretty low in the range, though. I know you've said you have been feeling good on armour. Are you pretty much symptom free, or just noticeably better than before? It would be interesting to see your free T3 with this as well because if it is as low in the range as T4 I can't imagine you'd be feeling all that great. Is the plan to keep your dosage the same for now, or maybe try an increase and see how you feel?

I'd say my only significant symptom is really really cold feet, numb even. I've lost a few pounds and I feel so much better during the day. The black cloud has lifted- I feel good about life again.
So I don't know about these lab results. My T4 is really still low in the range.
I'm not asking this doctor to dose me- it's my gyn office that does that.
But it's hard to ask for more med when you feel pretty good. Could I feel better- ?? Hard to know, right?

Reading some of the other threads, I wonder if my T4 has recently cut out and I'm just not feeling bad yet since the body always lags?
Does that sound reasonable? These labs were taken just 4 hours after the med which I didn't realize was bad.

Armour is made from porcine thyroid that has a larger proportion of T3 than T4 compared to human thyroid.

Therefore, people taking Armour will have a FT4 level that is proportionately lower in the range than their FT3 level. Most are fine with this as long as the FT4 level is above mid-range.

If you are having really cold/possibly numb feet, there is no doubt in my mind that you could feel better with an appropriate dose of Armour.

Unfortunately, the fact that you took your meds within 4 hours of your labs means that your levels were skewed artificially high.

I hope your doctor doesn't look at your over-range Total T3 level and refuse to give you the dose increase you obviously need.

Unless lab requisitions are generated with a computer....or are geared towards thyroid issues, the FreeT3 test usually has to be written in. That could explain why the more common Total T3 test was run.

Unfortunately, the Total T3 test measures *all* of the T3 in the blood.....the T3 that is available for use by the body (FreeT3) and the T3 that is bound to proteins and not usable.

There's no way of knowing just how much of the Total T3 you have is actually FreeT3.

I suggest that you review the following symptoms list to see if you are dealing with any others that you might not realize could be caused by the thyroid:

http://hypothyroidmom.com/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really/

And, if the cold/numb feet is truly your only symptoms, there's nothing wrong with asking the doctor to let you "try" a small dose increase to see if it helps eliminate that final symptom.

Please understand that things can be "going on behind the scenes" and the fact that you *do* have cold/numb feet is a sign that your body's temperature isn't being regulated properly.

It's entirely possibly that one or more body system(s) isn't working at its maximum potential and that is why it's important to try to eliminate all "visible" symptoms.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks so much for your response. Just so I know, if you were my doc, how much higher would you go? I'm just on 30 now.

When the FT4/FT3 levels are below mid-range, most doctors increase by 30mg.

If the patient has trouble adjusting to new doses, most doctors will first increase by 15mg and, if the patient is faring well with the increase, will increase by another 15mg after two weeks.....then labs at 6 wks.

Some doctors are conservative and will only increase by 15mg every 6 wks.

Slow and steady will always win the thyroid race.