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...
your thoughts/input on the lab updates would be appreciated:
5/9/12 (the beginning of my journey into "thyroidland"!)
tsh - 108.5 (range 0.450-4.500).
* only tsh was checked in may, but as a result of reading all of the supportive and helpful suggestions posted here, reqested the 6 week follow up include the free t3 and free t4. Also wanted the antibody test because I suspect I have hasimoto's, but the nurse said that was very expensive, they wouldn't typically do it at this point, blah, blah, blah. I don't want to push it just yet, want to cooperate and negotiate my way to getting the tests/treatment that will bring the best results possible.
levo dosage started at 75 mcg
6/19/12:
tsh 9.050 (same range as above)
triiodothyronine, free, serum - 2.5 (range 2.0-4.4)
T4, free(direct) - 1.59 (range 0.82-1.77)
levo dosage increased to 88 mcg
(also note cholesterol went from 313 on 5/9, to 192 on 6/19.)
how am I feeling? every day is different. brain fog seems to be gone mostly. sleeping a little better. get bad indigestion, headaches, shortness of breath, intermittent anxiety attacks.
thanks for reading my post, and thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.
happy 4th to all - hope everyone enjoys their holiday and feels their best!
5/9/12 (the beginning of my journey into "thyroidland"!)
tsh - 108.5 (range 0.450-4.500).
* only tsh was checked in may, but as a result of reading all of the supportive and helpful suggestions posted here, reqested the 6 week follow up include the free t3 and free t4. Also wanted the antibody test because I suspect I have hasimoto's, but the nurse said that was very expensive, they wouldn't typically do it at this point, blah, blah, blah. I don't want to push it just yet, want to cooperate and negotiate my way to getting the tests/treatment that will bring the best results possible.
levo dosage started at 75 mcg
6/19/12:
tsh 9.050 (same range as above)
triiodothyronine, free, serum - 2.5 (range 2.0-4.4)
T4, free(direct) - 1.59 (range 0.82-1.77)
levo dosage increased to 88 mcg
(also note cholesterol went from 313 on 5/9, to 192 on 6/19.)
how am I feeling? every day is different. brain fog seems to be gone mostly. sleeping a little better. get bad indigestion, headaches, shortness of breath, intermittent anxiety attacks.
thanks for reading my post, and thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.
happy 4th to all - hope everyone enjoys their holiday and feels their best!
I'm glad to hear you've had some improvements but, sorry to say, I'm not surprised you are still having issues.
Your current FreeT4 level would be optimal for most people - some might need it a tad higher (I'm one of them).
I don't know a single soul who would feel good with your FreeT3 level and your continuing symptoms are most likely due to this.
The fact that your TSH is still so high is an indication that one or both of your FreeT4/T3 levels is inadequate.
Now, the levo you are taking is a T4 med. T4 is our storage hormone and gets converted by the body into T3, the active hormone. The levels of these hormones that are available for the body's use are the FreeT4 and FreeT3, respectively.
Your "good" FreeT4 level combined with a FreeT3 level near the bottom end of the range indicates that you are having a pretty common problem with conversion.
Here's some info on how to maximize conversion:
http://www.thyrophoenix.com/conversion.htm
Even if you are able to maximize conversion, your body still might not be able to convert enough of your levo into T3, the active hormone.
This would be evidenced by a continuation of labs similar to the ones you have now. In fact, with your levo dose increase, you can expect your FreeT4 level to increase - your FreeT3 level is not likely to increase much, if at all.
A too-high FreeT4 level along with a too-low FreeT3 level (or vice versa) can cause us to have a mixture of hyper and hypo symptoms.
You could wait until your next labs and make efforts to maximize conversion to see what happens.
Or, you could ask your doctor to add some T3 to your meds regimen - either in the form of Cytomel (generic is liothyronine) or desiccated thyroid such as Armour, Naturethroid, etc.
Best of luck to you moving forward!