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'm 32 and have MS and MG and some "unclear" thyroid issues.
I've just seen my doctor with my latest blood tests and he's saying that although the TSH is high this time, it's not "that" high above the range enough to treat it. Last time FT4 was low, but not too far outside the range and he didn't feel that it was enough to treat it. I have had thyroid symptoms for years which is why they keep ordering these tests about once a year. Can anyone tell me... if I have the symptoms and they go looking for abnormalities in the blood exams and on imaging, what will it take for them to actually treat once they find something that's not quite right?
I've just seen my doctor with my latest blood tests and he's saying that although the TSH is high this time, it's not "that" high above the range enough to treat it. Last time FT4 was low, but not too far outside the range and he didn't feel that it was enough to treat it. I have had thyroid symptoms for years which is why they keep ordering these tests about once a year. Can anyone tell me... if I have the symptoms and they go looking for abnormalities in the blood exams and on imaging, what will it take for them to actually treat once they find something that's not quite right?
Did doctor run a full thyroid panel, to include: TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies (for Grave's or Hashimoto's)?
If your TSH is high and you said the T4 was low, then yes, it is very likely you are hypothyroid. Seems you may need to find a more thyroid-savvy doc to work with. For a suggested Dr listing see thyroidchange.org website.
TSH 4.33/3.04/3.46/3.68/2.62
FT3 3.38/2.59/2.64/3.31/N/A
FT4 0.98/0.96/0.87/1.31/0.8
My neurologist says I have two nodules on my thyroid and I have a lot of pain in that area, in addition to having a bunch of thyroid symptoms. Going nuts trying to understand what the problem is. We have a national health system here, so I'm stuck with my doctor.
Thanks for your reply. :)
Gather your lab results (the one you posted above is just fine) and point out to your physician that perhaps alone those labs would be fine if you felt fine, but you have symptoms that go alone with those lab results that point to a thyroid issue. So, why not let you try it (thyroid replacment) and see if it helps?
Point to the high TSH, and the bottom of the barrel Free T4 - while it's "within normal limits" it's extremely low and almost below range. I couldn't function with labs like that.
For me, I had a Hypothyroid problem for 10 years so when my OTHER hormones got checked and came back low, I got treatment, then I no longer had Hypothyroid problems.
Thanks to all for the input. I definitely am going to put my foot down. If I didn't have the symptoms that would be one thing, but I feel like there's something they can be doing to at least try.