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Looking for answers.....

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melissascholl
melissascholl

Hello all!  I have recently been having symptoms related to hyperthyroidism.  Heart palps, rapid HR, dry skin, anxiety, etc... Two weeks ago my TSH was .652 and my new labs say its now .974.  They tested my FT4 and it was within normal range as was my T3.  Do I need to have my FT3 tested to get a definitive diagnosis or should I be satisfied with the results from the tests I've gotten?  Also, should I ask for the antibody tests to test for Hashimoto's or is there no evidence to suspect that it may be an issue?

Thanks so much for any advice or information!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • shellyC19
    shellyC19 melissascholl

    Posted

    Hello Melissascholl:

    My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA.  I have Hashimoto's Thyroid disease since 1987.

    Hyper symptoms can be dangerous if your heart rate does not settle down.  Hyper can cause heart palpitations and  anxiety also. Do not do exercise if feeling a high heart rate as it can lead to an arrythmia which can lead to a cardiac arrest.  Some other Hyper symptoms are, feeling HOT and sweating a lot, losing weight fast and unable to keep it on, shaking, nervousness, jittery, insomnia, fast heart rate and the ones I said above.

    Which thyroid medication are you on and strength?  You may need to adjust the dosage a bit, if this keeps happening.

    However if your FT4 and T3 were okay then that should be enough.  If you wish on your next labs (blood work) you could ask for that test.  Better is a Reverse T3 (RT3) test to see if too much excess is being dumped by the liver.

    Hashimoto's is an sutoimmune disease that can run in familes and also be caused by a virus called Epstein-Barr or Mononucleosis and if you have a family history of it  Hashi's can cause swings in your TSH and your symptoms may be Hyper and then Hypo.

    Hypo can give you  weight gain, brusing, low energy, constaipation, dry scalp and brittle nails, dry skin, feeling cold, depressed feeling, fatigue and feeling exhausted even though you slept.  These are common there are more.

    Please consider the TPOA test  which is the antibodies test and the Thyroglobulin Antibody test  TgAb test also.  If you feel you have swings a lot in your TSH then I would recommend both tests above also.  If it will bring you peace of mind then that is also worth it.

    Any questions just ask,

    Shelly

    • melissascholl
      melissascholl shellyC19

      Posted

      Hi Shelly!  Thank you for your response.  I am not currently on any medication other than Propranolol for my HR and palps.  I take 10 mg 3x per day.  Do you feel that the antibody test should be done being that my other labs were normal.....?  Is it possible that I could still have it?
    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 melissascholl

      Posted

      Hello Melissa:

      Only if your TSH is swinging back between Hypo and Hyper a lot or you have a family history of an autoimmune diseaselike Graves or Hashimoto's.  Then I would say you could ask for the antibodies test.  In some places they do it routinely and in other countries they may need you to see an Endocrinologist first.

      The TPOA is more for Hashimoto's and TGab can be done as a baseline to check you and also the ESR test which is a (Ethyrocyte sedimentation rate) which can pick up any autoimmune markers.

      Keep me posted on how you do,

      Shelly

    • melissascholl
      melissascholl shellyC19

      Posted

      I was slightly concerned that my tsh was on the extreme low end of normal... My symptoms are mostly that of hyper but just a few months ago I had several symptoms of hypo. Idk what to think anymore... I'm starting to wonder if I just have anxiety.
    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 melissascholl

      Posted

      Hello Melissa:

      The low end is 0.45 to 4.50 for some scales and some labs go 0,27 to 4.20 so under 1.0 most people can feel Hyper symptoms.  One of them is anxiety and feeling nervous a lot.  This is common.

      I  would see if it changes when you do blood again, you should have it done in 3 months time. Some people feel no symptoms at under 1.0 and some feel a lot.

      If you have major anxiety you can ask for Xanax but it can make people sleepy and some people take only 1/2 a tablet a day.

      Any other questions just ask,

      Shelly

       

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