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Low 'normal' TSH but i have symptoms

Posted , 5 users are following.

lucy93360
lucy93360

Hi, I have just had my results back from a TH'S test to check my thyroid, it's showing as 0.74 which my gp says is normal. Previous test was 0.6. However I am having the following symptoms which I am trying to get to the bottom of:

Night sweats several times a week since September.

Aches and pains in neck and collar bone.

Tired no matter how much I sleep.

Constant numbness in my right foot.

Intermittent shakes in my hands.

Anxiety and rapid heart rate.

Humming/buzzing/pulsing in ears.

And I have lost 3 stone in the last 18th without trying all that hard.

I am torn between feeling a bit like I am being a hypochondriac and bit bit like my gp is not taking me seriously.

Any thoughts based on my THS and symptoms? Getting fed up of feeling only about 60% well at best.

Thanks in advance.

lucy

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • fern12
    fern12 lucy93360

    Posted

    Were you ever diagnosed and/or treated for a thyroid problem?

    Most of your symptoms seem like hyperthyroid ones, but they could also be symptoms of other problems like congestive heart failure.

    Tired no matter how much you sleep sounds more like hypothyroid.  Hyperthyroid makes you tired because you are kept awake by it.

    I'm not sure about the numbness.

    Losing weight is possible with either Hyper or Hypo thyroid but is usually a symptom of Hyperthyroid.

    Are you sensitive to the heat or to the cold?

    Have you ever had your Free T4 and/or your Free or Total T3 tested?

    Have you ever had an Echo cardiogram?

    Keep trying to have the doctor help you somehow.

    Best wishes.

    • lucy93360
      lucy93360 fern12

      Posted

      Hi,

      I had an ECG a could of weeks ago as my heart rate was fast, I also had one in A&E a couple of years ago (that one it turned out I was having a panic attack) they both came back fine.

      I am sensitive to heat, i'm the one in the office with bare arms and still hot in the winter while everyone else is complaining about how cold it is.

      No, have not has T3/4 tested.

      Thanks

      Lucy

    • fern12
      fern12 lucy93360

      Posted

      I think the ECG is not an Echo but Electrocardiogram.  The ECG shows if you had a heart attack but not if your heart is working below normal level as in heart failure.  The results of an Echo are expressed in terms of an Ejection Fraction or EF.

      Sensitivity to the heat is a symptom of Hyper thyroidism.

  • linda187
    linda187 lucy93360

    Posted

    Lucy in North America most Endocrinologists test TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 routinely.  I understand they do not do that in the United Kingdom.  The TSH value is not diagnostic of thyroid disease on its own.  I don't know what age you are but some symptoms sound menopausal.  If you do have hyperthyroidism, or Hashimoto's disease which can manifest as either hyper or hypothyroidism, then watching your diet, avoiding sugar and gluten and eating a well balanced protein and veggie and fruit diet can be helpful in alleviating symptoms.  Also helpful are supplements if you have been hyperthyroid.  When you are hyperthyroid, your body loses a lot of vitamins, minerals and amino acids and these need to be replaced.  So taking a good multi vitamin, taking Vitamin D3 supplements (I prefer the small Gel caps), as well as L-carnitine can improve your symptoms a lot.
    • lucy93360
      lucy93360 linda187

      Posted

      Hi

      Thank you for the diet and supplements tips, thyriod issues are not that sounds like changes that would be good for me.

      I am having a blood test next week to see if I am menopausal - I am 35 so it would be a bit early.

      I will try and push for a T4.

      I have also been referred to a consultant haemotologist because of the unexplained night sweats - not sure what they will be looking for?

      Thanks

      Lucy

    • fern12
      fern12 lucy93360

      Posted

      Linda, you're in Canada, aren't you?  I'm in the US and I have been to 4 Endocrinologists and have read the guidelines put out by the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and the American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE).  

      All four of my Endocrinologists seemed to follow those recommendations quite precisely.  None of them would have the Free T3 tested unless the TSH was close to zero.  One wouldn't test FT3 at all, only Total T3.  

      If the TSH is normal most doctors won't check it again for a year unless you have a history of Graves' Disease.  If it is high, you are hypothyroid and they might check the TSH more frequently and also FT4, not so often the FT3, and that is only until you become stable on Levothyroxine.

      It is good that you try to push for a Free T4 test though, Lucy.

      The only thing I can think of that relates night sweats, peri-menopause, and Graves' Disease is that Graves' Disease causes your metabolism to rise and you will expend a lot of calories needlessly.  If you exercise a lot and diet severely, consuming far fewer calories than you need to sustain your exercise and metabolism, you could stop having periods, or go into a menopause-like state even when you are young.

      I have no idea why a haemotologist would be checking it out.

  • jeanette25032
    jeanette25032 lucy93360

    Posted

    Do you have a goiter? Have you had any steroids lately? I started off like you after having a steroid shot. My TSH was .6 back then and I had a multi nodular goiter. Docs insisted I wasn't hyperthyroid. I was so ill I had to quit working. 3 years later my TSH went to 0.0 and i was put on anti thyroid meds. Still on them now 4 years on and still feel like hell. Doctors don't know why but believe there's an underlying cause. I tested positive to lyme recently so wondered if you can remember ever getting a tick bite. Got tested in USA but UK refuse to accept results so won't treat me. Has your doctor given you propranolol for the tachycardia and anxiety. I take that too as well as the thyroid meds. I feel like I have been going round in circles for 7 years trying to get a diagnosis but still docs don't have a clue.

    Have they checked your adrenals to rule out problems there. Stress can exhaust the adrenals and that can cause a lot of symptoms.

  • linnet2012
    linnet2012 lucy93360

    Posted

    Hi Lucy, been exactly where you are with very similar symptoms. Although your TSH is in normal range it is quite low. Tested at a different time of day it could be lower still. Tsh follows T3/4 so won't drop until they are too high. That's why all 3 should be tested if you are symptomatic.

    Try asking your doctor to do them. By the time I was diagnosed I was very very ill. My tsh was always low but OK. When I was finally given T3/4 test my T4 was 138 with a ref range of 7- 20 !! I was not well !

    Try a supplement called acetyl l carnitine - it has been a lifesaver for me. Start with 3000 -4000 mg a day ( safe) and when you feel well reduce it as needed. Take minimum 2000 mg daily. This works brilliantly - it's all I use now and have been well for over a year, after 3 dreadful years ! You can use l carnitine or acetyl carnitine. Both work but I prefer the l carnitine. I buy mine on ebay. Best of luck.

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