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Thyroid tests

Posted , 4 users are following.

bernie83856
bernie83856

Hi

I had half my thyroid removed 12 years ago as I'd developed a Goitre.  I was suffering with anxiety and depression then and still suffering with it now. My recent TSH blood test result was 1.1 which doctor states was normal, he stated that I do not need FT4 and FT3 tested. Is this the case or should I insist on having them tested. At my wits end now just want to feel normal

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • tereseV
    tereseV bernie83856

    Posted

    Hi Bernie,

    Yes, you should insist on feeling normal and getting all the testing done and answers you need to get there.  1.1 is within normal range; however, it may not be normal for you and TSH and blood work is not the "be all/end all" of tests.  It was my experience with synthetic T4 only meds, my body did not convert the T4 into T3 and I had to seek altnerate meds.  Yes, I was depressed, among many other things.

    I also quit gluten

    if that doctor isn't helping you, find one who will. 

    You should have a TSH of typically under 2.0 (which you do)

    You want your Free T4 in the top half of the reference range

    Free T3 in the top half - to 25th percentile of reference range

    Reverse T3 - low end of normal range

    Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies (TPO) within reference range

    Vitamin D between 60-100 (VERY IMPORTANT for thyroid function)

    (if you are experiencing hair loss, Ferritin above 60)

  • Sketchy
    Sketchy bernie83856

    Posted

    Hi bernie,  You do not mention whether you are taking thyroid medication?  However, your lazy doctor definately needs to test for FT4 and FT3.  Diagnosis based on TSH alone is a joke!  Please research for yourself - do not put yourself entirely in the hands of a doctor - you must become knowledgeable about your condition so that you can stand up for yourself if you want to save yourself from years of ill health.
    • bernie83856
      bernie83856 Sketchy

      Posted

      Hi Sketchy

      Hi Sketchy

      Thanks for your response , I am not taking any thyroid medication, but i have been back to see another doctor who has agreed to test for B12 and Tgab and at first she was not willing to test FT3 and FT4 but I have just had a phone call from her to advise I can now have the blood test. Feeling very positive now and doing plenty of research. Thanks again

  • tereseV
    tereseV bernie83856

    Posted

    Free T3 is the key, getting that baby into the top 25 percentile of the reference range will change your life....find a doctor who will do THAT for you, that is a doctor worth having!
    • bernie83856
      bernie83856 tereseV

      Posted

      Hi Terese

      Thank you so much for this info. I went back to see another doctor yesterday , she agreed to test TgAB and B12 but states hospital will not test FT4 or FT3 as my TSH test was normal.  I advised would be willing to pay for the blood test so she will be letting me know by Friday where I can go privately.  Feeling very positive now, wish I had done this years ago as did not realise how much the thyroid can alter your state of mind....

    • tereseV
      tereseV bernie83856

      Posted

      when a good thyroid goes bad, you can die, it just takes quite a while and it's slow and painful.  I wish I could tell you the whole story of what I've been through but it's too long.  The end result is I am on something that is unavailable to you in the UK, it's called natual desiccated thyroid.  I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and chances are I have had it all my life and that's why I got the tumor on my thyroid and had to have it removed.  I think thyroid function is a mystery to the medical field more often than not and it's the patients who tell the doctors the symptoms and diagnoses and the doctors flat out ignore us.  They don't really "know" what the "normal" reference range is for TSH, it has changed so many times over the years and "normal" is different for everyone.  Docs in the US are just now starting to see that multiple diagnoses are SYMPTOMS of Hashimoto's and diagnosing the condiiton better now.  If you think anxiety and depression are bad...my last symptoms were all-over inflammation, urine output decreased to next to nothing, digestion all but stopped, lost my sense of taste and smell.....my muscles cramped and stayed tight, that one is hard to describe.  My foot cramped at night and I had to wear a brace to keep it flexed so I could walk the next day.  Needless to say, my problems were severe.  And those are only a few.  Find out why you got the goiter.  Research Hashimoto's symptoms and see if that fits you.

      Don't forget the Vitamin D, get that sucker up over 50 and your remaining thyroid gland function should improve.  Read up on Vitamin D and your thyroid....

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