Am I hypothyroid?

[destingirl]

I am a 42-year-old female who has been experiencing severe hair loss for the past two years.  I have lost 50% of the bulk of my hair, I have insomnia, cold hands and feet, low body temperature, low pulse rate, benign pvc's, some depression, longer and more severe periods.  My TSH test showed a value of 3.6, but my gyno says that it is normal.  Everything I've read about hypo sounds exactly like me.  What tests and what doctor should I get to find a definite diagnosis?  Also, my mother is on thyroid medication for hypo and is in her late 60's.  
Thanks.

[stella5349]

Truely balancing where you are with thyroid function and relying on the TSH is not the best road to take.

Specifically ordering and lab testing the FREE T3 and FREE T4 is best to see where your true thyroid labs are at to be treated.

More patients find going to doctors that examine the frees can be an improvement and in many cases - most endo will lab test the TSH only to determine what should be done.

Although testing vit D is good - and in some cases looking at the free iron levels too, your body depletes in other important hormones when a thyroid condition is under treated or not able to make proper conversion into T3 hormone, so testing the majoy causes of these symptoms with other conditions is important too.

Estrogen dominance, insulin resistance, and considering a saliva test for cortisol issues would be a good choice to consider.

[Kristina538]

I was on a low dose of ATD and went from a TSH of .03 to 3.5 in six weeks.  
The weeks in the middle were FANTASTIC;  but by week 6 I was heavy, puffy, very sleepy, cramp in my feet again, anxious and emotional;   I thought it was the 'hyper' somehow overriding the meds, but when I found my results, perhaps it was my first, very mild, taste of what hypo can be.    The range here is .4 to 4.

I

[akk9219]

  You probably do.  Doctors can be narcissistic and they hate having their patient diagnose his or herself.  I first suspected having hypothyroid because my mom had it and my doctors told me I was "too young" but I pushed to get the test done anyways and when one doctor wouldn't do it I went to another and finally got the test and I turned out to be right.  The doctor put me on a really low dose at first that didn't help me at all and I had to force him to raise it which made me feel much better.  You should see an endocrinologist, and get your T3, T4, Vitamin D, calcium, and cortisol levels all tested.  Also ask for the test for Hashimoto's thyroiditis.  

[thyroida]

Ferritin and Vitamin D should be tested.  

[gimel]

Over 8 years ago the Amer. Assn. of Clinical Endocrinologists recommended that the range be changed from .5 - 5.0 down to .3 - 3.0.  Unfortunately most labs and doctors have not made the change.  Even more unfortunately, TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many variables that it is not a good diagnostic for thyroid problems anyway.   At best it is an indicator that should be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms (such as yours ), and also levels of the actual, biologically active thyroid hormones, free T3 and free T4.  FT3 is the most important because it largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Studies have shown that it correlates best with hypo symptoms, while FT4 and TSH did not correlate.  

In my firm opinion the best way to treat a thyroid patient is to test and adjust levels of FT3 and FT4 with medication as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Many of our members have reported that symptom relief for them required that FT3 was adjusted into the upper part of its range and fT4 adjusted to at least midpoint of its range.  If your doctor is unwilling to treat you clinically (for symptoms) by this approach, then you will have to find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.  This does not necessarily mean an Endo, since many of them specialize in diabetes, not thyroid, and also many of them have the "Immaculate TSH Belief" and only want  to treat patients by TSH level.

So I would suggest that first, you go back and request testing for free T3 and free T4, along with TSH.  Since many hypo patients also have low Vitamin D, B12 and iron/ferritin, those should also be tested.  You should also ask if the doctor is going to be willing to treat you by adjusting FT3 and FT4 levels as necessary to relieve symptoms.  If the answer is no, then you may as well start looking for a good thyroid doctor in your area.  

This article, written by a doctor, might be of interest to you and your doctor.  

http://www.hormonerestoration.com/Thyroid.html

When test results are available, if you will get a copy and post results and reference ranges here, members will be glad to help interpret and advise further.

If you get the