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Can you help me understand my thyroid tests?
I need help with this because my online thyroid test says within range, but yet I feel so bad. Here are my tests. TSH is 0.6; Free T4 is 1.2; Free T3 is 3.2 and TPO antibodies is 24.0. I have had tightness in my neck, area is very sore. Could be glands. It's been this way for over a month now. Tired all the time with fatigue. Could I be in the low normal range? Thanks.
With all those symptoms and the limited test results, it is definitely a problem. Not in your head.
1 Comments
Thank you for helping me. You don't realize how much help you have given me. Now if I can get a physician who will listen as you have! May Yahweh be with you!
Can you get your husband's doctor to do the testing and prescribe thyroid med?
1 Comments
I can try. He can't test at his office, though. He will probably send me out. Does it sound like a problem in me, or is it all in my head?
Please understand that TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many things that at best it is only an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms, and also levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T4 and Free T3. In addition there are numerous other processes/variables that can affect the desired end result, which is having adequate tissue thyroid levels and effects. Deficiencies in these areas can cause hypothyroid symptoms.
You do have some symptoms that can be related to hypothyroidism; however, it is not an extensive list, and it does not include some that are frequently encountered with hypothyroidism. If you look at the following link that lists 26 symptoms that are typical of hypothyroidism, do you have any others that you may have not considered?
http://endocrine-system.emedtv.com/hypothyroidism/hypothyroidism-symptoms-and-signs.html
Next, looking at your test results, your Free T4 result is only at 28% of its range that is too broad to be functional across the entire range breadth. Your Free T3 is at 44% of its range. Compare those to these words from an excellent thyroid doctor. "The free T3 is not as helpful in untreated persons as the free T4 because in the light of a rather low FT4 the body will convert more T4 to T3 to maintain thyroid effect as well as is possible. So the person with a rather low FT4 and high-in-range FT3 may still be hypothyroid. However, if the FT4 is below 1.3 and the FT3 is also rather low, say below 3.4 (range 2 to 4.4 at LabCorp) then its likely that hypothyroidism is the cause of a person's symptoms." Using that as a guide indicates your FT4/FT3 test results tend toward hypothyroidism. Your TSH is at rock bottom of the range,which is somewhat unusual considering your FT4/FT3 level. This could signal a dysfunction in the hypothalamus/pituitary system resulting in TSH levels that do not adequately stimulate the thyroid gland.
If you want to confirm what I say, I highly recommend reading at least the first two pages of the following link, and read more, if you want to get into the discussion and scientific evidence for all that is recommended.
http://www.thyroiduk.org/tuk/TUK_PDFs/The%20Diagnosis%20and%20Treatment%20of%20Hypothyroidism%20%20August%202017%20%20Update.pdf
A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypothyroid patient clinically, by testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as needed to relieve symptoms, without being influenced by resultant TSH levels. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not TSH results. If you note suggestion 4 on page 2 of the link I think you will see some additional tests that should be done. Specifically I recommend Reverse T3 (and a Free T3 from the same blood draw), Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin. Also, a cortisol test and an ultrasound of the thyroid gland. The latter because of your sore throat and throat tightness. Do you think you can get those done? And more importantly do you think your doctor will be willing to diagnose and treat clinically, as described? If not, then we may need to help you find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.
You do have some symptoms that can be related to hypothyroidism; however, it is not an extensive list, and it does not include some that are frequently encountered with hypothyroidism. If you look at the following link that lists 26 symptoms that are typical of hypothyroidism, do you have any others that you may have not considered?
http://endocrine-system.emedtv.com/hypothyroidism/hypothyroidism-symptoms-and-signs.html
Next, looking at your test results, your Free T4 result is only at 28% of its range that is too broad to be functional across the entire range breadth. Your Free T3 is at 44% of its range. Compare those to these words from an excellent thyroid doctor. "The free T3 is not as helpful in untreated persons as the free T4 because in the light of a rather low FT4 the body will convert more T4 to T3 to maintain thyroid effect as well as is possible. So the person with a rather low FT4 and high-in-range FT3 may still be hypothyroid. However, if the FT4 is below 1.3 and the FT3 is also rather low, say below 3.4 (range 2 to 4.4 at LabCorp) then its likely that hypothyroidism is the cause of a person's symptoms." Using that as a guide indicates your FT4/FT3 test results tend toward hypothyroidism. Your TSH is at rock bottom of the range,which is somewhat unusual considering your FT4/FT3 level. This could signal a dysfunction in the hypothalamus/pituitary system resulting in TSH levels that do not adequately stimulate the thyroid gland.
If you want to confirm what I say, I highly recommend reading at least the first two pages of the following link, and read more, if you want to get into the discussion and scientific evidence for all that is recommended.
http://www.thyroiduk.org/tuk/TUK_PDFs/The%20Diagnosis%20and%20Treatment%20of%20Hypothyroidism%20%20August%202017%20%20Update.pdf
A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypothyroid patient clinically, by testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as needed to relieve symptoms, without being influenced by resultant TSH levels. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not TSH results. If you note suggestion 4 on page 2 of the link I think you will see some additional tests that should be done. Specifically I recommend Reverse T3 (and a Free T3 from the same blood draw), Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin. Also, a cortisol test and an ultrasound of the thyroid gland. The latter because of your sore throat and throat tightness. Do you think you can get those done? And more importantly do you think your doctor will be willing to diagnose and treat clinically, as described? If not, then we may need to help you find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.
3 Comments
Thanks so much. I will study this, then. It's rather confusing when you just get into it. So far I can say that I have several symptoms on your link, but we must discount any that have to do with periods, etc. I'm 64 and had a total hyst in 1990. Feeling tired, sluggish, dry skin. That could be from my age maybe? But doesn't seem to change. I don't have constipation and probably because I take magnesium and sometimes drink some MSM for my arthritis. Occasionally I am short of breath. I have problems exercising now because I have spinal stenosis and nerve pain in groin (at times), sciatica, nerve pain in left foot and legs. Sciatica down my right leg. Now I'm having some problems at times with incontinence. I have weight gain and can't seen to get it off of me. Probably because I cannot walk like I used to. I can't hardly leave my house now. Can't travel much and can't go see a movie. I have no insurance yet. If I'm alive, I'll be 65 in March. The outer corner of my eyebrows seem less than they should. Voice is hoarse at times, neck tightness & soreness. Honestly, I'm a huge mess and depressed about it. I try hard to fight it and know some are in worse shape than I am.
One other thing, I have some difficulty swallowing at times. It's not all the time, though. My husband has a doctor that I can see, but he no longer does testing at his clinic, so I may have to find someone else. I wish we had one of those physician/patient co-ops close to us. I could go to one of those urgent care clinics, but they are so expensive, at least here in Texas.
Sorry, one more thing to add that might help. My husband and I could not have children, but I might be a child whose mother took DES because she had several miscarriages. We had to adopt and adopted a baby girl way back in 1983.
lab results and associated ranges vary from lab to lab, so we need to know the ranges shown on the lab report for those tests.
2 Comments
Thanks, and I'll go back and check.
Their TSH is 0.5 - 3.0 is Normal.
I had 0.6
Free T4 they show 0.7 - 2.5.
Mine was 1.2
Their normal for T3 is 2.4 - 4.2.
Mine was 3.2.
TPO andibodies, they show <70.0.
Mine was 24.0.
I'm trying to figure out why I have throat tightness, soreness in throat, fatigue, hoarseness, and yet I do not smoke. It's been a month or more now. Today is especially bad.
I had 0.6
Free T4 they show 0.7 - 2.5.
Mine was 1.2
Their normal for T3 is 2.4 - 4.2.
Mine was 3.2.
TPO andibodies, they show <70.0.
Mine was 24.0.
I'm trying to figure out why I have throat tightness, soreness in throat, fatigue, hoarseness, and yet I do not smoke. It's been a month or more now. Today is especially bad.
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