Do I have a thyroid problem

[Liquidcaliber484]

First off, thx to all those lending a helping hand to everyone on this forum! In the past I had an outbreak of hives. About a month afterwards, I came down with Bells Palsy. Now nearly a year later, I am still having trouble. I have very dry skin and have water in the sides of my feet. I am now starting to have pains in my chest that last for up to 30 minutes more and more frequently. I am having trouble sleeping as well as concentrating. Someone suggested having my thyroid levels checked. Here are my lab results:
First Test
TSH 2.307 uIU,mL (0.550-4.780)
T3 Uptake 33.2 %  (22.5-37.0)
T4 (Thyroxine) 9.2 ug/dL  (4.5-10.9)
Calculated T7(FTI) 3.1  (1.1-4.5)
Second Test (for antibodies)
T4,Free(Direct) 1.30 ng,dL   (0.82-1.77)
TSH 2.75 uIU/mL
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab 8 IU/mL  (0-34)
Antithyroglobulin Ab <20 IU/mL  (0-40)
Triiodothyronine,Free,Serum 3.9 pg/mL (2.0-4.4)

Any help is appreciated

[Liquidcaliber484]

Thx all! Isn't it strange to be great one day and draggin in the gutters the next lol! It's like I'm coming off the steroids all over again!

[Red_Star]

At a cellular level i mean. :)

[Red_Star]

Labs don't show if you have enough thyroid hormone at a cellular issues. I wish it did or i'd have been treated over 24 years ago.

[Barb135]

Even if your levels don't change a lot over a few weeks, continue to monitor them, as long as you have thyroid like symptoms, because, as I noted above, symptoms often show up long before labs indicate an issue, so don't ever rule it completely out.

Don't be afraid....... hypothyroidism can be a nightmare for some of us, but for the most part we get through it.  The biggest problem many of us have/had is doctors that don't listen, order the right tests or know how to interpret them and/or refuse to prescribe the proper medications to alleviate symptoms.  Navigating "the system" can be a bit trying, so do make sure you stay on top of things.

Since the T3 uptake, Total T4 and T7 are pretty much useless, you can drop those off the list of tests.... ALWAYS make sure your doctor orders Free T3, Free T4 and TSH........ While TSH is a pituitary hormone, it's often a "first indicator" of problems, but don't ever let your doctor ONLY test TSH, because that's when you can run into trouble.

[Liquidcaliber484]

Thx Barb for the reply!
Wasn't sure what was next. I'll have those levels checked and have my tests rechecked in a few weeks to see whats going on. Seeing what everyone with thyroid problems go through, I'm crossing my fingers lol!

[Barb135]

While some of your symptoms could apply to hypothyroidism, your labs don't really indicate a thyroid issue.

T3 uptake is considered an obsolete test, as is total T4, so we can pretty much discount those right off the bat.  T7 is also not used anymore.

FT3 and FT4 are the most important of the tests, because those are the actual thyroid hormones....... Your FT4 (T4, Free) is right at mid range, which meets "rule of thumb", where most people feel best; your FT3 (Triiodothyronine,Free,Serum) is at 79% and rule of thumb is for that to be in the upper 1/3 of its range...... your antibody counts are both negative.  

There are other conditions that can cause thyroid like symptoms, such as vitamin D or B12 deficiency.  You  might want to get those tested.

Because thyroid symptoms can often show up long before labs actually, show a problem, I'd suggest that you get your levels tested again in a few weeks to see if they change much.

[Liquidcaliber484]

Something I forgot to add is that I have lost some of my right eyebrow (something I didn't know to look for before reading up)