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Half a Thyroid--Hypo symptoms or no??
I'm a 31 female, had half my Thyroid removed 11 years ago (due to Squamous Cell Carcinoma) and have spent the last 2 years with an increasing array of Hypo symptoms. Last week I got a TSH and T4 test done and my results were 2.4 and 0.8 respectively. I asked for the test because since my son was born 13 months ago, my Hypo symptoms have greatly increased in seriousness/prevalence. My Dr insists these levels are "fine" and I'm "normal", however I do NOT agree with her. Here's a list of things I deal with daily, most of which my research leads me to believe are Thyroid related........
Constantly cold feet
Weight gain, even when specifically on a diet
Very dry, flaky skin (eczema on my right hand even)
Brittle, thinning hair
Painfully sore hip joints and lower back
Thick gray hair coming in en masse on my head
Inability to hold my son for any period of time
ZERO sex drive or desire for affection
Sudden, `unexplained Depression bouts
Extremely painful periods
Horribly intense PMS
No concentration or attention span, often get "spacey"
NEED naps by 1pm-ish, even after 8-9 hours of good sleep
These issues, combined with (what I say are) "borderline" levels, strongly lead me to believe the remaining half of my Thyroid is starting to give up on me. All my Dr has said is "keep eating leafy greens and take a multi-vitamin". The previous Dr before said "drink more water". Getting 2nd or 3rd opinions is darn near impossible, unless I see a Specialist out-of-pocket, because my Insurance is military TriCare. Switching providers and getting alternate opinions is like trying to rope the moon!
Anyone else have insight on what I could/should do? Does it sound like my beliefs are founded, do I possibly have borderline Hypothyroidism??
Constantly cold feet
Weight gain, even when specifically on a diet
Very dry, flaky skin (eczema on my right hand even)
Brittle, thinning hair
Painfully sore hip joints and lower back
Thick gray hair coming in en masse on my head
Inability to hold my son for any period of time
ZERO sex drive or desire for affection
Sudden, `unexplained Depression bouts
Extremely painful periods
Horribly intense PMS
No concentration or attention span, often get "spacey"
NEED naps by 1pm-ish, even after 8-9 hours of good sleep
These issues, combined with (what I say are) "borderline" levels, strongly lead me to believe the remaining half of my Thyroid is starting to give up on me. All my Dr has said is "keep eating leafy greens and take a multi-vitamin". The previous Dr before said "drink more water". Getting 2nd or 3rd opinions is darn near impossible, unless I see a Specialist out-of-pocket, because my Insurance is military TriCare. Switching providers and getting alternate opinions is like trying to rope the moon!
Anyone else have insight on what I could/should do? Does it sound like my beliefs are founded, do I possibly have borderline Hypothyroidism??
COMMUNITY LEADER
Much as I hate to say it, yes, you might want to get a good thyroid doctor, but you have to be careful, there, too, because not all specialists are "good"; many of those, even don't test Free T3 and Free T4; many of them, too, go only by TSH or reference ranges, when deciding to treat or not. You need to find someone who will treat by symptoms, not just labs, because, after all, it's about making you feel better.
If you're going to get a specialist, you can save yourself some time and trouble, by asking a few questions before you make an appt. You can usually talk to a nurse or someone, to find out how a doctor treats thyroid patients. You need to know 1) whether or not they test both Free T3 and Free T4 *every* time, you have blood work 2) are they willing to treat hypothyroidism with medications containing a T3 component or do they only believe in treating with T4 medications 3) do they treat by symptoms, as well as labs....
There may be other questions you might think of, but those are the basics. A "no" answer to any of those 3 questions, would be cause to move on to another doctor.
You should also have your thyroid antibodies tested, in order to determine whether or not you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Hashi's is an autoimmune disease in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it. The destruction process can take years, and as it progresses your thyroid will produce less and less hormones. There's no treatment for Hashimoto's per se, but it invariably leads to hypothyroidism, which DOES need to be treated, because thyroid hormones control metabolism, heart rate, cholesterol levels and many other body functions.
If you're going to get a specialist, you can save yourself some time and trouble, by asking a few questions before you make an appt. You can usually talk to a nurse or someone, to find out how a doctor treats thyroid patients. You need to know 1) whether or not they test both Free T3 and Free T4 *every* time, you have blood work 2) are they willing to treat hypothyroidism with medications containing a T3 component or do they only believe in treating with T4 medications 3) do they treat by symptoms, as well as labs....
There may be other questions you might think of, but those are the basics. A "no" answer to any of those 3 questions, would be cause to move on to another doctor.
You should also have your thyroid antibodies tested, in order to determine whether or not you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Hashi's is an autoimmune disease in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it. The destruction process can take years, and as it progresses your thyroid will produce less and less hormones. There's no treatment for Hashimoto's per se, but it invariably leads to hypothyroidism, which DOES need to be treated, because thyroid hormones control metabolism, heart rate, cholesterol levels and many other body functions.
Yes, I get treated at the Army Hospital, that's correct. However, we are being stationed in Alaska next month, and the care up there is even more restrictive, so I'm now planning to find a Specialist who will do a full work-up and I'll just pay for it out-of-pocket I guess. It's worth it, as I now know that they're apparently not doing nearly what they should be.
COMMUNITY LEADER
You're not military, but you get treated by military doctors - is that right?
I'm only trying to pin this down, because there are certain circumstances in which you might not be able to get optimal treatment, because of specific guidelines set - military is one of those.
Without trying to overwhelm you with information, it looks like your doctors are relying mostly on TSH to determine whether or not you need treatment. TSH is a pituitary hormone that varies greatly, even intraday, so is very unreliable when it come to determining thyroid issues. The fact that your TSH is within reference ranges tells them that you are "fine" when in fact you aren't......
Your thyroid produces 2 major hormones; those are T3 and T4. T3 is the hormone that's actually used as the cellular level (makes you feel good or bad); T4 is a "storage hormone", which has to be converted to T3 in order to be used.
Both T3 and T4 become bound by proteins which makes them unusable or unavailable for conversion.... measuring simply T3 or T4, means they are measuring the total amount of each, but that doesn't tell how much is bound by protein or how much is unbound, therefore "free" to be used or converted.
The T4 result you posted "appears" to be free, which means that's what's available for conversion to T3.... we don't know the lab's reference range, but according to ranges we normally see, you result would be at the bottom of the range, which, with your symptoms, would indicate that you are hypo. Many/most doctors consider that results "in range" are, therefore, "normal", when in fact we are all different and we all need different levels of hormones.... what's right for me, might not be right for you. Too many doctors don't look at the individual, they look at the labs..
If you can get a Free T3 test done, that would be great, since FT3 is the hormone that you body actually uses and controls metabolism, heart rate, cholesterol levels, and a lot of other body functions.
You should also be aware that doctors in the U.S. are required to provide a copy of lab results, upon request. I never leave my doctor's office without a copy of my labs.. I use them for a running health record, noting what med(s) I'm on, what dosages, and how I feel.
I'm only trying to pin this down, because there are certain circumstances in which you might not be able to get optimal treatment, because of specific guidelines set - military is one of those.
Without trying to overwhelm you with information, it looks like your doctors are relying mostly on TSH to determine whether or not you need treatment. TSH is a pituitary hormone that varies greatly, even intraday, so is very unreliable when it come to determining thyroid issues. The fact that your TSH is within reference ranges tells them that you are "fine" when in fact you aren't......
Your thyroid produces 2 major hormones; those are T3 and T4. T3 is the hormone that's actually used as the cellular level (makes you feel good or bad); T4 is a "storage hormone", which has to be converted to T3 in order to be used.
Both T3 and T4 become bound by proteins which makes them unusable or unavailable for conversion.... measuring simply T3 or T4, means they are measuring the total amount of each, but that doesn't tell how much is bound by protein or how much is unbound, therefore "free" to be used or converted.
The T4 result you posted "appears" to be free, which means that's what's available for conversion to T3.... we don't know the lab's reference range, but according to ranges we normally see, you result would be at the bottom of the range, which, with your symptoms, would indicate that you are hypo. Many/most doctors consider that results "in range" are, therefore, "normal", when in fact we are all different and we all need different levels of hormones.... what's right for me, might not be right for you. Too many doctors don't look at the individual, they look at the labs..
If you can get a Free T3 test done, that would be great, since FT3 is the hormone that you body actually uses and controls metabolism, heart rate, cholesterol levels, and a lot of other body functions.
You should also be aware that doctors in the U.S. are required to provide a copy of lab results, upon request. I never leave my doctor's office without a copy of my labs.. I use them for a running health record, noting what med(s) I'm on, what dosages, and how I feel.
My Husband is military, not me. I've never been on medication for my Thyroid, even though I've been around 2.3-2.4 for three years now. Before that I guess it was functioning better, because I was healthier and had none of the symptoms I now have. About three years ago I started developing issues, and they've progressed since then. I have no idea what Free or Total is, and the past Dr's never told me my levels unless I specifically asked, but even once they told me I just got numbers thrown at me. No explanation what they meant or were or stood for.
COMMUNITY LEADER
You are right that your thyroid levels are "borderline".... what's the range for the T4, and is that Free or Total? It looks to be free, but just want to make sure.
Your symptoms certainly indicate hypo. Are you on thyroid medication, currently? If so, which medication, at what dosage?
Are you in the military?
Your symptoms certainly indicate hypo. Are you on thyroid medication, currently? If so, which medication, at what dosage?
Are you in the military?
We are moving to a new duty station in 3 weeks, so I'm hoping I can convince my new Dr to do all that. The past 2 duty stations I've been given the "You're fine. It's normal." routine, and had my urgings for more testing denied. So, for this new place, here's hoping!
Have you been tested for other hormone imbalance? Are you seeing an endo? There are many other hormones that will go haywire if you have thyroid issues (to me you do since you had half your thyroid removed).
The endocrine system is so complex. There are a lot of other diseases that will attach itself to the thyroid issues as well.
You need a full blown endocrine panel done. Cortisol, adrenal glands, diabetes, PCOS..
Please find another doctor if you have too....They need to test all hormones, not just the thyroid..
This is my opinion anyway.
The endocrine system is so complex. There are a lot of other diseases that will attach itself to the thyroid issues as well.
You need a full blown endocrine panel done. Cortisol, adrenal glands, diabetes, PCOS..
Please find another doctor if you have too....They need to test all hormones, not just the thyroid..
This is my opinion anyway.
Ugh, I'm a 31 YEAR OLD female, sorry!
Also forgot to add, despite living on a 1600-1800 calorie diet for most of the last few years (and chasing children all day, working, volunteering AND doing college) I have slowly gained until I'm now 250lbs at 5'8". Losing weight is impossible, but when it does come off, it and more comes back on instantly! :(
Also forgot to add, despite living on a 1600-1800 calorie diet for most of the last few years (and chasing children all day, working, volunteering AND doing college) I have slowly gained until I'm now 250lbs at 5'8". Losing weight is impossible, but when it does come off, it and more comes back on instantly! :(
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