Help!

[kcagn]

I am 42 years old.  I have an enlarged thyroid with several small nodules. My mother also suffers with thyroid disorders.    My TSH level is 1.73 (.45-4.50), T4 free is 1.29 (.82-1.77), T3 free is 2.7 (2.0-4.4) and TPO of 7 (0-34) and thyroid antithyroglobulin was negative. I have an RA level of 48, my cholesterol is high, my alkaline phosphates are high (138).  I have gained 27lbs in 18 months and gone from more energy than I knew what to do with to absolutely none.  I feel that I have little to no strength, motivation or stamina.  In addition I would estimate that of all the possible symptoms of thyroid disorders I have or am experiencing 75-80% of them from extreme fatigue, digestion/constipation, retaining of fluid, "butterfly patches" on my cheeks, low Vit D levels, neck enlargement with pressure on esophagus, mild depression, muscle aches, etc. In short order, I feel like I am slowly wasting away. I have seen 6 different doctors that continue to tell me I do not have a thyroid disorder and continue to do blood test after blood test only to have no diagnosis and a greater feeling of hopelessness and frustration.  I even went as far as to bring my research with me to my most recent doctors appointment.... BIG MISTAKE!!!!   Do not attempt to tell a doctor something he may not know..... I am desperately seeking a doctor or NP or anyone for that matter that specializes in thyroid disorders.  I am in south Louisiana and willing to travel at this point.

[flyingfool]

Your Free T4 is fine at 49% with the rule of thumb to be 50% or slightly higher inthe range.

I think the problem however is that you do not convert well. And this is indicated by your Free T3 being only 29% of the range. The rule of thumb is for this to be 50% to 67% of the range.

your bodys cells ONLY use the Free T3 hormone. So this being low is critical to you feeling well at the cellular level.

The Dr's are telling you that you are "fine" or "normal" because your TSH is good and your other values are "in the normal range".  However I just pointed out that the ranges are only a statistical calculation having NOTHING to do with whether a person feels well or not.  As a result most people need to be well over 50% of the range in Free T3 in order to feel well because that is what your body uses.  It is common for most Dr's not to know this. They are taught in medical school to look at TSH. Which is an almost completely useless test beyond a wide screeing tool.  It is completely and totally inadequate to adjust your dosage or make a full determination as to whether you are truly feeling well or not.

Everyone feels well at different levels. Your symptoms are ALL consistent with low thyroid.  

I believe you need to supplement with T3 to make up for the poor conversion your body is doing.  You can do this only with a prescription  either with Armour or with synthetic T3.  But you wil lhave to find a Dr who will at least give you a trial starting dose first!

I would also recommend you rule out other deficiencies that cause primarily fatigue. These are:

Vitamin D3
Vitamin B-12
Iron
Ferritin

[jnt406]

If your willing to travel far..I'm in New jersey. .Cooper hospital has an excellent endocrinology department.  Good luck