High TSH level, but doctor says to wait and retest?

[DECOLADY]

I am a 35 year old female.  My mother and maternal grandmother both had hypothyroidism.  I was tested in 2000 but was told I was fine. (wasn't given test results nor did i see the levels)
I recently got tested, and had T3 level of 124 (range: 60-181ng/dL), T4 level of 7.3(range:4.5-12.5 mcg/dL), and a TSH level of 7.63 (range:.40-4.50).   I am tired all of the time, have a hard time waking up, sweat when i sleep, still feel "full" from dinner the night before when i wake up, have recurring constipation/diarrhea patterns, dry skin, sore joints and muscles, painful periods, weight gain that i can't seem to lose, recurring depression and anxiety, and recurring miscarriages. (i have never had a live birth)   My doctor said he wanted to retest me in two months, and in the meantime he ordered an MRI of my pituitary gland.  My question: if the "normal" level of TSH is considered to be .40-4.50, and mine was 7.63, why did i have to wait?  i read that the new "normal" level is even considered to be .30-3.0!  My mother's TSH level was 4.5, and they put her on medication IMMEDIATELY.  Is is possible to have a "false" positive on TSH?  i'm tired of feeling lousy all of the time, and it's been this way for about EIGHT YEARS.  

[Rite760]

I have all your symptoms but only for the past 9 months and my family history is the same too! My TSH is 4.6 and I feel so dreadful and I also have been made to wait without any treatment where other people have been treated with a similiar TSH. I finally get to see an Endo tomorrow, so I can really and truly understand how you feel as your TSH is even higher than mine. I'm newish here and I live in the UK so things are a little different here to the USA. But as far as I know you cannot have a false positive TSH. Your TSH can be affected by certain medications such as HRT for example, but I'm sure it can only affect it a very small amount and I certainly cannot see it raising it to 7.63! Wait and see what the experienced guys here tell you they know better than me, but in the meantime I hope this helps.

[DECOLADY]

thank you, rite.

my appointment is april 29, and i just want feel sane again.
i also didn't mention that i have memory and concentration problems.
when i got home and looked up hypothyroidism, i couldn't believe the symptom list!
i felt like a poster child for this thing.
i hate doctors, and i never go, because over the years when i finally give in and go, they placate me, don't believe anything i say, and poo-poo my symptoms.  i never thought that ALL of my symptoms could fit into one category. especially the miscarriages.  

[Rite760]

I truly know what you mean right down to the last thing. I'm 43 and although I've struggled this last year with what I just know has to be thryoid disease, my whole life has been governed by my endocrine system like you including all the gynae stuff. It took me years to get pregnant, it just wouldn't work for me. When I did finally do it, my first baby died inside me at 3 months, but wasn't passed as a normal miscarriage. They actually sent me home to sit with a dead baby inside me because of what they term "medical ethics!" here in the UK to wait for it to pass! I did get pregnant again luckily, and although the pregnancy was fraught with difficulties I had a beautiful daughter who is now 11! However, it still carried on and I found myself a few years later in a premature menopause at 39. So I really understand where you are coming from. Lets hope things get turned around for us now. Good luck!

[Katherine7]

Hi, I can totaly sympathize with your situation. I haven’t been well for 15 years; I often felt tired and had little endurance and would burn out frequently. The past 8 years
years and since I had been doing more regular blood tests, my TSH had been elevated 2.5-3.5, but within the "old" range (0.3-5.0) * all my T3 T4 were well within range like yours. Recently my TSH was 6.3 but then it dropped again.

(* Since 2003 the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has adjusted the normal range for TSH to 0.3-3.0, to include more patients that were being under diagnosed. Unfortunately Lab and many physicians have not yet caught up with the new range.)

After a miscarriage I started feeling worse, physical and mental exhaustion, muscle fatigue and weakness, a lot of confusion, hair falling out, depressions, my menstruation cycle became quite irregular and I had heavier periods. Then I started researching about hypothyroidism and found a lot of interesting things that matched my  symptoms including the new TSH range. I also asked my Doctor to test me for thyroid antibodies; An endocrinologist tested me and I was positive, indicating Autoimmune Hashimoto’s, allthough they were not elevated to be of great concern. He also ordered a thyroid ultrasound since another doctor had noticed that my thyroid looked slightly enlarged; they found a nodule which I read is quite common for Hashimoto’s. It still needs to be evaluated before I can receive treatment.  

Your blood work and symptoms being so similar I would suggest you ask your doctor about  being tested for thyroid antibodies (TPO and ABS) and a thyroid ultrasound, as well as check yourself for any swelling of the thyroid (goiter). It might even be helpful to your doctor if you could investigate what type of hypothyroidism your mother and grandmother had; Hashimoto’s is hereditary.

I also believe it is good for you to be aware that should you be positive for Hashimoto’s, the thyroid at times may over function and you become periodically hyperthyroid (which would explain loose stools).

In any case, a TSH of 7.63 is well above normal and a family history of hypothyroidism would support a diagnosis for hypothyroidism. Also since you are showing all the symptoms that you are describing and are miserable I would definitely insist on treatment or look for a more sympathetic doctor.

Also my curiosity had been aroused by the MRI of your pituitary, secondary hypothyroidism caused by the pituitary would be indicated by a low TSH level. Did you ever ask your physician why he ordered it?  

Sincerely Katherine7