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Test of thyroid levels
Just got back from new endo TSH went from .55 to 3.5 range 0.32 - 5.0 Free T4 went from 1.45 to 1.8 range 0.7 - 1.9 both went fro 5/29/14 to 7/23/14
Total T3 went from 72 to .77 range 72-170 from 5/23/14 to 7/23/14
I will start 5mg T3 and 10mg T4 tomorrow and hope this helps but after a year of fighting numbers and 3 endos I am not real sure what the answer is. anyone have any ideas they would be appreciated
Total T3 went from 72 to .77 range 72-170 from 5/23/14 to 7/23/14
I will start 5mg T3 and 10mg T4 tomorrow and hope this helps but after a year of fighting numbers and 3 endos I am not real sure what the answer is. anyone have any ideas they would be appreciated
I go back in 6 weeks The reason he is going slow on t3 is a had heart palpations when I was taking 125 levothyroxine so he wanted to go slow saying that the t3 could cause heart palpations also Hope he will go along with the t3 t4 test as I really feel he is the first endo that I can talk to and he listens without getting upset at my involvement in my care. he also has me on vitamin d and ferritn
It is great that you have an Endo that will listen and also will prescribe T3 med. That is a great start for you.
Vitamin D and also ferritin, which is kind of an advance look at how your iron levels are trending, are very important for proper metabolizing of thyroid hormone. Your D is much too low. Needs to be 55-60. Ferritin, for women, needs to be 70-80. So it would be good to supplement for each to raise those levels. B12 deficiency will cause symptoms that mimic hypothyroidism. It needs to be in the upper part of its range.
Make sure that you get the doctor to agree to do the Free T3, not Total T3 test. And continue to emphasize your symptoms and encourage the doctor to continue to raise your Free T3 level as necessary to relieve symptoms, as discussed in the link I gave you. Don't know what the doctor has in mind, but since T3 gets into the blood so quickly, it would be a good idea to get back for followup tests and an increase in your T3 med, within about 4-5 weeks.
Vitamin D and also ferritin, which is kind of an advance look at how your iron levels are trending, are very important for proper metabolizing of thyroid hormone. Your D is much too low. Needs to be 55-60. Ferritin, for women, needs to be 70-80. So it would be good to supplement for each to raise those levels. B12 deficiency will cause symptoms that mimic hypothyroidism. It needs to be in the upper part of its range.
Make sure that you get the doctor to agree to do the Free T3, not Total T3 test. And continue to emphasize your symptoms and encourage the doctor to continue to raise your Free T3 level as necessary to relieve symptoms, as discussed in the link I gave you. Don't know what the doctor has in mind, but since T3 gets into the blood so quickly, it would be a good idea to get back for followup tests and an increase in your T3 med, within about 4-5 weeks.
vitamin d was 36 30-10 Ferritin was 52 13-150 Iron 72 30-160
TIBC was 285 225-430 iron saturation 25 20-50
no b12 test This is a new endo and he does listen and when I ask if I might not be not changing t4 to t3 and he agreed to put me on t3 starting at 5 and slowly working up. I don't no why he didn't do a free t3 and did a total t3 the last t3 I have been able to get was 12/12/13 and it was 3.6 then on 1/16/14 it was 1.96 that is the last I have had. fatigue sweats cold when others are hot achy hair falling out skin dry feel lousy mostly
TIBC was 285 225-430 iron saturation 25 20-50
no b12 test This is a new endo and he does listen and when I ask if I might not be not changing t4 to t3 and he agreed to put me on t3 starting at 5 and slowly working up. I don't no why he didn't do a free t3 and did a total t3 the last t3 I have been able to get was 12/12/13 and it was 3.6 then on 1/16/14 it was 1.96 that is the last I have had. fatigue sweats cold when others are hot achy hair falling out skin dry feel lousy mostly
As a start, you should be aware that doctors like to tell us that TSH is basically all they need to know to diagnose and treat a hypo patient. That is very wrong. TSH cannot be shown to correlate well with either of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 or Free T4, much less correlate well with symptoms, which are the main concern for hypo patients.
After starting on thyroid med, TSH is even less useful. Frequently TSH becomes suppressed when taking significant doses of thyroid med. In fact, studies have shown that medication adequate to relieve symptoms frequently suppresses TSH. That does not automatically indicate hyperthyroidism, unless there are accompanying hyper symptoms due to excessive levels of Free T3 and Free T4.
A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels. You can get some good insight into clinical treatment from this letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he sometimes consults with after initial tests and evaluation. The letter is then sent to the participating doctor of the patient to help guide treatment. In the letter, please note the statement, "the ultimate
criterion for dose adjustment must always be the clinical response of the patient."
http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf
So you need to get tested for Free T3 each time you go in for tests, rather than the Total T3 test. If the doctor resists, just insist on it and don't take no for an answer. Free T3 has been shown to correlate best with hypo symptoms while Free T4 and TSH did not correlate at all. Also, if not tested for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, those need to be done as well. If you have had those, please post, along with ranges.
Most important is symptoms. Please tell us about any symptoms you are having.
After starting on thyroid med, TSH is even less useful. Frequently TSH becomes suppressed when taking significant doses of thyroid med. In fact, studies have shown that medication adequate to relieve symptoms frequently suppresses TSH. That does not automatically indicate hyperthyroidism, unless there are accompanying hyper symptoms due to excessive levels of Free T3 and Free T4.
A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels. You can get some good insight into clinical treatment from this letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he sometimes consults with after initial tests and evaluation. The letter is then sent to the participating doctor of the patient to help guide treatment. In the letter, please note the statement, "the ultimate
criterion for dose adjustment must always be the clinical response of the patient."
http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf
So you need to get tested for Free T3 each time you go in for tests, rather than the Total T3 test. If the doctor resists, just insist on it and don't take no for an answer. Free T3 has been shown to correlate best with hypo symptoms while Free T4 and TSH did not correlate at all. Also, if not tested for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, those need to be done as well. If you have had those, please post, along with ranges.
Most important is symptoms. Please tell us about any symptoms you are having.
sorry I just saw that my t4 was wrong I am now on 100 mcg levothyroxine and 5mcg of cytomel
I was on 25mcg before the surgery one year ago since then I have been on 125mcg, 110, 100, back to 125 and now on 100 with 5 cytomel which I have never been on before. my test for the year have been all over the chart with TSH from 11.2 to 8.7- 5.4,-4.5,- 3.2,- .5,4- 1.12 and not in that order and this is just a sample of test. The only thing that seems to be close is the T4 with ranges 1.9 - 1.7- 1.1-1.4 stays right in this range
Total t3 is 72 and 77
Total t3 is 72 and 77
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