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about Thyroide

my T3 reading is 108,
my T4 reading is 8.20
but my TSH reading is 8.32

is this harmful for me? it is lifelong disease for me? shall i take medicine for life long or it is curable?
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Avatar universal
Are these FREE or TOTAL T3 & T4?

Also we need the reference ranges for those tests.  The range is usually in parentesis to the right of the test result.

If they are total, they are outdated tests of little value.

Typically a TSH level over 4 is certainly considered that you are VERY likely Hypo. meaning Low Thyroid .  TSH is not a very good indicator but it is an initial indicator.  Once on Thyroid meds TSH becomes less and less of an indicator.

The real question is how do you feel?  What symptoms do you have?  What made you go to the Dr and get Thyroid tests done?

Some of the most common symptoms for Low Thyroid are cold intolerance, low body temperature, fatigue, always sleepy or never feel like you can ever get enough sleep, hair loss, loss of eyebrow hair on the outer portions, muscle/joint pain.  Just to name a few.

Your final question is it a lifelong condition.  Unless it is related to a recent birth, usually thyroid conditions are life long.  The most common reason for low Thyroid is Hashimoto's disease.  This is an autoimmune condition where your body considers your Thyroid a foreign invader and your immune systems sets out and progressively kills your thyroid.  That means that the Thyroid produces less and less Thyroid hormone as time goes by.

The good news is that with a good Dr. and proper dosage of medicine, you can feel well.  The bad news is that it is hard to find a "good" Dr.

You really want to be tested for FREE T4 and FREE T3.  I would recommend that you also be tested for the antibodies to check for Hasimoto's.  You may have to be VERY insistent in order to get your Dr to test for the Free T3 especially.  Insist on it.  Do not let them if at all possible to talk you out of the need for the Free T3 (FT3) test.

Many people seem to reach a symptom free condition when their FT4 is about mid range, and their FT3 is in the upper 1/3 of the range.  DO NOT let your Dr tell you that you are fine if your test results come out with your number simply being "somewhere" in the range.  it is common to remain having symptoms while remaining within the way too broad "normal" range.  I'd recommend doing a lot of reading on this site and other threads.  you can learn a HUGE amount.
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Avatar universal
Being hypothyroid can cause discomfort, in the form of hypo symptoms, and longer term can be detrimental to your health: however there is no need for this to happen if you are properly diagnosed and medicated.  

It would be very helpful to members if you will look at this listing of 26 typical hypo symptoms and tell us how many of those you have.  

http://endocrine-system.emedtv.com/hypothyroidism/hypothyroidism-symptoms-and-signs.html

Also, in the future it would be far more revealing of your status if you would get the doctor to test you for Free T3, rather than Total T3.  Only the portion of Total T3 that is not bound to protein molecules is "free", and thus biologically active.  In addition it would be better to include a test for Free T4.  If you have never been tested for the possibility of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, that would be a good idea.  Those tests for the thyroid antibodies would be TPO ab and TG ab.

Judging by the results of the tests you do have, I expect that you have hypothyroid symptoms and that you will need to take thyroid meds to relieve the symptoms.  If the cause turns out to be Hashi's, then you will need to take thyroid meds for life because Hashi's gradually destroys the thyroid glands over an extended period.

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve hypo symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.  Many of our members here report that symptom relief for them required that FT3 was adjusted into the upper part of the range and FT4 adjusted to around the midpoint of the range.  You can get some good info about clinical treatment from this link.

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf
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