Aa
thyroid
what is truly classed as a normal thyroid my test came back at 12.6 and when I questioned that level if they could put it in a chart what is really good I was told that 25 being good and 10 being border line but if you are over ten then you are classed as normal so on the chart i am at the bottom end but they did offer me some anti depressants but i am not depressed just seem to be gaining weight when on a diet my husband has lost 1 stone my step son has lost 3 stone and I have gained 1stone if I was to stop working stop swimming and dancing and cleaning my house I think I would weigh about 30 stone this is no longer funny and I can not even get my doctor to try me out on thyroxin to see if it works or not could do with some help and advice
I'm not sure what numbers they are referring to with your thyroid. Would that be a TSH number? If so see another Dr. The usual readings are 1.1 - 10. You might need to push to have them start you on medication but most individuals feel better running on the lower end. Good luck.
It is difficult enough to find a good thyroid doctor. Being in the UK poses some additional problems. I though you might benefit from this bit of advice from a fellow UK member. After much difficulty she was finally able to get the testing and treatment she needed. This is how she described what it took to get there.
"What I have learned from my experience is that you have to go to the Dr's office and TELL THEM WHAT YOU WANT and to go backed up with knowledge. You have to tell them that you have done your reading and looked into your condition and care about the long-term treatment of your health and thyroid. If you fight for what you want, you will eventually find someone that is happy to go along with your wishes. But we all have to take charge of our own health, right?"
So to help prepare you for getting what you need, there are some basics you need to know about. First thing is that in the UK, the NHS dictates that TSH tests are all that are necessary to diagnose and medicate a hypothyroid patient. We refer to this as the "Immaculate TSH Belief". It is very wrong. Even though TSH is supposed to accurately reflect levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4, doctors cannot show you valid scientific data that proves that TSH correlates well with either Free T3 or Free T4, much less with symptoms, which should be the most important consideration. By contrast there are studies that prove that hypo symptoms correlate best with Free T3, while Free T4 and TSH do not correlate at all.
Second thing to know is if the doctor does test beyond TSH it is usually only for Free T4. Rarely will they test for the more important Free T3, unless the patient pushes for it. Then with those tests, most doctors revert to "Reference Range Endocrinology", by which they will tell you that a test result that falls anywhere within the so-called "normal" range is adequate. That is also wrong. Due to the way they were established the ranges are far too broad. Most healthy patients without thyroid issues find that their Free T3 falls in the upper third of the range. Free T3 levels in the lower half of the range are frequently associated with having hypothyroid symptoms. Free T4 seems to work best when around the middle of its range. Many of our members, myself included, say that symptom rlief required that Free T3 was adjusted into the upper third of its range and Free T4 adjusted to around the middle of its range.
A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 levels 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
Not trying to swamp you with info here, but just wanted to make sure you start learning about hypothyroidism diagnosis and treatment, so that you can become your own advocate for getting what you need from the doctors. And believe me you will need to fight to get what you need.
I try to gather names of good thyroid doctors, but I have only a few in the UK. Of those I have most are around London. One is in Edwinstowe, Mansfield. Is the latter near enough to be of interest?
"What I have learned from my experience is that you have to go to the Dr's office and TELL THEM WHAT YOU WANT and to go backed up with knowledge. You have to tell them that you have done your reading and looked into your condition and care about the long-term treatment of your health and thyroid. If you fight for what you want, you will eventually find someone that is happy to go along with your wishes. But we all have to take charge of our own health, right?"
So to help prepare you for getting what you need, there are some basics you need to know about. First thing is that in the UK, the NHS dictates that TSH tests are all that are necessary to diagnose and medicate a hypothyroid patient. We refer to this as the "Immaculate TSH Belief". It is very wrong. Even though TSH is supposed to accurately reflect levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4, doctors cannot show you valid scientific data that proves that TSH correlates well with either Free T3 or Free T4, much less with symptoms, which should be the most important consideration. By contrast there are studies that prove that hypo symptoms correlate best with Free T3, while Free T4 and TSH do not correlate at all.
Second thing to know is if the doctor does test beyond TSH it is usually only for Free T4. Rarely will they test for the more important Free T3, unless the patient pushes for it. Then with those tests, most doctors revert to "Reference Range Endocrinology", by which they will tell you that a test result that falls anywhere within the so-called "normal" range is adequate. That is also wrong. Due to the way they were established the ranges are far too broad. Most healthy patients without thyroid issues find that their Free T3 falls in the upper third of the range. Free T3 levels in the lower half of the range are frequently associated with having hypothyroid symptoms. Free T4 seems to work best when around the middle of its range. Many of our members, myself included, say that symptom rlief required that Free T3 was adjusted into the upper third of its range and Free T4 adjusted to around the middle of its range.
A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 levels 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
Not trying to swamp you with info here, but just wanted to make sure you start learning about hypothyroidism diagnosis and treatment, so that you can become your own advocate for getting what you need from the doctors. And believe me you will need to fight to get what you need.
I try to gather names of good thyroid doctors, but I have only a few in the UK. Of those I have most are around London. One is in Edwinstowe, Mansfield. Is the latter near enough to be of interest?
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