Should I question my doctor about my TSH levels?

[THo]

I have tried very hard over the past few years, with not much success, to lose weight. I have been overweight all my life and am trying to lose about 40-50 lbs more than the 35 I've lost over the past 1 1/2 yrs thru healthy diet and exercise. I have had my TSH checked 4 times over the past 5 yrs and my readings have gone gradually from 1.5 to 3.3. I read that the new guidelines tightened the healthy range to .3-3.0. I have increased my exercise to twice a day cardio and working with a personal trainer 2 x week with still not much luck. My diet consists of a healthy recorded 1500 calories/day made up of whole grain carbs, lean proteins, and fruits and veggies; nothing crazy or extreme. Could my thryoid be the problem? I've checked it out online and found a few of the sympotoms apply to me, i.e. sensitivity to cold, constipation, and depression in addition to inability to lose weight. Fatigue and forgetfulness are not major, but noticeable symptoms. I don't want my doctor to think I'm looking for an easy way out, but I am about to get very frustrated with my efforts in vain! He sent me a card with my latest lab results saying everything was normal. But is 3.3 really normal range?

[jmh1172]

A related discussion, tsh test was started.

[Jimlow]

THo, If you can't get your Dr. to order them for you, there is a company you can go through. Your insurance wouldn't cover it but the thyroid antibodies one is only $60.00 through them. They are   www.healthcheckusa.com    You might go to their site and just check it out.

[THo]

Are most doctors pretty willing to order these tests at your request? I know with insurance dictating healthcare these days, based on what they'll pay for, Docs are somewhat reluctant to order tests they don't feel are a "medical necessity".
Thanks for everyone's input!

[THo]

Are the thyroid antibodies everyone talks about the T4, T3, and Free T4/T3?

[Jimlow]

THo, Those you listed are the actual thyroid homones. I know it's confusing as iy was to all of us at first. The antibodies they check for hypo patients, to see if the cause is autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's), is the "Anti-Thyroglobulin and Anti-ThyroidPeroxidase Antibodies". These will be elevated above normal if you have an autoimmune process going on against your thyroid gland.

[ShannieK]

Antibody testing, good advice.  Your reading at 3.3, does put you out of range, barely, but nevertheless, you could be experiencing hypo symptoms, and it sounds as though you are. One important thing to remember, it's good to look at levels, but we are all different.  Some people may feel good at one level and others may feel just terrible.  There was someone who posted on here, as having a TSH as high as 113, and still is not experiencing any troubling symptoms.  Last year, I had a TSH of 3.9, and felt as though I was going to die.  I had every symptoms they correlate with the disease.  Keep in mind, I also came back positive for anitbodies and was diagnosed with hashimoto's.  Lots of dr's don't think to run these tests, but alot of people will have normal readings and still be positive for auto immune disease.  Get checked, you might be able to feel alot better.  I personally did not start to lose weight until my TSH was below a 1.0.  Until than I gained and gained even with diet and exercise.  Very discouraging.  Good luck.

[Jimlow]

Hi THo, We say this a lot on here but did you ever get your thyroid antibodies tested? This can determine alot because people will have normal TSH and other levels but still have hypo symptoms from elevated ABs.
The AACE, that recommended that new TSH range in 2002, also said 3.0 and higher can also be suspect for hypothyroidism. Other sites state that even a 2.5 is suspect.
When I got on thyroid med, my Doc said my improved TSH of 4.9 was "perfect" but I felt terrible, so he increase it again to get my TSH down to 3.1 and said "really perfect!". I still felt terrible. Two more dose increases later, I'm down to 0.05 or lower and is the best I've felt in a long time.
I'm not saying this is true for someone who's not hypothyroid, as the post above from Breesmom said because taking thyroid med. if you don't need it, is a bad mistake but if you have elevated antibodies, you might possibly need it.

[BreesMom]

I can tell you that I have had hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) since the age of 7 I am 24 now. The major symptoms for me when my levels are low are yes...weight gain, extreme fatigue (to the point where u just CAN'T get out of bed) unusually dry scaly skin and hairloss (excessive shedding). Your levels seem to be ok. If you take a medicine to increase the activity of your thyroid unnecessarily you could do a lot of damage to your heart causing it to work extra hard to keep up. My mother and 2 sisters also have hypothyroidism. My sisters on one hand are slim and I have always been about 30lbs over weight. I went to LA weight loss and successfully lost that extra weight, only to gain it right back. I have found that (for me anyways) your body is healthy at a certain weight, and will fight you every step of the way to maintain that.