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Normal TSH and T4. low T3
I have been struggling with symptoms for a long time now and have recently been told I probably have Fibromyalgia. I have suspected thyroid for some time now as both my parents took synthroid. My symptoms are too long to list here. Recently I went to a derm. b/c of hair, eyebrow and eyelash loss along with a rash on my face. My hair is not dry or brittle, but has been in the recent past. I been taking vitamins and think that has helped. The derm did not take blood tests but did not think it is thyroid. Vision problems are another significant symptom. To get to the point I asked my PA to do a complete thyroid panel. I got a msg. stating my numbers are normal, only listed TSH 1.28 uIU/mL, and T4, Free, Serum :1.0 NG/dL. I just checked my patient portal and see the T3 listed and it is low. T3, Total, Serum 46.1 NG/dL. Could this be causing me problems? I will list my symptoms if needed.
I have put myself on the vitamins and supplements on my own except for the red brewers rice yeast which is for high cholesterol. I was on a statin but it made my all over body pain worse so doctor suggested the red brewers rice yeast which is working. My VitD ose is 5000IU. My doctor knows everything I am taking. This is a rhetorical question, but......Why do doctors do lab test if they don't use them to treat patients symptoms????? I have come across this may times.
I have chronic back pain due to a failed back surgery so many of my symptoms get blamed on that, but I am sure something else is going on. My vision problems have been blamed on ocular migraines, which after doing much reading on ocular migraines, I don't think so.
My iron has not been tested and you are correct, I am a female. Not sure how male got on there as I haven't done a profile yet. I am 59 yo and postmenopausal. So for many years menopause was the answer for everything. When all else fails, I get age. A doctor I no longer go to actually said to me, "this is the price we pay for getting old".
I just want to feel better and be able to function somewhat normally. I will say it again your responses and support mean so much to me. I am not feeling so off the track or like I am grasping at straws.
I have chronic back pain due to a failed back surgery so many of my symptoms get blamed on that, but I am sure something else is going on. My vision problems have been blamed on ocular migraines, which after doing much reading on ocular migraines, I don't think so.
My iron has not been tested and you are correct, I am a female. Not sure how male got on there as I haven't done a profile yet. I am 59 yo and postmenopausal. So for many years menopause was the answer for everything. When all else fails, I get age. A doctor I no longer go to actually said to me, "this is the price we pay for getting old".
I just want to feel better and be able to function somewhat normally. I will say it again your responses and support mean so much to me. I am not feeling so off the track or like I am grasping at straws.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi Barb, nice to meet you...
Were those vitamins/minerals recommended by a doctor? If so, what conditions where they intended to treat?
Your vitamin D is coming up, but still has room to go; what dosage are taking every day?
Your B-12, at 487 is way too low, even though it's well within most lab ranges. Many countries consider anything below 500 as deficient and my lab puts a note on the report that says anything under 500 can produce symptoms of deficiency. I have Pernicious Anemia (an autoimmune disease in which I don't absorb B-12 via the gut) and I have to keep my level at the very top of the range (900-1100) in order to keep symptoms at bay. Most mult-vitamins and B-complex don't have enough or the right kind of readily absorbable B-12... I'd recommend a Methyl B-12 that's either liquid or sublingual/chewable.
I strongly suspect, as gimel said, that your problems are thyroid related, even though your doctors are saying that your thyroid hormone levels are "normal". All most of them are trained to look at are TSH, first and FT4 second and if those are anywhere within their ranges, the doctor thinks everything is fine, when it's really not. Many refuse to even look at Free T3, which correlates best with symptoms.
As I said, many doctors feel that Fibro is simply un or under treated hypothyroidism. Typically, when a person accepts a diagnosis of Fibro, they are treated via diet, vitamins/minerals/herbs and pain meds that either don't work or only work for short periods until they have to move on to something stronger. Those who are treated with thyroid hormones, often have symptoms completely alleviated or at least, mostly so.
Have you had ferritin or iron tested? Iron is used in the metabolism of thyroid hormones.
Something else occurred to me when I read your latest comment. Your profile says you're male, but since you mention a Gyn, I'm assuming that's not the case, so while they tell me it's not polite (lol), I'll ask your age and whether peri-menopause or menopause might be a contributing factor in the way you feel; I remember those days well and that time can wreak havoc with our bodies. All of our hormones come from the endocrine system and they must all work together, so if one or one set is messed up, it can mess them all up.
Were those vitamins/minerals recommended by a doctor? If so, what conditions where they intended to treat?
Your vitamin D is coming up, but still has room to go; what dosage are taking every day?
Your B-12, at 487 is way too low, even though it's well within most lab ranges. Many countries consider anything below 500 as deficient and my lab puts a note on the report that says anything under 500 can produce symptoms of deficiency. I have Pernicious Anemia (an autoimmune disease in which I don't absorb B-12 via the gut) and I have to keep my level at the very top of the range (900-1100) in order to keep symptoms at bay. Most mult-vitamins and B-complex don't have enough or the right kind of readily absorbable B-12... I'd recommend a Methyl B-12 that's either liquid or sublingual/chewable.
I strongly suspect, as gimel said, that your problems are thyroid related, even though your doctors are saying that your thyroid hormone levels are "normal". All most of them are trained to look at are TSH, first and FT4 second and if those are anywhere within their ranges, the doctor thinks everything is fine, when it's really not. Many refuse to even look at Free T3, which correlates best with symptoms.
As I said, many doctors feel that Fibro is simply un or under treated hypothyroidism. Typically, when a person accepts a diagnosis of Fibro, they are treated via diet, vitamins/minerals/herbs and pain meds that either don't work or only work for short periods until they have to move on to something stronger. Those who are treated with thyroid hormones, often have symptoms completely alleviated or at least, mostly so.
Have you had ferritin or iron tested? Iron is used in the metabolism of thyroid hormones.
Something else occurred to me when I read your latest comment. Your profile says you're male, but since you mention a Gyn, I'm assuming that's not the case, so while they tell me it's not polite (lol), I'll ask your age and whether peri-menopause or menopause might be a contributing factor in the way you feel; I remember those days well and that time can wreak havoc with our bodies. All of our hormones come from the endocrine system and they must all work together, so if one or one set is messed up, it can mess them all up.
I am taking Brewers Yeast, Cal-Mag-Zinc, VitC,D3,E, Fish Oil, and Milk Thistle. My most recent VitD level was 53 NG/mL back in November. When I was diagnosed D-deficient I believe it was 12. I noticed I was also tested for Vitamin B12: 487 pg/mL and Folate: 23.1 NG/mL in November. As I mentioned in my original post my PA said my thyroid is normal and I questioned my GYN several weeks ago wit the same numbers as above and he said the numbers look good. With all that is going on with me I strongly feel that I am dealing with something thyroid related (and hopefully not having Fibro). BTW my name is Barb also. I am so thankful for your answers and support.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Yes your FT4 is very low in the range and if your Total T3 simply said "Low", it would have been below range, both of which support a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. With your TSH of 1.28, which is quite low, I would concur with gimel's thought of central hypothyroidism, which means your thyroid probably works fine, but your pituitary gland isn't producing enough TSH to stimulate your thyroid gland to produce adequate thyroid hormones.
You said you have recently add B-complex and a multi-vitamin to your "other vitamins"... what "other vitamins" are you taking in addition to the B-complex and multi? We can help you pinpoint some that help more than others.
Do you remember what your vitamin D level was when it was tested? Do you think you could get your doctor to test it again? Can you ask your doctor to test for other vitamin/mineral deficiencies as there are some deficiencies that can cause hypo-like symptoms, so you want to identify those and make sure you're getting adequate supplementation right away in order to rule those out as causes for any of your symptoms.
Oh, certainly, we'll bear with you regarding thyroid information... we can give you a lot of information that can help you clarify the confusing points. You have only to ask the questions and we'll give you the answers. We're all good at research, so if we don't have the answers, we can most likely find them.
You said you have recently add B-complex and a multi-vitamin to your "other vitamins"... what "other vitamins" are you taking in addition to the B-complex and multi? We can help you pinpoint some that help more than others.
Do you remember what your vitamin D level was when it was tested? Do you think you could get your doctor to test it again? Can you ask your doctor to test for other vitamin/mineral deficiencies as there are some deficiencies that can cause hypo-like symptoms, so you want to identify those and make sure you're getting adequate supplementation right away in order to rule those out as causes for any of your symptoms.
Oh, certainly, we'll bear with you regarding thyroid information... we can give you a lot of information that can help you clarify the confusing points. You have only to ask the questions and we'll give you the answers. We're all good at research, so if we don't have the answers, we can most likely find them.
Thank you for your reply. I have the range for the TSH: 0.35-5.50 uIU/mL and T4: 0.9-1.8 ng/dL but they were not given for for the T3 Free. It just said low from the lab. I have recently added B-complex and a multi-vitamin to my other vitamins. I have been taking different vitamins on my own for a while, just trying to feel better. The only vitamin I know of being tested for was D, several years ago and it was low. I have been taking D3 since then. Please bear with me regarding thyroid information since I have recently
started trying to educate myself about it and it is all very confusing to me. I would like to sound like I somewhat know what I am talking about before contacting my doctors office again with hope of being taken seriously.
started trying to educate myself about it and it is all very confusing to me. I would like to sound like I somewhat know what I am talking about before contacting my doctors office again with hope of being taken seriously.
For the future you should always make sure they test for Free T3, not Total T3. Free T3 correlates best with hypo symptoms.
You don't need to list any more symptoms. Your Total T3 is so low, and your Free T4 is also too low in the range. 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. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not TSH results. Note that your TSH is low in the range, yet your Free T4 and Total T3 were also low, indicating central hypothyroidism.
So you need to find out if your doctor is going to be willing to treat clinically, as described. If not, then you will need to find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.
You don't need to list any more symptoms. Your Total T3 is so low, and your Free T4 is also too low in the range. 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. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not TSH results. Note that your TSH is low in the range, yet your Free T4 and Total T3 were also low, indicating central hypothyroidism.
So you need to find out if your doctor is going to be willing to treat clinically, as described. If not, then you will need to find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.
COMMUNITY LEADER
What are the reference ranges for the Free T4 and Total T3? Reference ranges vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report. Total T3 is not as useful as Free T3, but it will give us and idea of your level.
You should also ask to be checked for thyroid antibodies, to determine if you have Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune disease that eventually destroys the thyroid so it produces no thyroid hormones. As the destruction progresses hormone production is constantly reduced.
Many doctors believe that Fibromyalgia is simply un or under treated hypothyroidism and many times, once thyroid hormone replacement medication is given symptoms are completely alleviated or greatly relieved.
What vitamins did you start taking? Were you tested for deficiency prior to taking them? There are some vitamin deficiencies that can be related to thyroid hormone metabolism.
You should also ask to be checked for thyroid antibodies, to determine if you have Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune disease that eventually destroys the thyroid so it produces no thyroid hormones. As the destruction progresses hormone production is constantly reduced.
Many doctors believe that Fibromyalgia is simply un or under treated hypothyroidism and many times, once thyroid hormone replacement medication is given symptoms are completely alleviated or greatly relieved.
What vitamins did you start taking? Were you tested for deficiency prior to taking them? There are some vitamin deficiencies that can be related to thyroid hormone metabolism.
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