Aa
TSH/Hypothyroidism...what?
I had a blood screening on a few weeks ago at my job (health initiative...). Expecting perfect results with no concerns....I tested with a TSH level of 7.96.
Do I have hypothyroidism?
Could I have been "hypo" for years and not known it? (I've been in treatment for depression/bulimia with medication and therapy for 13 years...) I've always lost a lot of hair...have weird skin (too many skin cells...)
Could it have been a fluke that I got this number?
Why do some people have levels like 200?!?! Does that mean they have it worse?
My test was at 6:15 am...are TSH levels higher in the am...at a certain time of the month?
Help, I'm clueless....
Do I have hypothyroidism?
Could I have been "hypo" for years and not known it? (I've been in treatment for depression/bulimia with medication and therapy for 13 years...) I've always lost a lot of hair...have weird skin (too many skin cells...)
Could it have been a fluke that I got this number?
Why do some people have levels like 200?!?! Does that mean they have it worse?
My test was at 6:15 am...are TSH levels higher in the am...at a certain time of the month?
Help, I'm clueless....
Yes, you could be Hypothyroid for years and not realize it. The symptoms are very broad, lengthy and they are shared by other medical issues as well.
Mild depression is definitely a symptom - I have seen many leading phyicians say a thorough Thyroid screen is warranted in EVERY case of depression.
I would NOT freak out if I was you. I would be just the opposite - I would feel relief that you may finally have the reason that you have been feeling the way you do. The treatment is very easy and most have success with it. Depending on how knowledgeable your dr. is, he may push Synthroid which many do NOT have success with. If that is the case do a search for Armour "friendly" doctors and go see him/her.
Take control of you care, but again I would feel good about likely finding the root cause of your ailments.
Mild depression is definitely a symptom - I have seen many leading phyicians say a thorough Thyroid screen is warranted in EVERY case of depression.
I would NOT freak out if I was you. I would be just the opposite - I would feel relief that you may finally have the reason that you have been feeling the way you do. The treatment is very easy and most have success with it. Depending on how knowledgeable your dr. is, he may push Synthroid which many do NOT have success with. If that is the case do a search for Armour "friendly" doctors and go see him/her.
Take control of you care, but again I would feel good about likely finding the root cause of your ailments.
to give a better picture...my free t4 was .98...(TSH 7.96)
I've got an appointment on the 5th of dec. but i will spend this week freaking out and researching everything...
I've got an appointment on the 5th of dec. but i will spend this week freaking out and researching everything...
thanks!
One of my questions that didn't get answered is....could people be hypo for a LONG time and not even know it and could it trigger depression or bulimia...(what I've been treated for for FOREVER)?
One of my questions that didn't get answered is....could people be hypo for a LONG time and not even know it and could it trigger depression or bulimia...(what I've been treated for for FOREVER)?
In reading Dr. Lupo's responses, he has many responses worded similar to this answer he posted on 9/30/07:
You likely have mild hypothyroidism from Hashimoto's -- would test antibodies but most of my patients with TSH levels that go from 2.5-5.0 like this are antibody positive and many (but not all) benefit from thyroid hormone treatment.
This persons TSH levels were: 3.083, 4.065, 2.983.
No antibody results listed.
Dr. Lupo knows that you can prob call most cases of even mild hypothyroidism Hashimoto's w/o even testing antibodies because it is the most common form of hypothyroidism.
You likely have mild hypothyroidism from Hashimoto's -- would test antibodies but most of my patients with TSH levels that go from 2.5-5.0 like this are antibody positive and many (but not all) benefit from thyroid hormone treatment.
This persons TSH levels were: 3.083, 4.065, 2.983.
No antibody results listed.
Dr. Lupo knows that you can prob call most cases of even mild hypothyroidism Hashimoto's w/o even testing antibodies because it is the most common form of hypothyroidism.
That is why I assert that all four blood tests need to be requested and performed.
The whole "thyroid testing cascade" is stupid and unnecessarily time consuming. Why mess around for weeks or months and three office visits doing one test at a time when you need ALL the test results to get a true picture of what your hormones are doing and possibly why?
My first GP never ran an antibodies test. I was on thyroid meds for 18 months for a "slow thyroid" before a different GP ran an antibodies test and diagnosed me with Hashimoto's.
Had the first GP done that, he may have had some forewarning when my TSH would not stabilize, and probably would have tested my blood more often. But he didn't. My care suffered because of that.
My insurance company paid a couple thousand dollars for an emergency room visit, an ambulance ride, a stay in the hospital, and an angiogram because I flipped from hypo to hyper. If the ER people knew I had Hashimoto's and not a "lazy thyroid", they may have looked at my possible heart attack a little harder and found my TSH was very low. But my first GP saved everybody sixty bucks by not running an antibodies test.
If your TSH is between 5.0 and 10.0 and your T4 and T3 are out of range, you should be treated. Waiting until your TSH goes above ten is not justified if you are not producing or utilizing thyroid hormones properly. To me that is the same as a dentist finding a cavity and waiting to treat it until an infection occurs.
If the AACE asserts that treating a thyroid patient using just TSH levels and ignoring actual hormone levels is proper, that is irresponsible. There are several forms of Hypothroidism and many things can happen between the time the pituitary produces TSH and the body absorbs T3 hormones.
The guidelines as laid out in Graves Lady's posts may be official, but they don't make sense.
The whole "thyroid testing cascade" is stupid and unnecessarily time consuming. Why mess around for weeks or months and three office visits doing one test at a time when you need ALL the test results to get a true picture of what your hormones are doing and possibly why?
My first GP never ran an antibodies test. I was on thyroid meds for 18 months for a "slow thyroid" before a different GP ran an antibodies test and diagnosed me with Hashimoto's.
Had the first GP done that, he may have had some forewarning when my TSH would not stabilize, and probably would have tested my blood more often. But he didn't. My care suffered because of that.
My insurance company paid a couple thousand dollars for an emergency room visit, an ambulance ride, a stay in the hospital, and an angiogram because I flipped from hypo to hyper. If the ER people knew I had Hashimoto's and not a "lazy thyroid", they may have looked at my possible heart attack a little harder and found my TSH was very low. But my first GP saved everybody sixty bucks by not running an antibodies test.
If your TSH is between 5.0 and 10.0 and your T4 and T3 are out of range, you should be treated. Waiting until your TSH goes above ten is not justified if you are not producing or utilizing thyroid hormones properly. To me that is the same as a dentist finding a cavity and waiting to treat it until an infection occurs.
If the AACE asserts that treating a thyroid patient using just TSH levels and ignoring actual hormone levels is proper, that is irresponsible. There are several forms of Hypothroidism and many things can happen between the time the pituitary produces TSH and the body absorbs T3 hormones.
The guidelines as laid out in Graves Lady's posts may be official, but they don't make sense.
Dr Lupo on this forum who is pretty well "up" on the guidelines has stated more than once and very recently (but I don't have time to waste searching for the one a few weeks ago)that it is not mandatory to treat a TSH below 10. He does give trial doses for people who are subclincial who have antibodies, but acknowledges there is not proven benefit to this for people who ar within normal range.
The treatment guidelines for subclincial I read whe dxd last spring have something like TSH over a certain level PLUS other indications, like antibodies out of range.
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Thyroid/messages/1481.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Thyroid/messages/689.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Thyroid/messages/1245.html
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