No worries......the more you research and learn, the more you understand your condition and the 'journey' gets easier.
Hope all is well with you :)
Ok! That is what I thought I had read and wanted to double check! Thanks
In laymans terms...sometimes it can years for a graves sufferer WITH a thyroid to get the TSH up...some never ever do, regardless of the Ft3 and Ft4 levels.
Read this paragraph I posted above.....
Other useful laboratory measurements in Graves' disease include thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, usually low in Graves' disease due to negative feedback from the elevated T3 and T4), and protein-bound iodine (elevated). Thyroid-stimulating antibodies may also be detected serologically.
Also the only time my TSH went up was when I had RAI.
I was actually shocked I had a TSH lol.
Deb, thanks for the information but I don't think it relates to the actual question. Perhaps my brain hasn't wrapped around your answer yet for actual comprehension. I do appreciate your reply though. Basically I was trying to understand if the TSH level will come into normal range (as other tests are doing) as long as I have a thyroid and Graves.
I hope you're having a great Saturday!
Graves' disease may present clinically with one of the following characteristic signs:
* exophthalmos (protuberance of one or both eyes)
* a non-pitting edema (pretibial myxedema), with thickening of the skin usually found on the lower extremities
* fatigue, weight loss with increased appetite, and other symptoms of hyperthyroidism
* rapid heart beats
* muscular weakness
The two signs that are truly 'diagnostic' of Graves' disease (i.e., not seen in other hyperthyroid conditions) are exophthalmos and non-pitting edema (pretibial myxedema). Goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland and is of the diffuse type (i.e., spread throughout the gland). Diffuse goiter may be seen with other causes of hyperthyroidism, although Graves' disease is the most common cause of diffuse goiter. A large goiter will be visible to the naked eye, but a smaller goiter (very mild enlargement of the gland) may be detectable only by physical exam. Occasionally, goiter is not clinically detectable but may be seen only with CT or ultrasound examination of the thyroid.
Another sign of Graves' disease is hyperthyroidism, i.e., overproduction of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. Normothyroidism is also seen, and occasionally also hypothyroidism, which may assist in causing goiter (though it is not the cause of the Graves disease). Hyperthyroidism in Graves' disease is confirmed, as with any other cause of hyperthyroidism, by measuring elevated blood levels of free (unbound) T3 and T4.
Other useful laboratory measurements in Graves' disease include thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, usually low in Graves' disease due to negative feedback from the elevated T3 and T4), and protein-bound iodine (elevated). Thyroid-stimulating antibodies may also be detected serologically.
Biopsy to obtain histiological testing is not normally required but may be obtained if thyroidectomy is performed.
Differentiating two common forms of hyperthyroidism such as Graves' disease and Toxic multinodular goiter is important to determine proper treatment. Measuring TSH-receptor antibodies with the h-TBII assay has been proven efficient and was the most practical approach found in one study.