Interpretation of thyroid numbers

[katima]

I got the following numbers from my doc's office today.  I am seeing him tomorrow and know that he will interpret but wondering if someone can tell me what these numbers mean.  I don't know the range in which they should fall:

TSH - less than .01
T3 - 12.8
T4 - 35
antithyroid something - negative
antithyroid globin - negative
Thanks!

[katima]

any idea where the nasty red welt at the base of my throat would come from?  Anyone ever heard if this could be a thyroid sympton?

[katima]

I guess I am a bit naive about all this.  I had never heard of TSH or T4 or any of the other language of thyroid conditions until this week as it has never been a problem for me. When I look back now I think it has been a problem for awhile..once you put all the symptons together. Part of me is relieve because now I know I am not crazy but I am also really frightened because this is uncharted territory for me.
I live in Canada and I don't know if it is different here but you go for bloodwork when the doc says and they do whatever they are told to do by the doc.  I didn't/don't know if I can request a specific test.  I have never seen an actual report.  I go to the doc for follow ups and he tells me the info but I don't see  a report.  I will ask for a printout this time. I do trust my doctor but I want to have lots of information so I know what is going on with my body and what alternatives there are for treatment. I know that I am being referred to a specialist so that's a good thing since in Canada you can't see a specialist without a referral.  I just want to make sure I ask the right questions tomorrow.  I also hope that he will offer some sort of medication to help alleviate my racing heart and the shaking from the inside out that I have been experiencing.  I do appreciate the information that has been shared with me on this site.  thanks

[Barb135]

It's impossible to tell with the information given whether you are hyper or hypo.  We need to know first what the lab ranges for the T3 and T4 are, to see where you fall in the ranges (these ranges are lab specific, so must come from your own report); second, we need to know if those are FREE T3 and FREE T4 or if they are Total T3 and Total T4.  The tests for total are considered obsolete and are of very little value.  We also need to know whether or not you are currently on thyroid med, as med often suppresses the TSH.  There are several of us on this forum whose TSH remains at very low levels; for instance, my TSH stays at less than 0.01 all the time due to the med(s) I'm on; however, my Free T's are good to low.

TSH is a pituitary hormone and is not a good indicator of what they thyroid is doing, though that's what a lot of doctors treat by; I had a doctor who dosed based on TSH and he kept me sick for months. I finally kicked him to the curb and got a different doctor, who treats according to the Free T's and my symptoms.  

You need to know what the Free T3 and Free T4 levels are. These are the actual hormones that the body uses, with Free T3 being the most important, since it's approximately 4 times as potent as T4 and is directly usable; whereas, the body can not directly use the Free T4; it must be converted to FT3 prior to use.  

Oh, by the way -- the negative antibodies indicates that you do not, at this time, have an autoimmune disease; however, without knowing exactly which tests they ran, we don't really know which disease you don't have.  

The three tests used to diagnose autoimmune thyroid diseases are Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin antibodies (TGab) to test for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (hypothyroid) and Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) to test for Graves Disease (hyperthyroid).

If you can provide the additional information - reference ranges from your lab report for T3 and T4, whether or not they are "Free" or "Total" and whether or not you are currently on med(s); if so, what kind and what dose? That would greatly help members to comment more fully on your situation.

[lmosall]

looks like Hyperthyroidism to me...

[jzg]

My info is endo's want TSH between .3-3.0 for hypothyroid cases. Mine was 7.5 before
taking T4. My lab had different numbers for limits. I 'd search for info on Hyperthyroid here
or Google. I like the Mayo clinic site.