Order your own labs, that's what I do and they are cheaper than the labs my doctor orders. (sometimes) January is thyroid month and there are specials and it runs through the same lab I have the doctors labs through. Um some states don't allow it so check it out.
I have the same problem with checking my temp. arugh!!!!
@FTB4.....
Not the one I bought at the drugstore...nothing could make it go all the way back down, and that's the one that got the air bubble in it too. So frustrating. Ran it under cold water forever. Would never go all the way down.
@gimel....
I HAVE a Best Brand (which I think is "BD") Digital Accu-Beep. It's trash. I just took my temo with it 3 times....the readings were 97.4, 97.8, and 97.9. Which one would you say was accurate ? And that's with me up walking around, and with the thing under my tongue. You can't take your temperature under your arm with it, either. The variations might not matter to someone who was just trying to see if they had a fever (REALLY ? Because it would matter to ME if I was ) but if you are trying to see if your metabolic rate is suppressed and you have an rT3 problem then you HAVE to care. MY doc thinks 97.8 is perfectly acceptable.
I honestly don't know what to do. I went back on T4 after staying off it for 3 months and getting my rT3 count down to 6 in a range of (11 - 32) It had been 39 before I went off T4, with a ratio to T3 of 10.
After 5 weeks at 50 mcg levothyroixine and my usual 30 mcg dose of Cytomel, I'm severely hypothyroid and my labs are as follows :
TSH .01 (.40 - 4.5)
FREE T4 .8 (.8 - 1.8)
To make matters worse, Quest adds a note that they are
using a "new reagent" that makes my results 9% higher
than the previous tests. The range remains the same.
AND they screwed up and didn't do the test "direct dialysis
as written on the prescription for FREE T4 and as done
in previous tests.
FREE T3 3.0 (2.3 - 4.2)
On this same dose, my level was 3.8 before, so it
seems my previous dose of 150 mcg levothyroxine
must have been converting somewhat.
REVERSE T3 19 (11 - 32)
That makes a ratio to T3 of 1.6, not good
My blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol have all gone back UP and my abdomen is grossly distended, including the upper abdomen. I have no ankles and can't get my boots on. Forget about wearing rings. I gained 11 lbs. in the last month, while having NO appetite whatsoever. I don't know what to do now, or why the rT3 has gone back up. My doctor refuses to test for PTH or adrenals. And I can't even get an accurate temperature reading. Shoot me now so I don't die a lingering death from myxedema.
If you take the glass thermometer and run cold water over it instead of shaking it, it will drop down right away and the solution will not break up or foam. Best Regards FTB4
Funny, I did the same to my old mercury thermometer several years ago. To avoid the issue, I haven't been taking temps any more. LOL This is the best info I found on ratings of digital, oral type thermometers.
Best Oral Thermometers:
Oral thermometers are cheap ($10 to $20) and definitely one of the most accurate types. Consumer Reports mentions in their studies and tests that the BD Digital Accu-Beep at $10 is the best buy in this category. The thermometer beeps when you are using it correctly and it will signal when it's done getting a temperature reading. It's mercury free and owners say it's easy to read and use. Other top rated oral thermometers include the Lumiscope 2210-214 Quick-Read Digital Thermometer, the Vicks Comfort-Flex $14 and the Omron 20 Seconds Digital. We found almost all these online at Amazon.com or you can check with your local drug store or pharmacy. ($10)