American Association of Clinical Endocrinology web site if you need to show your Dr.

vicandla · 08-26-2003, 01:25 PM

American Association of Clinical Endocrinology" website: www.aace.com ~January is Thyroid Awareness Month~
2003 Campaign Encourages Awareness of Mild Thyroid Failure, Importance of Routine Testing
for info here is the link
http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=th...03%2Fpress.php ( i personally don't like this web site as I find it too hard to navigate, I like to go to about.com, I will put all the info I have from there on here as well, let me know if i can be of further help!!)

Endocrinologists Say TSH Normal Range is Now 0.3 to 3 here is the link http://thyroid.about.com/library/wee...ewTSHrange.htm

here is another site you can check out
http://mp.medscape.com/cgi-bin1/flo?...JC0Dzu0FEPX0Av

Thyroid Top Doctors Directory here is the link http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/bldoc1.htm

Thyrotropin/Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) Measurement here is that link
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/452667?mpid=14345

Does Your Doctor Know About the New TSH Lab Standards? here is the link http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsfor...a/labs2003.htm

bananasmom · 08-26-2003, 01:53 PM

Do you have the specific link with normal values? I can't find.

Thanks.

vicandla · 08-26-2003, 03:12 PM

Hi Linda
let me know if any of this helped you at all!

bananasmom · 09-05-2003, 04:43 PM

woo-woo.

Very helpful. Thanks so much!

hunterli · 04-06-2004, 12:09 PM

Here is a link saying that the normal TSH range should be even further narrowed to 0.3-2.5

http://www.thyroidtoday.com/TTLibrar...Newsletter.pdf

VitaBella · 04-06-2004, 01:12 PM

Wow, thanks so much for posting that!

I'm going to my doctor tomorrow and have been collecting thyroid articles to show him - that one is the lowest that I've found yet, hopefully showing that I'm well within range of being treated.

He is fairly responsive to my concerns, so we'll see what happens. I'm becoming more and more convinced that I have a thyroid condition.

Thanks again!

amshum · 07-21-2004, 12:25 PM

I thought this could be helpful to people... I'm gonna fill it out and bring it with me on my next doctors visit, even tho I'm already being treated for Hypo.

Help in Diagnosis and Finetuning Your Treatment
You can use this checklist to bring to your doctor to help aid in getting a proper diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or as background information in your discussions regarding finetuning your dosage so you are at the optimal TSH level for your own level of wellness.

My risk factors for hypothyroidism include:

____ I have a family history of thyroid disease
____ I have had my thyroid "monitored" in the past to watch for changes
____ I had a previous diagnosis of goiters/nodules
____ I currently have a goiter
____ I was treated for hypothyroidism in the past
____ I had post-partum thyroiditis in the past
____ I had a temporary thyroiditis in the past
____ I have another autoimmune disease
____ I have had a baby in the past nine months
____ I have a history of miscarriage
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to cancer
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to nodules
____ I have had part/all of my thyroid removed due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism
____ I have had radioactive iodine due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism
____ I have had anti-thyroid drugs due to Graves' Disease/hyperthyroidism

I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

____ I am gaining weight inappropriately
____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
____ I am constipated, sometimes severely
____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick
____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
____ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it's getting worse
____ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more frequent)
____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ My moods change easily
____ I have feelings of worthlessness
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I have more feelings of sadness
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hypothyroidism:

____ My hair is falling out
____ I can't seem to remember things
____ I have no sex drive
____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ I'm snoring more lately
____ I have/may have sleep apnea
____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
____ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
____ My eyes feel sensitive to light
____ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches
____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I get recurrent sinus infections
____ I have vertigo
____ I feel some lightheadedness
____ I have severe menstrual cramps

Source: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyr.../checklist.htm

Retsbreh · 08-03-2005, 12:51 AM

I am wondering if I have hypothyroidism. I am going to make an appointment with the doctor. I have heard that it can sometimes be difficult to catch this on a blood test? Is that true or is it just bad information? I have PCOS and about 85-90% of the symptoms.

vicandla · 08-03-2005, 07:26 PM

No personally I don't think it hard to catch on a blood test, I would definetly ask for TSH, Plus T3 and T4 plus T-Free, I would pull as much information off this board as possible. They caught my thyroid problem with just my TSH taken!!! Good Luck to you!

kgregory13 · 10-12-2005, 11:23 PM

i have pain int neck. went to the doctor today and he thinks i have thyroiditis but does this mean i might have something more

TXLisa · 08-12-2006, 03:24 AM

I checked off almost every symptom on the hypothyroid checklist. I have been having mine tested every 6 months for the past ten years. My mother and father have suffer from hypothyroidism. My twin brother suffers from Hashimotos thyroiditis. I was looking at my TSH level from 2005 and it 2.70 with my free T4 at 1.39. I just had it tested again and the TSH was 3.26 and my T3 uptake was 27 (I don't know why they did the T3 uptake, ugh!). My GP said it was normal. Now I'm reading that endocrinologists now consider anything outside of .03-3.04 to be abnormal. I knew it was just a matter of time before my thyroid started to give out. I have and appointment to see an endocrinologist at the end of the month. I am in tears because I feel so awful. I have no energy, headaches every day, my skin is dry and itchy, my hair is dry and is falling out like crazy, joints ache, and I feel depressed and very forgetful. I also have PCOS. I cannot wait until I can see the endocrinologist.! From what I have been told she has a lot of experience with PCOS patients. I guess I just want validation for these symptoms I have been having on and off for the past few years.

Lisa

vicandla · 08-12-2006, 11:29 PM

GL Lisa I sure hope your dr listens to you, I am off to see a new dr myself on Monday wish me luck, I feel about the same as you do, I am tried of feeling like crap.

flwergirl29 · 08-21-2006, 08:20 PM

Is hypothyroidism linked to PCOS? I had my TSH level checked and it was 10.67, I haven't spoken to my doctor yet, just wondering if this is yet another symptom to look forward to. I was diagnosed with PCOS several years ago, but nothing has really been done for it. I'm not trying to get pregnant, I can't really afford to be on BC pills forever...so I'm just dealing with the hair growth, weight gain and my sugar went down to 50 a couple of months ago. Just curious...

vicandla · 08-21-2006, 11:07 PM

Heather I believe it is part of it but that is My opinion, its kinda like which came first the chicken or the egg.

flwergirl29 · 08-22-2006, 01:12 PM

Thank you, Laura! I'm not scheduled to go to the doctor until next month, and really didn't want to wait that long to learn more about this.