Stacie M

Hello all! I have a few questions I was wanting to ask you ladies that have thyroid problems.

Does your lab follow the newer guidelines for TSH? If not, did you have trouble getting a doctor to treat you?

For the past year or year and a half, I have been gradually getting more symptoms of hypothyroid, especially exhaustion. I also have dry skin, constipation, and mild depression.

I had my thyroid checked in June of 2006, and my doctor told me it was "normal" and I didn't question them.

However, I just got a copy of my medical records. I have had my TSH checked several times over the years, starting in my late teens until last year, when I was 26. It has gradually been going up, and as of my last test in June of 2006, the result was 3.81 TSH. However, the lab uses the old value of 0.5 to 5.5 and labeled it as normal. It is my understanding that the newer guidelines show a normal of 0.3 to 3.0, and I would be considered hypothyroid.

One other question though, my total T4 was 10.8, which I think is in the normal range, but should be much lower for hypothyroid. Is this correct? Do you have to have both tests abnormal for hypothyroid, or just one?

Also, my dad has hypothyroidism, so I don't know if that makes me more likely to have it or not.

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lovemychris

Hi Stacie,

It doesn't matter what ranges the lab uses, it matters if the doctor overlooks that and goes by the new ranges. Sometimes you have to print off the new lab ranges to show the doctors (and personally, I wouldn't even want that doctor to treat me if I have to educate him/her, you know?). A really good Dr will already know that the new ranges are .3-3.04 and will start treatment on anything out of that range, especially if the pt is experiencing symptoms of hypo. You are prone to be hypo if your father has Hashimoto's. That's an auto-immune disorder and it appears to be genetic. A simple check of your thyroid antibodies will confirm that, and your TSH will continue to climb if you have Hashimoto's.

Your T4 can be normal and you can still be hypo. The TSH comes from your pituitary gland and it tells your thyroid to produce more hormones. Your thyroid may be doing this...but it is only doing so because of the pituitary gland. If your thyroid is not already slightly enlarged (goiter), it can do so as your TSH level climbs.

I think you should take your current lab results with you to a new doctor (or Endo). You have subclinical hypothyroidism, but it wouldn't hurt to start you on a low dose of levothyroxine and re-check levels in 6 weeks.

Also, if you are TTC, this could be one reason why you haven't yet. This may be one of those things you either have to pursue for a dx, or just wait until your TSH levels climbs enough to catch someone's attention. (Seriously, sometimes doctors amaze me with their thinking---let the TSH level climb way up high so the pt can be medicated to bring it back down).

Best wishes!

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Stacie M

Thanks for the info Lynn, I really appreciate it. I have the lab results printed, and I am going to call my doctor tomorrow to see if they can get me in. I will probably call my RE and my PCP to see who can get me in sooner, and then go from there. It would really explain my symptoms lately. I have been a lot colder lately too, and have even gotten into the habit of sleeping in fleece pajamas, whereas I used to sleep in t-shirt and undies (or sometimes naked LOL).

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Stacie M

I wanted to add that I have searched through all of the medical records I have on hand, and have found my TSH results from several years prior. They were:

2/1998: 2.00
4/2001: 0.774 (I think this must be an error, as it doesn't go with my others)
10/2002: 2.236
10/2004: 2.570
5/2005: 2.68
6/2006: 3.81

Other than the one oddball reading, it looks as if my TSH is gradually increasing over the years.

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Stacie M

I wanted to add that I have searched through all of the medical records I have on hand, and have found my TSH results from several years prior. They were:

2/1998: 2.00
4/2001: 0.774 (I think this must be an error, as it doesn't go with my others)
10/2002: 2.236
10/2004: 2.570
5/2005: 2.68
6/2006: 3.81

Other than the one oddball reading, it looks as if my TSH is gradually increasing over the years.

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lovemychris

Stacie...looks like Hashimoto's. And your 0.774 reading could be accurate because people with Hashi's can swing from hypo to normal (to even hyper) before the thyroid gland just stays hypo. I hope you find a doctor who will treat you soon. And I know what you mean about being cold. I lived in a warm bath the winter before I was diagnosed. It was the only way for me to warm up.

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Stacie M

Thanks so much Lynn, you have been a great help!

My dad is hypothyroid, and although they have never stated that it was Hashimoto's, I would bet that it is, as his TSH levels climb and his meds have to be adjusted quite often. He also has psoriasis.

I have vitiligo, which is autoimmune as well. I know that having a history of an autoimmune disorder and having a family history of autoimmune disorders raises the chances of you having another, such as Hashimoto's.

I am on the search for a doctor who will treat me and take this seriously. I am upset that I have wasted so much time feeling like crap without someone taking it seriously. Now that I have the numbers right in front of my face, it makes me angry. When I go to the doctor, I am taking my results as well as a copy of the newer guidelines and demanding treatment.

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Ella831

You are not alone. It took me 4yrs of feeling crummy and having major hypothyroid symptoms before I found a doctor who just wouldn't look at my bloodwork. Once he decided to try me on thyroid meds even though my bloodwork said nothing was wrong I started feeling so much better.Ever since I have been on thyroid medicine (except when the fertility doc.took me off b/c she was only looking at the blood work and don't you know we did fertility for a year and didn't get pregnant. When I told my thyroid doc.this he said if she had left me on my thyroid med he would bet we would of gotten pregnant).Now I actually take synthroid and cytomel.

Unfortunately it doesn't matter the range the lab follows it depends on the doctor. If you go to a doc. who won't look out of the box and consider maybe your lab work isn't reading the truth but your body and symptoms are then it is frustrating.

If it runs in your family it is more likely you will have thyroid problems. It is interesting your dad has them b/c it is more common among women to have thyroid issues,especially women who have other hormone problems.

Keep pressing your doc.go get a second and third opionion. You may stumble on a doc. who won't just look at the bloodwork.Good luck.Don't give up you know your body best!!!

herrguth11

Hi Stacie! I was reading your posting and saw that you were concerned with the possibility of you having hypothyroidism. Your symptoms sound like you may, even if the lab values don't correlate.
I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2000 and have been trying to figure out what to do since then. I can't seem to find a doctor that will do anything other than acknowledge my problem and basically had to beg my current doctor to put me on Metformin. I started taking it in January of this year, and have been getting my period regularly ever since.
About a year earlier, I was having troubles with a choking feeling in my throat. I had no idea what it was, but suspected my thyroid to be the cause. I did not have an enlarged thyroid, so the doctors weren't concerned. They later took some labs, which found that my thyroid was not working. I had an ultrasound, a thyroid uptake scan, and many blood tests. Eventually, it started working again, and they just figured that it was an infection that effected the thyroid and that it eventually went away. About 6months later, the choking feeling came back, and sure enough, my labs were off. I then saw a specialist and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. The thing with Hashimoto's is that your body thinks your thyroid is a foreign tissue, so your body tries to kill it off, then the thyroid fights back, and it's a neverending battle until your thyroid finally gives up. When your thyroid stops working, your labs will be off immediately, but it can take months for it to recover. So, if you labs are even slightly off, it could be a sign that your thyroid is temporarily working, but it could stop working again at any moment. The lab test that my doctor ordered was a thyroid antibody test. If there is a presence of these antibodies, it would mean that your thyroid was being attacked, as mine was. I would suggest you have your doctor also order this test to see if you have Hashimoto's.
I have also been wondering, but haven't found a lot of information on, whether Hashimoto's and PCOS are related?
My husband and I have been trying to conceive for about 5 months now with no luck. I think my chances are pretty slim with all that my body is going through

herrguth11

And I only have one aunt with hypothyroidism, but not Hashimoto's.