Hi Ladies,
I managed to get a doctor app this morning for 9.30am which then proceeded onto my bloods being taken as well. I had all my notes with me and was very assertive when speaking to the doctor, she told me my T4 level suddenly surged to 37 last October, she thinks it was linked to a menopausal surge. The range should be between 20-25. My last thyroid test was in January then I was advised to alternate 50/75mcg, then I requested another thyroid check in May I was refused!
I told her I was surprised that I'm not being monitored more closely through all this! I said, I was diagnosed with fibro in April and basically left to my own devices without any help or advice. I told the doctor, I'm not expert enough to self diagnose myself!
Thankfully, she listened and popped me through for my bloods! I asked about T3 levels, she said they only do T3 etc when the thyroid readings are totally way off!!
I got a print out of January's readings - T4 level 17 (normal range 10-25)
- TSH 0.31 ( normal range 0.55-4.78)
Thank you for listening ladies, much appreciated 😍
Sadly Renee, you have to become expert in hypothyroidism if you want to get well. Start with the Thyroid UK web site. Most GP's are not able to help you. They get less than 1 full day of training in 6 years on hypo AND hyperthyroidism. Less than one day to learn about the hormonal engine that drives the body. Many endocrinologists are no better. They are expert in diabetes these days and don't do thyroid patients any service.
Your GP says she thinks you had a hormonal surge due to menopause. I doubt that very much. You might have had a surge of sex hormones, but not thyroid hormones due to perimonopause. You most probably have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, known in the UK as Autoimmune Thyroiditis. This is a condition that causes the body's defence mechanism to see the thyroid as a foreign body and attack it. As the attack proceeds, thyroid cells die and release a sudden flood of thyroid hormones into the blood stream causing a spike in T4 and T3 and possible hyper symptoms. But it doesn't last. The attack will fade and numbers drop. Over time your thyroid will be destroyed and your need for meds rise. She should have kept your meds the same and retested you in 6-8 weeks to see what changes there were. She should also have tested you for thyroid antibodies, both types. But I bet she didn't do that. So her credibility is out the window.
You say you had bloods drawn this morning. My heart sank at that. Did you take your thyroid medication before you went to the doctor's? You should arrange thyroid blood tests as early in the day as possible, before 9am. You should not take medicines before the test, take them when you get home. Fast from the night before and only drink water on the morning of the draw. TSH follows a circadian rhythm, it's is highest in the morning and lowest at night. Most GP's won't even know that. But if you always test at the same time of day and in the same circumstances (fasting and no meds) then you can compare each and every test result you get properly. If you took your meds this morning you will not have an accurate result You will have a flood of hormones in your blood.
Your T4 of 37 last year was definitely high enough to have warranted a T3 test.
You are at a crossroads now. You have to decide what you are going to do. You either give up and rely on your GP for everything which will most likely mean you feel rubbish for years. Or you can start to learn and help yourself. The first thing you need to do is pay for a full thyroid panel blood test that will give you all the answers you are currently missing. I've told you about Thyroid UK and HealthUnlocked, you need to read the information on Thyroid UK and use the links they have to buy the blood test. You would follow my instructions above about fasting and no meds before the test. People on HealthUnlocked will be able to guide you over your test results and then you can go back to your GP and discuss the full results with her. The two big things this test will tell you is a) confirmation that you have Hashimoto's and b) your Free T3 level, which will tell you if you are converting T4 to T3 successfully or not. Some people need to add some T3 to their medication to feel well if they can't convert.
If she won't give you the meds you need, and you want them, you will have to either swap doctors or go privately or buy your own. This is a very common thing for hypothyroid patients to have to do.
You also might have vitamin and mineral deficiencies which could make it difficult for the thyroid meds to get into the cells. So you should ask your GP to test the following for you and again get the results and reference ranges and see what needs supplementing. Being "in range" is never enough. We need to be optimal. Again, there are some very knowledgeable people over on HealthUnlocked where optimal vitamins and minerals are concerned and what to do about it/how much to take and of what type.
Vit B12
Vit D
Iron panel to include Folate and Ferritin (the iron storage capacity).
Your last results show a THS of 17 in a reference range of 10-25. This means your Free T4 is just under halfway in range. That's low enough to have given you a dose increase. 50 mcg is a starting dose. You would not expect to stop there or even on 75. You need the T4 to be in the upper part of the reference range. And that's before we even know about your T3. Your TSH is low, but what time of day was that test taken? And anyway, GP's are too scared of the TSH. They need to ignore it and concentrate on your symptoms. Everything you have said so far has a big hypo arrow pointing to it.
It's over to you now. Will you take things into your own hands? You can do it. Have you watched Dr Renee's video yet? That will help start you off.
