Understanding thyroid levels/life story/war and peace.ect

Hormones
1

Hi all, I am really hoping someone can help me in understanding what these thyroid levels mean.! I was diagnosed in July 2007 with \"Hypothyroidism\" I got my diagnoses left on my answer machine, and was told to collect my prescription from the surgery. I was told to go back and have a blood test every 8 weeks for the first year.

Its all a long story, but basically, my mood swings are terrible, always tired, very short fuse, and very tearful, to the point that every 4-6 weeks im crying for a full day. I have the blackest of thaughts during these periods. Every one that knows me no me as a very bubbly person, i don't do moods.(i do now) Any way my biggest problem is \"WEIGHT GAIN\"

I lost over 2.7st with weight watchers and kept that weight off for 18mths. I nearly always stayed 3lb under my goal weight. However since January 2007 my weight has gone from \"9.st 9lbs\" to \"11.st 7lbs\" as of 13th Feb 2008.!!!

I stopped Smoking on the 5th March 2007 (will power only method) and religiously went to my weekly weight watchers meeting. My family and friends put my weight gain down to the fact that I just stopped smoking.! It may have been a contributing factor, how ever I NEVER reached for food. I stuck to my daily points allowance.

The weight kept coming, and other symptoms. I have paid £150 on colonic irrigation to help with my constipation. I go to the gym and pay £30 p/w for a personal trainer once a week, I go the gym on my a further 1 -2 times a week. And I walk 2.8 miles in 40 mins x 2 a week. Im not loosing anything. I take 100 mgs daily of levothyroxine. The best that can happen with my weight is that I yoyo within a pound then gain 2-3 lbs and round and round we go. I am at my witts end.

I have been back to my GP in November and he has referred me to an \"endo\" Im due to go on Wed 20th Feb, However I have asked for a print out of all my bloods done since July 2007 up to 21 Jan 2008. I wanted to take these with me along with my Weight Watchers record card to the endo so he can see what he is dealing with. My big problem is that i dont understand if they are good levels or bad. They make no sence to me at all.

\"Serum free T4 level (pmol/L)\" 16.00(Jan 08) (Nov 18.00) (Oct 19.00) (Sept 16.00) (July 8.10-)

\" Thyroid peroxidase antibody level (iu/ML)\" Sept only results (14.0)

\"Serum TSH level (miu/L)\" 0.16- (Jan 08) (Nov 0.06-) (Oct <0.05-) (Sept 0.46-) (July 24.00+)

\"Serum free triiodothyronine level (pmol/L)\" (Nov 4.10) (Oct 5.10) These are the only results for this.

So there you are !!!!!! They are all I have.

??????????????? Does any one understand these in any way.??????

I would be so grateful if some one could shed some light on this for me, as I have no idea if its good, bad , ok. All I no is that Im not loosing just gaining weight, and the moods swings are getting worse, is this linked to these levels???? or is it just down to the fact that I'm unable to loose weight.??????

Thank you so much for reading this, and Im so terribly sorry for making this war and peace(lol)

Thank you for not making me feel so alone.

Hope to hear from someone soon.

Kindest Regards

Angela0476

2

hi,

you sound in such a state....first off i cant believe you had your results over the phone ....you need a better doc...right..There is alot i could say but hey there is not enough pages...i wrote my story on a blog ...if you go further back and look at the post thyroid v old git syndrome you will have a clue to what i am about..

ok your readings....i must add at this point i am not an expert and i have no medical qualifications .

\"Serum TSH level (miu/L)\" 0.16- (Jan 0 (Nov 0.06-) (Oct <0.05-) (Sept 0.46-) (July 24.00+)

i would say that you are verging on being Hyper as your levels should be in the uk between 0.5 and .5...in the US they consider between 0.3 and .3 to be normal....so your readings are a bit low...i dont know what meds you are on but your reading sugests that you are on to much and that in it self can bring on the deprression and other effects that you are feeling....i again stress you should get this comfirmed by a doctor....the good news would be that you should be able to cut your meds by 25mg.

right your weight....now i have my own thoughts which have been working for me.....i sugeset that you support your other glands like your adrinals...find out what foods support them and also what foods support your other glands....you need to get on the webb and find out all you csan about this complaint....dont wait for someone to tell you....go out on the webb and find out there are great sites to help like about you .com and other places

so i am going to now give you a kick in the bum and tell you to get up and fight take no crap.... speak to your doctor and demand he/she explains the complaint to you ...demand that they help you to get well....if they wont find a doc who will....read my posts...shout out to everyone how crap you feel and dont take any prisoners...i have had this for a year i was very bad my TSH was over 200mg and i had forgotton how to find my house and what my sons name was.....i put on 5 stone and was 24 atone....i am now better than i can remember i am 18 stone and my next push should take more off....i have only one or two niggley things left to sort out and i will be just great.

so once you have read this get up and help yourself

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER>>>

Big ..{{{{HUG}}}}.......

3

Hi Angela,

What an appalling way to be told that you have a lifelong disease! I hope that your doctor has filled you in on all that you need to know since then.

I’ll give you my thoughts on your levels, you haven’t given the reference ranges so it’s difficult to be more precise but I’ll do my best - I must stress that I’m not medically qualified in any way but I have done a lot of research about hypothyroidism in my fight to get better health for myself so I’ll try to help you from that.

You’ve possibly been hypothyroid for quite a while before diagnosis with a TSH of 24+. I’ve heard of a lot of people say that it started after they gave up smoking so it might be that smoking masks some of the early symptoms. Hypothyroidism often (but not always) creeps up gradually so it can be quite some time before symptoms get bad enough for a diagnosis.

An approximate range for TSH is around 0.5 to 5.0 but it varies a lot depending on where the test was done and the type of kit used by the lab. In my area it is 0.3 to 4.4 for instance, so you need to get your local ranges for all your tests and see how they compare with your results in order to get an accurate picture.

Your TSH went down pretty quickly once you were on thyroxine (it goes down as thyroid function improves) but it has crept up again at the time of your last test in January, your T4 has dropped back to its September level (not very high in many ranges for someone on treatment) and your T3 has dropped in November too – all this might mean that you need an increase in thyroxine despite your TSH being lowish, particularly in view of your continuing symptoms. Many people are on more than 100mcg so do check with your doctor about this and your endocrinologist too.

TSH can vary quite a bit over the course of the day; it’s usually highest first thing in the morning and lowest in the early afternoon so you might find that your TSH is a bit higher if you get your test done as early as possible in the morning. I always get my thyroid tests done at an early appointment (around 8.30am) and take my thyroid meds immediately after the test on that day (I normally take them on waking) to get an accurate comparison between tests. T4 levels rise for a while following a dose and my GP and I find this is a better way of monitoring my thyroid status as it eliminates any variables as much as possible.

The latest thyroid guidelines ( http://www.acb.org.uk/docs/TFTguidelinefinal.pdf UK Guidelines for the Use of Thyroid Function Tests) don’t recommend a below normal TSH because of concerns about possible osteoporosis but there's a lot of controversy about this; many experienced endocrinologists have been ok with this for many years as long as the actual thyroid hormone levels (T4 and T3) stay with acceptable limits and many continue to allow this on a case by case basis usually with a resultant improvement in the health of their patients.

See this excerpt from the BMJ from 1996:

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/313/7056/539

Consensus statement for good practice and audit measures in the management of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism

“The correct dose is that which restores the euthyroid state and relieves symptoms. In most patients these will be achieved by a dose of thyroxine resulting in a normal or slightly raised serum thyroxine concentration, a normal serum triiodothyronine concentration, and a normal or below normal serum thyroid stimulating hormone concentration. Controversy exists concerning whether doses of thyroxine which suppress serum thyroid stimulating hormone concentration to below normal are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis.”

Also see Dr Anthony Toft's book - Understanding Thyroid Disorders which is now available to read online at http://www.familydoctor.co.uk/onlinebooks/Thyroid.pdf It is al

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You can also buy it through the Patient UK bookshop at https://patient.info/PatientBookShop.asp?BookID=1903474191

Regards

Lin

Patient Admin Team

5

Hi babsuk, Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. i was unable to give the reference ranges as i dont have one. I gave every thing i had when i posted the message.

My doctor has only said, after 4 weeks of been on meds, that i will be on tablets for life.

Nothing else was discussed. I didnt ask anymore because i was so relieved that there was a reason for my weight gain/unable to loose weight. I thought after taking tablets it would make a difference and that i would loose weight. So i dint worry about asking anything else.

I see the nurse for my bloods and i telephone to ask them what my levels are like, all i ever get told is \"satisfactory\" I ask well why arnt i loosing weight, they repy \"you should be able to, maybe give it more time\"

I phoned to ask if it would be possible to have a print out of my levels so that the \"Endo\" had the up to date info.

Thank you so much for your information you have helped me to understand them a little more.

Only a few hours till i go now to see the \"endo\"

Will let you no how i get on later on.

Thank you once again

Angela0476 :D

6

Hi again, just wanted to keep you updated. Iv been to see the Endo, and he is running tests for polycistic ovaries.

Im due back on 26 march. Iv had some bloods done today and got to have more done at the doctors.

Didnt get to see the main man, and he didnt seem interested in my thyroid. Guess thats not a bad thing.

Anyway im to carry on taking my tablets and wait till end of march b4 i no anything more.

Anela0476