Thyroid Diseases

Thyroid Diseases

[	userinfo	\|	livejournal userinfo	]
[	archive	\|	journal archive	]

Another test question

[Jul. 18th, 2014|11:58 pm]

Thyroid Diseases

slice254

Hi, again.

So last time my thyroid levels were checked (in May), my TSH was 7.83 (0.27 - 4.20 uIU/ml) and my free T4 was 1.76 (0.93 - 1.70 ng/dL). Y'all suggested getting my free T3 checked, since both my TSH and fT4 were high.

I finally got switched back to Levoxyl. As proof that brand of medication matters, when I got my labs drawn a week ago, my TSH was 3.60 and my free T4 was 1.68. She did check my free T3 this time (for the first time, and I didn't even ask her to run it). It was 2.6 (2.3 - 4.2 pg/mL).

So here is my question. Given that, two months after being back on Levoxyl, my free T4 is just within the normal range on the high side and my free T3 is just within the normal range on the low side, should I talk to her about adding T3 (Cytomel, right?) to my medication or should I give the Levoxyl another couple of months to work?

I will say that I feel loads better than I was feeling after a year back on Synthroid. I had hit the point where I was pretty much useless with depression, tiredness, cold sensitivity, etc. I can at least function as a human being now, though I still feel like I could be feeling better, if that makes any sense.

Link

4 comments|Leave a comment

I need help figuring this lab out.

[May. 24th, 2014|07:48 pm]

Thyroid Diseases

sunrise0124

[

Current Mood

curious

]

Hi everyone.

I would like some help with this lab. I was recently checked for thyroid antibodies for the third time. The previous ones were about 9 years or more ago. I was young and never saw the lab report but was told that I do not have Hashimoto's despite me having multiple nodules so I am not sure why I had thyroid issues. I ended up having 3/4 of my thyroid removed about 13 years ago now. I have been seeing a bio-identical doctor for the last several years now. He has been great for me. At my last visit,I asked him to check me again for thyroid antibodies. Unfortunately, I find it confusing because I am not used to this test. I will be talking to him on Wednesday, this is because I'm trying to figure it out but I'm having difficulty because I keep finding conflicting information.

Anyway, here are the results of my lab:
TSH: 2.89 (yeah I think this is a little high but not too concerned with it)
FT3: 4.7 (2.0-4.4) slightly high which I don't think my doctor will worry about.
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab:64 (0-34) (almost double the normal range)
Antithyroglobulin Ab: 12.1 (0.0 − 0.9) (pretty high)

Vitamin D- 39 (30-100) yes this is low. I should be higher but I have been forgetting to take my supplements.
Ferritin: 136 (15-150) This is much higher than it was last time I checked it.
Cortisol AM: 22.7 (6.2-19.4) I know this is high, I've been under a lot of stress the last few months.

Does anyone know if this means I do have Hashi's? They aren't as high as some other people's numbers, which is why I'm asking. Or could that be just because I don't have a full thyroid gland? Less to attack.

Also, I currently take 1/4 grain Nature-throid and 25mcg's of liothyonine

Link

12 comments|Leave a comment

Can y'all help me understand my test results?

[May. 7th, 2014|06:01 am]

Thyroid Diseases

slice254

Hi, everyone.

So I had an appointment with my endocrinologist last week. This was the first time I had seen here since 2012 thanks to scheduling problems (I had to cancel my appointment twice, and it takes five months to get an appointment with her). The drew blood, and my TSH was 7.83 (range:0.27 - 4.20 uIU/mL). I fully expected that - I had to switch from Levoxyl back to Synthroid back when they pulled Levoxyl from the market, and I don't do as well with Synthroid. Plus, I have all the signs of being hypo - brittle nails, cold all the time, weight gain, etc.

Now the weird part is my free T4, which was 1.78 (range: 0.93 - 1.70 ng/dL). I've never had my free T4 be high when my TSH is also high. So...what does it mean? My doctor hasn't called me with these results yet - I got them from their fancy new electronic medical record system.

Oh, and if it matters, I'm post-surgical hypothyroid...I had my thyroid out about 7 years ago due to a large, multi-nodule goiter that was interfering with everything else in my neck.

Link

6 comments|Leave a comment

My son is now hypo

[Mar. 26th, 2014|03:23 pm]

Thyroid Diseases

sunrise0124

This is a very long story but I will spare you all the details that don't pertain to this group.

A condition that my son (he is 10 years old)had, lead him to the hospital, and on the operating table. Turns out this condition is common with kids that have hypothyroidism and since both my husband and myself have it, they tested him for it before he went to surgery. We found out, right before surgery that he does indeed have hypothyroidism, and it's a rather severe case. I haven't actually known anyone with numbers as low as his are now. According to the lab copy that I got the reference range for his tsh is 0.7-5.4 I'm not sure if the range is that different for children. For adults, I know the range is .3-3. His came back above 300(bad on any scale).The doctor also checked his free t-4 and the range for that is .64-2.20. His tested at .4. Which is so low, I'm not sure how he has even been functioning at all. They didn't check his T-3, but I wish she had.

I was so concerned about my daughter having a high chance of developing it that I was ignoring that my son could too. I feel horrible that I didn't catch it sooner. For his TSH to be that high, wouldn't he have been hypo for years? I wonder if this whole thing could have been avoided if I had tested him a year or two ago.The one time that I did check my daughter's, their pediatrician told me it was unlikely for kids to have thyroid problems. That guy was obviously wrong. That was a big reason why I haven't checked her again. Now the pediatric endo, is telling me that I need to recheck her(because there is a strong family history, she is now the only one in the family that doesn't have it). And even if she comes up fine, she told me that she needs to be checked at least every other year but preferably every year. She made it sound like it's just a question of when she will get it, not if.

Anyway, anyone know anything about pediatric thyroid conditions? I know a lot for adults and have done some research in the past but I have gotten no where with it in pediatrics.

I will trust my gut from now on. Not all doctors know what they are talking about because obviously that pediatrician didn't know a dang thing about thyroid issues in children.

Link

6 comments|Leave a comment

TSH levels

[Mar. 11th, 2014|06:16 pm]

Thyroid Diseases

lilac_ribbon

Hello thyroid community. I just got my results back from the doctor, and I have a TSH basal LIA of 1.75. This was after a month of no pills, so that's pretty good news. However, I couldn't get the brand of l-thyroxine I usually get so I got a generic called Aristo. My energy levels have stayed the same, but I now have a feeling as though there is something stuck in my throat and I am finding it hard to swallow. I know I have a large nodule and several smaller ones, but I've never felt them so obstructing before.

I've just been to the doctor again and more blood was taken and I have an appointment for a sonogram.

Can someone allay my fears that it's not my thyroid that has swollen?

Link

1 comment|Leave a comment

Crazy tsh!

[Feb. 7th, 2014|07:37 am]

Thyroid Diseases

star13em

[

Current Mood

anxious

]

I am having a bit of a freak out. I have been taking 25mcg synthroid for over two years now and my tsh levels have been in the normal range. Never getting higher than a 2 (lab range of 0.5-4). I had my tsh checked in June and it was 1.98 (lab range of 0.38-4). My husband and I are trying to conceive so I sent my doctor a message asking if she could check my tsh just to see where I'm at since it had been 8 months. I got my results back this morning and it was 21.96!! (Lab range .38-4) How is this even possible? I take 25mcg of synthroid every single day and it has controlled my levels thus far. What the heck could be going on? Of course my doctor is on vacation until Monday...

Link

13 comments|Leave a comment

one extreme to the other

[Nov. 19th, 2013|08:41 pm]

Thyroid Diseases

xo_kizzy_xo

[

Current Mood

blah

]

Back in August I had my semiannual labs done (I had a thyroidectomy 4 years ago, have been on 100 mcg of levo all along).

My TSH was 0.01, t3 and t4 and free t4 all within normal limits.

My endo doc's office called me and instructed me to cut the levo in half to 50 mcg and be retested before my next appointment, which is next week.

I had the blood test yesterday:

TSH = 32.05
everything else within normal limits

So now my endo wants me to double up on the 100 mcg of levo for the next five days before she decides what else to do with me.

Has anyone heard of, or experienced such an extreme from hyper to hypo? I'm a mess -- no energy, no appetite, losing clumps of hair everywhere, palpatations, alternating heat/cold intolerance...really, I could write a book about it :/

Link

15 comments|Leave a comment

Pregnancy after thyca, thyroidectomy.

[Aug. 22nd, 2013|05:51 pm]

Thyroid Diseases

greener_grasses

Hello all, it's been quite a while since I posted or followed much in this community but now I have questions and I'm hoping for a little help.

Brief background: Diagnosed with Papillary Carcinoma in 2006 just before my 25th birthday, total thyroidectomy and neck dissection, followed by 4 doses of RAI until 2009. Neck was clear as of 2008 I think but I had mets in my lungs, which are now considered "dead" and we're just watching the tiny dead specks on CT scans at this point. My Endocrinologist cleared me for pregnancy years ago but I'm just now really considering it. I'm 32.

We've already started adjusting my Armour dose in preparation. I'm due for bloodwork again next Monday to make sure I'm good to go. Unfortunately, I just got a letter in the mail that the primary Endo at the office is retiring, and they are closing doors in a month. They have also become terrible about not returning phone calls, so I'm still waiting for answers from them directly. This has, of course, completely stressed me out. I'm also planning on moving states about 6 months from now so I'll be starting over with doctors again then.

I guess I'm looking for stories from those of you who've become pregnant after all this and/or just with thyroid conditions. I know my labs will be closely monitored but are we considered high risk? Am I being realistic in hoping for natural labor? Should I find another Endo here now or can an OBGYN be trusted to guide me through thyroid bloodwork and keep me in the right range? Any advice or recommended reading to get me through this? Doctors in the Denver/Lakewood Colorado area that you would recommend? I'm not even sure what else to ask at this point. Thanks in advance!

Link

14 comments|Leave a comment