Re: Introduction for Norma

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I wasn't sure whether to send my introduction directly to you, or to post it in the forum, but here is my small introduction:

I'm a 20 year old female who currently has some symptoms for hypothyroidism from what I've read online -- weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, depression, hands are always cold, hair loss. My family has a long history of thyroid problems, and my own mother has had to deal with hypothyroidism for years. My family history and my symptoms inspired me to go to my doctor and ask for thyroid test. My result was a TSH of 2.94, which my doctor assured me was normal. However, my mom told me that her doctor tries to keep her TSH at 1. That information confused me, so now I'm scouring the internet in search of information to help me through this rut, and hopefully get myself feeling back to normal again.

Hello Norma and welcome,

Please always send mails directly to the forum, so everybody can read them and reply to you J

Your TSH of 2.94 is within the "normal" ref range, but that means zilch. Contrary to doctors beliefs it is impossible to rule out Hypothyroidism on the basis of a TSH – even though this is exactly what the BTA (British Thyroid Association) and the RCP (Royal College of Physicians) suggest and what is taught to our doctors.

To properly diagnose or rule out Hypothyroidism you'd need a full TFT (TSH, FT4, FT3) plus a thyroid antibody check and – of course – check the patient for signs and symptoms.... which is something that only too often falls by the wayside. Even if a TFT were totally "normal" and the patient had positive thyroid autoantibodies, this in itself would be diagnostic for Hashimoto's disease (autoimmune thyroiditis).

Unless you find a very sympathetic GP, it is unlikely you will get such a full blood test, but as a member of the TPA UK you can order tests privately yourself with Genova labs. (Info is in files). If a TFT serum check came back positive, you might have a chance that your GP will double check and diagnose you – although there are no guarantees.... many doctors ignore private results and tell you they are not NHS-approved! Still, at least YOU would know what's going on and you could then take steps to help yourself if necessary.

Also please monitor your basal temperature for about a week – first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Sub-normal temperatures are indicative for Hypothyroidism.

Your mum's doctor is correct to keep her TSH low (below 1 would be even better) - although hypothyroidism should never be managed on the basis of a TSH alone. The TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone, and the TSH won't tell how a patient is feeling (unless it's very high). The correct parameters to manage hypothyroidism are the FT3 and FT4 in combination with clinical signs and symptoms (or hopefully the lack of those)... only most doctors seem to disagree - they just look at the TSH and not at the patient.

I would highly recommend for you to buy Dr. Peatfield's book "your thyroid and how to keep it healthy".... the information in there is invaluable. This book is an absolute `must read' for every thyroid patient. – Feel free to browse through all our files. There is a wealth of information in there. – Any questions – just shout J

With best wishes,