Usual price for blood thyroid tests? - do T3/RT3 before or after getting back on Armour/cortisol?

January 31, 2008

Here are the prices for the various thyroid tests at the University

Lab I use. The prices at the " Endo's Lab " (IMA) were about the same,

except the venupuncture fee was 5 times higher ($25 vs $5)

TSH, T4 (combined) $50

T3 $100

RT3 $165

It $#%@ me off that the T3 test is twice than *both* TSH and T4..

But it is totally understandable - T3 is rarely done, and usually

only as a " follow-up " . So either the labs are gouging, or the test

assay really is more expensive because it's done less. I don't know

of a combined T3/RT3 test would be less - I doubt it, although the

lab might just seperate out T3 AND RT3 since they are so similar, and

then use a seperate reagent to split those two chemicals.

I don't know if you can get just TSH or T4 for less than the combined

price - as I don't really care about TSH - I know I'm hypo, can it be

useful for other things (other than pit tumors or such, which my

previous labs I think rule out)

Val, should I get a combined blood test before I start back on

Isocort/HC and Armour, or after a while when I try to get the temps

stabilized with HC? I'm still taking Armour, but at only 1/2-3/4

grain/d (which makes me quite hypo, but I seem not to notice it much,

especialy with the AF - and the reduction might take enough stress

off the adrenals so that my body can handle having no IC anymore

stress-wise). You said that low cortisol can cause RT3. Could this

clear our/resolve on it's own once I get cortisol support up to where

it needs to be? But if it doesn't - then taking the Armour is just

going to feed the RT3 problem.. I assume RT3 is a positive feedback

loop that stops when T4 is stopped - and doesn't result from the

conversion enzymes getting " stuck " in an RT3 production pattern.

Jim

January 31, 2008

If you are paying out of pocket, go to www.healthcheckusa.com for labs

cheaper than what you posted! Use 12345 as a discount code and get 5%

off I think. I doubt there is much point in getting the thyroid labs

done before you get the HC going.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

January 31, 2008

> I doubt there is much point in getting the thyroid labs done

> before you get the HC going.

>

I looked on HealthCheck - I can't find RT3 there. But DirectLabs

has all of them, and it comes to $289 for the full panel. Ther are

people on Dr. B.'s forums who do their own labs ( " Why can't I just

get a damn doc who will write me the scripts I want, order the tests

I want, and let me do the rest! " is basically what someone ther about

a year ago LOL)

About not having labs done before, that's what I thought after

looking at some other threads of what others have done - get cortisol

labs, then increase IC/HC until temps are stable at whatever with

little or no Armour. The do T3,T4 and see if there is a hint of

RT3.. And either go to Cytomel or Armour depending on if there is.

Is this about right?

Val, I see what you mean when you say that when you stat to wean

off, you don't really feel symptoms for about a week, and then BAM!

Today I finally got down to no isocort at all, and I don't feel too

good. Not really bad - just feel depressed (which seems insensitive

to the antideprssant), and " slow " . Slow moving, slow thinking -

perhaps my body is trying to conserve however much cortisol it can

manage to make, or maybe the adrenals haven't completely kicked in

enough yet even though for the past 3 days I only on 6 mg cortisol.

I know the doc who perscribed the thyroid will just be *thrilled*

that I increased the dose to 3 grains, went on cortizone ( " OH MY

GOD!!! CORTIZONE!! " <shrinks back in utter fear> LOL), then

successfully weaned off of it (that shold count for SOMETHING), went

down to the original dose of 1/2 grain Armour, and now have labs

showing adrenal insufficiency to some degree.. And he wants me to

get thyroid labs done in March.. Don't think so - they would be

inaccurate anyway. And of course, he's one of these people who wants

to treat TSH down to 2..

Oh well, there is always Dr. Don Michel or Dr. Linderman..

Jim

January 31, 2008