Low FT4 and another TSH dive - now what?

[Guest guest]

I am ready to tear my hair out in frustration!

I called to get my new labs before my appt. with the endo on Friday so I

could think of questions beforehand (since my brain doesn't work on the fly

anymore). Well, got the labs and they did what I feared. I really don't

understand what is happening. Here's the whole lab history. Maybe someone

else can make out a trend other than my thyroid is just doing this to

irritate me.

1/23/02 FT4 0.85 (normal range 0.71 - 1.85)

TSH 0.03 (0.32 - 5.0)

FT3 2.93 (2.30 - 4.20)

TSI 76 ( < 130)

3/19/02 FT4 0.80 (0.7 - 1.9)

TSH 0.91 (0.49 - 4.67)

TT4 6.5 (4.5 - 12.0)

4/24/02 FT4 0.90 (0.7 - 1.9)

TSH 2.34 (0.49 - 4.67)

TT4 6.6 (4.5 - 12.0)

7/15/02 FT4 0.80 (0.7 - 1.9)

TSH 1.40 (0.49 - 4.67)

TT4 6.5 (4.5 - 12.0)

7/25/02 TSH 0.78 (0.49 - 4.67)

T3 Uptake 1.00 (0.66 - 1.27)

10/30/02 FT4 1.0 (0.7 - 1.9)

TSH 0.97 (0.49 - 4.67)

TT4 7.5 (4.5 - 12.0)

FT3 3.1 (2.3 - 4.2)

T3 Uptake 0.92 (0.66 - 1.27)

2/11/03 FT4 0.90 (0.8 - 1.8)

TSH 2.81 (0.40 - 5.5)

TT3 155 (60 - 181)

5/7/03 FT4 0.96 (0.8 - 1.8)

TSH 0.73 (0.40 - 5.5)

TT3 140 (60-181)

By all reasonable accounts, I should feel good! But I don't. If anything, I

feel more hypo than ever. My body temp is low. I run somewhere around 96.7 -

97.3. I am cold all the time unless it's 80 and I'm sitting directly in the

sun. Today it's 65 and I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt and a sweat jacket. I

have gained 2 unexplainable pounds in the last week. I ache, my joints hurt.

I can't make decisions. My memory is awful! Yesterday I left the stove

burner on for about 4 hours. The day before I turned the oven on to preheat,

put the dinner in the pan to pop in the oven. When the oven beeped saying it

was preheated, I carefully set the timer to cook the dinner...and promptly

forgot to put the dinner IN the oven! Came back a half hour later and it was

still sitting on the counter!

I can't take these shifts in TSH. My FT4 has remained relatively the same

for almost a year and a half. Yet the TSH is all over the place! It is

really becoming hard on my body. I'm very nearly close to just having my

thyroid removed because then at least I could theoretically get more stable

TSH. I am seriously considering it.

So now I go to the doc on Friday. I as so hoping I'd be over 3.0 on the TSH

this time. I was so close before! As a reminder, I'm not on any medication.

I have nothing to adjust, which is probably the most frustrating thing! The

only things I take now in terms of vitamins are a 50mg B complex, 1200 mg of

Calcium, 400 IU Vit. D, an antioxidant with 10,000 IU Vit. A, 250 mg Vit. C,

200 IU Vit. E, 7.5 mg of zinc,1 mg of copper, and a Flax Oil capsule.

What should I ask at the doc, other than why the heck is my TSH so

irregular? Last time he didn't really have an answer. I don't even know

where to go from here. Now I can't think of an explanation for why I feel

this way with these labs. And I can't seem to find any info at all on how to

explain it or what to do about it. Does anyone think new antibody tests

would be useful? If so, what justification can I give? Last time I asked

about them he said that there really wouldn't be anything they'd do

differently to treat me if I had blocking TSH recptor AB's because I'm

already in normal ranges.

I need someone to give me a kick in the pants and give me direction, 'cuz I

don't know what to do now!

Thanks all for listening anyway. Feel better at least for the mini-rant.

P.S. Jody - I'm ready for that hole to climb into now.