what tests should I ask for

October 3, 2003

I really hesitated sending this because I've been signing off " in

remission for over 2 years after a course of Tapazole " and I don't want

to discourage anyone but here goes:

I just had a physical, my primary concern to get to the root of my

insomnia. I assumed it wasn't thyroid as it's been ongoing, off and on,

and my thyroid levels have been fairly constant over the last 2 years -

TSH of 0.7 and FT4 of 1.2 (IIRC ranges are 0.8 - 1.8), with the last test

being done in Jan 2003. The only time the results varied was summer 2002

when my TSH was 1.1, with no symptoms other than insomnia.

My dr. ran tests this week and the results (over the phone - I'll get

them in the mail in a few days) are

TSH - 0.33

FT4 - 0.9.

cholesterol elevated though not dangerously high

blood pressure and pulse fine

I don't know yet what this lab's ranges are but let's assume they're

standard.

So, I plan to see my endo. The question is, is there anything else I need

besides FT3, TSI, and TPO? I think the dr.ran an ANA and/or sed rate but

I forgot to ask for the results. It's possible they didn't come in yet.

Also, I had a low grade fever - 99.9 - so would that skew the tests?

A word about my symptoms:

My insomnia is nothing like it was 3 years ago - it's much easier to live

with but I obviously prefer not to. I'm slightly jumpy but no tremor AND

I can walk outside during dusk and early night without getting spooked

out. (I take this as a very serious indication that I'm more likely to be

hypo than hyper.) I don't have the muscle weakness in my legs I had 3

years ago - going down stairs was as hard as going up - though my arms

hurt a lot. I'd had problems with restless leg syndrome at night but only

slightly so the past few months. I'm going to make an appt. with my

ophthalmologist but since I have a sinus infection (the dr. confirmed

that too) I'm not going to immediately worry about the pain in my eyes

and pressure on my cheekbones. It's very familiar from previous

infections.

Thanks for any input, take care, Fay

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