Glojer

lynn it is not a stupid question. Some docs will do it along with what they refer to as a basic or complete metabolic panel but they have to mark the thyroid or tsh box to have it done. We use two basic labs here Quest and Labcorp. If the docs office doesn't draw the blood themselves and send it off they give you a lab sheet. I get them because I go for my thyroid blood test at my convenience and then the doc calls with results. I don't need to see her all the time for thyroid.

So unless your doc is specifically looking for thyroid abnormalities I don't think they will usually have that test run. Since you had the ANA done your doc may have ask for several specific tests. This is the problems though. If your test results came back at 4.9 you would be within the lab range of 0.4 -5.50. Nothing would have flagged on the results page and your doc even if he did read each number would have said you are within range and let it go at that. Most PCP are not trained to deal with thyroid if it is not way out of the range. However the college of endocrinologists have determined that 3.0 should be the top part of the range for tsh and anything over that is too high. You should have your free t4 as well as free t3 run along with tsh. The tsh is not enough to tell you if something is wrong. I used the 4.9 as an example because that is what happen to me, so I went to an endocrinologist because I don't need referrals to see specialist for my insurance. The endos office just needed me to tell them my doc thought I needed to see one. Which I told them yes and nobody knew the difference. I was diagnosed with Hashmoitas disease which is thyroid problems. The endo put me on synthroid and increased it regularly until I was at 112mcg. and feeling better. I still however complained about the fatigue which she put off as my other auto immune problems because I was holding in a good range (there is that good range thing again). So I talked to my new PCP who is an osteopath and willing to work with her patients and she agreed to treat my thyroid and try cytomel the t3 drug, which the endo had refused to do. I took my lab tests in to her and showed her where my tsh stayed normal but slowly increased and my t3 kept dropping until it was almost at the bottom ...of the range.....they love that expression. I went on t3 along with synthroid and eventually just took the t3 (cytomel) and stopped the synthroid and did much better. It helps so much with the fatigue, last summer I had no sun problems at all. My ANA count went to normal after being on synthroid for a while and it has not gone up since.

Now on the other hand, I still have some face rash stuff going on and I still have joint pain and fibro and inflammation and I do get fatigued. The difference however is I am now able to treat the other symptoms and health issues because my thyroid problems are under control. Believe me it is paramount to get the thyroid under control to be able to deal with other health issues. Your thyroid causes so many problems they all get mixed together and nothing ever gets taken care of. Most people think that thyroid is only to help you lose weight. Never.....Never mention any weight problems when talking to a doc about thyroid problems. The first thing is fatigue, the overwhelming fatigue, the lack of energy, then wanting to fall asleep all the time, never feel like you get enough sleep. If you could you would go from the bed to the couch...that kind of thing. Actually I did that on my days off....really that bad! Don't forget the lack of concentration....always feeling foggy. If you have any family members with thyroid problems, especially your mother. Add the weakness and joint pain and if you get those feverish feelings, kind of like a hot flash. Then at the very bottom of the list quickly mention any weight issue you may have, trouble loseing weight or excessive weight gain and then throw in another symptom you may have like wrist pain or shoulder or neck pain. Don't ever lead off with weight issues or end with them or you have lost any doc about thyroid issues.

Now let me see if I can wrap this novel up for you. You will probably have to ask for a thyroid panel to be done but insist on it and insist they do a complete panel if you go to your pcp. If you see an endo they will do it automatically. Then...this is the IMPORTANT part.....ALWAYS get a copy of the blood test....ALWAYS get a copy to keep for your records and to see for yourself what your numbers are. If your tsh is right around 1.0 or 2.0 and your free t's are in the middle or upper 70% of the range then you are doing good. You may want to have this thyroid work done like every six months even if it is normal for a couple of times to see if it stays normal. One thing I always do is get my blood test done at around the same time in the morning so that I will have the same variables and I of course don't take my thyroid meds but you won't have that for the first test. Doctors will tell you that isn't necessary.

I hope you aren't sorry you ask that question. I just know how awful it is to feel so bad with thyroid problems and not be able to get help and not know what to do. My best friend who had her thyroid removed shortly after high school graduation had to learn all this the hard way and when I was having problems she clued me in on what to do and what not to do to communicate with the docs. I feel I have to pass all this info along to others...kind of play it forward. I know how frustrating it is to have a doc say your labs look ok I don't have any magic pill for you, I wish I did. Then just walk out of the room with no help at all. Good Luck let me know how things go if you get the test done.

Glojer