It's me again. I'm going to a new Internal Med. doctor who is finally doing some tests on me now. Long story, short, but this is my third doctor. No one wants to even do blood work. My last test was in April. I have had diarreah for two months, burning stomach. Can hardly eat, yet have lost no weight, losing hair, sweating at night, yet of course my thyroid tests are "normal". All I heard him say was something about a TSH test. Please, please tell me he is not going to run the same stupid test they keep telling me is normal!. I already told him that I knew that there were other test that could be run that I had not had that I felt might be able to pinpoint the problem. Please tell me I'm not getting the same dead end answer again. AWWWWWWGHHH! I am about ready to kill myself. I feel like crap and can't take it anymore.
Sounds like you may be hyper, at this point losing weight is the least of your problems. Just three weeks ago my doctor lower my synthryoid since my T-4 level was 6.0 but guess what my TSH was 1.3. I copy this letter from web MD and it may help you understand. >>>>> You should have more than the TSH done. TSH is not an accurate indicator to use alone for initial diagnosis of a thyroid problem. Furthermore, TSH alone is not an accurate indicator of general thyroid health and shouldn't be used in adjusting hormone levels of a person who is receiving treatment for thyorid conditions.
You should be asking why he is only using TSH as an indicator of your thyroid health and not Free T3 or Free T4 tests. TSH is a very bad indicator to use for thyroid health, since it does not measure the activity of the thyroid, but the activity of the pituitary gland.
Furthermore, I would find out how your symptoms are considered or if this is purely a doctor in love with his lab sheets and is treating your lab sheets instead of you.
If you don't get a good answer to either question (especially YOUR request you should make for those Free T3 and Free T4 tests - blood tests never harmed anyone to have done, if your doctor objects this should be a sure sign to find someone else), find another doctor and quick. You probably have a bad one there from what it sounds and I can believe it too.
Windymoon,
Love the statement about the doc treating the lab sheets, that is unfortunatly so true sometimes.
Samrhett,
I am afraid they most likely tested only the TSH again, I know it makes you want to scream, feels like you are on a never ending merry go round.
Request the T4 free and T3 free and thyroid antibodies, fight for it, its not going to hurt the doc to order those tests, although it may hurt his ego. With your symptoms I can't believe they are not listening, typical doc, too busy to really listen and doesn't care because he isn't uncomfortable so you have to PUSH to get what you want.
Would I be correct in saying to him, "Isn't it true that there are certain thyroid conditions that cannot be diagnosed by TSH or even T4, T3 alone? Such as Hashimoto's?"? You see, I was diagnosed about six years ago as bi-polar. Before that, I was just labeled as depression with anxiety. Can't Hashimoto's appear to resemble bi-polar? Most of the time I am depressed, but once in a while, I get these horrible bouts of anxiety where I feel like I am just going to fly apart, go crazy and jump out of my skin. Sometimes I have to be hospitalized, usually it passes in about six weeks.
We moved to a new state three months ago and I'm seeing a new internal medicine doctor. So far he seems good. He had no problem ording all kinds of labs. In fact my tsh was normal and my free T-4 was still high, so he lower my dose. In just three weeks I have stop sweating all the time and my heart isn't pounding out of my chest YeaH!!! Good luck!!!
tsh test? 
