...I asked my doctor for a full thyroid panel the other day....when I got the results in the mail last night, first off, I see that she only did the TSH...on a scale between like 0.5 and 5, I was at 3.4 which I am assuming is okay????
Why do doctors seem so reluctant to test for thyroid always and especially a full panel???
FYI...I was hypo from birth to age 12. I'm 34 so that means I have not been on meds for 26 years, yet have most of the symptoms the last several months.
Last edited by Anxious Annie; 09-02-2004 at 04:07 PM.
...I asked my doctor for a full thyroid panel the other day....when I got the results in the mail last night, first off, I see that she only did the TSH...on a scale between like 0.5 and 5, I was at 3.4 which I am assuming is okay????
It's really frustrating, Annie, I know. I too had to pull teeth to get anything more than a TSH test done and it also came back in the 'normal' range my lab uses (4.3).
From what I've gathered doctors only order the other tests when your TSH comes back high or low (i.e. not normal). The problem is the range that the lab is using is pretty out of date. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has changed the recommended range for what is considered normal - it's now .3-3; and even that is high, most people who have normal thyroid function have a TSH below 2 and closer to 1.
Your best bet might be to find a naturopath or specialist who is willing to treat you based on your symptoms. I would pester my doctor for more tests, or find another doctor. You need to have your Free T3 and T4 numbers for a better understanding of what is happening. You also should have your antibodies tested to rule out autoimmune thyroid disease.
Hang in there.
Nat
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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
TSH has NO--I repeat NO--direct correlation with symptoms. There are people who feel fine with TSH as high as 100, while others, like myself, are in bad shape and still very hypo with a "low" TSH. I have to have TSH completely suppressed (less than 0.01) to feel well.
What is important is that Free T4 and Free T3 BOTH are where they need to be. A good target is to aim for these to be slightly above the middle of the lab range and slowly tweak up from there. I find that mine needs to be at about halfway between the middle and the top of the range to feel my best. Higher is too much and lower leaves me tired and achy and hypo symptoms start coming back. Other people may have different needs, but the guideline to aim slightly above the middle of the range is a good place to start.
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Danny
I am not a doctor, nor have I ever played one on TV...
Thank you Meep and Goperhead! It's so frustrating. It runs in my family on my mom's side, in fact, my mom has taken Synthroid (or some form of it) for basically 40 years now! Doctors usually just look at me like I am nuts when I ask for a test, yet, if I go to the doctor complaining of this or that, without me even MENTIONING thyroid, right away they go for my throat and start talking "thyroid" themselves!! So, obviously it's in the recesses of their minds somewhere!
