Hi all -
Talked to my dr's office, and the nurse gave me the levels even though the dr has not seen them yet....
TSH: .68 (She said normal range is from .34-4.82
Free T4: .66 (She said the normal range is from .59-1.17)
I believe these are actaully all the thyroid related tests they ran! My CBC was 13.6 so that was good, but anyway, I have no idea what any of this means!! I don't have a clue!
Obviously my dr is going to get back to me.. but not till Thursday because he is out of town! Ugh! Should be noted this is just my general practitioner.
One other question.. do I as a patient have the right to request other tests on that blood... ie: Free T3, TPO and Tg as Midwest (I believe) suggested? I asked the nurse if they could still be run, and she said that she would need a dr's approvial, ie: my OB/GYN or something..... so do I contact them and ask them to approve it? She said they still could run the tests on the blood they have.... I am confused!!!
Any help would be grand!
LM
Last edited by gracesufficient; 12-13-2004 at 10:25 AM.
Your FT4 is too low for you to feel well. Just being within the range isn't good enough to be considered 'optimum'.
Yes, you have the right to all the tests it takes to get a diagnosis. Meep has described the method to get what you want. First, politely ask for the tests you want. If the MD tries to talk you out of them, use a little humor and say, "Please, just humor me." If he still refuses, with continued good manners, ask that he put your request and his refusal in the written record. Ask for photocopies for yourself and your insurance company. Tell him you plan to appeal his decision. Usually, by that time, he'll back down and order the tests. Of course, if he didn't see the need for them in the first place, it isn't likely he'll know how to interpret them when they do come back. You still might have to go elsewhere to find satisfaction.
Thanks midwest!
I am kind of in limbo here waiting to see what my dr. is going to say about the levels... it will be interesting to see if he writes them off as normal, or looks beyond that "range" to know the symptoms are shutting down my life.
I am still trying to figure out what to do about the additional tests. As stated my doctor is out of town, so I am thinking I will just mention it on Thursday when I see him again....but how important are the tests? Should I "push" to get them done or is it FT4 that matters? What does the FT3 mean and how does it come into play?
gracesufficient
The CBC actually consists of several blood test WBC,RBC,HGB,HCT
and some others I can't remember right now. I'm just guessing this
is the hemoglobin result????
You may also want to consider that you have secondary hypothyroidism given your current lab results. I believe wanttobehealthy was discussing this on the "What do I do?" thread.
