I will give you a lttle info then my test result. Her are my sypmtoms
Very dry skin, hand and feet get cold and I cannot warm up. No sex drive, Overweight, keep gaining and cant seem to lose even t hough I have been going to curves, walking and dieting. Tired, take paxil for anxiety/depression. Hair falling out. I also have a lower than normal body temperature all the time. It ranges from 96-97.4 most of the time. When it gets really low around the 96, I feel chilled like I have a fever but when taken it is low. It hardly ever get above 97.4 even during the day.
Here are the test my doctor did
TSH 2.86 (0.35-5.5)
T4, Free(direct) 0.79 (0.61-1.76)
Antinuclear Anitbodies--Negative
They all appear within the normal range, any opinions. My doctor has not been very helpful. Almost just downright hateful. He wont even listen to me. I have thought about going to endo. but if the numbers are normal, I dont want to waste their time. Thanks!!
I am sorry you are going through all of this. From the numbers you posted, you very well could be suffering from borderline hypothyroidism. Finding a doctor to treat you with the numbers you have will be very difficult, but I suggest you start looking. If you are presenting with all of the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism & your Free T4 is on the very bottom of the "normal" range & your TSH is in the upper portion of the "normal" range. It would be great to know what your Free T3 levels are.
I'm sure you will get posts from people with better advise. As I said, it will be difficult to get a doctor to treat with your numbers because so few doctors actually listen to their patients symptoms. I think you would probably benefit from a small dose of thyroid hormone, but you will definately have to start looking for a new doctor. Good luck!
shorty, you and I sound almost identical with symptoms/temperatures and lab results.. except my FT4 was just over 1..
The endo I saw was more than entirely rude to me, and told me I was depressed, blah blah, blah. We've all heard it before.
It's hard to be treated that way.. but I'm looking forward to another appointment with a different doc in March. She is a holistic medical doctor who specializes in this sort of thing. She treats based on lab results AND symptoms..
A holistic doctor is probably the best way to go. Endos who treat based on labs AND symptoms seem to be like unicorns - completely mythical.
I'm considering trying cognitive behaviour therapy. Apparently that'll solve all my problems. Just think, if CBT can make me feel warm again and stop my nails from cracking to bits and my hair falling out, it'll be like a miracle cure!!
Hmm, I think this illness is making me cynical too.
shorty - just don't stop trying to make yourself better!
Everyone who has replied is right. It will be hard to find a doctor to treat you at a TSH of less than 3. I encountered EXTREME resistance from my endo to treatment with a TSH of 3.18.
I thought endo's were the experts and that was where I would find my answer. I am here to tell you it didn't happen. I agree you ought to look for a holistic Dr. or a D.O. (Dr. of Osteopathy -- they treat symptoms rather than labs).
I wish you a lot of luck. Please do NOT give up. Take charge of your own care and perservere!
I just want to let you know that i went 6 yrs with fatigue. Doctors told me I was depressed. When I was finally diagnosed my tsh was 40. When I got my records from the previous 6 yrs, my TSH was always around 2-3. I had symptoms for 6 yrs. Go with your gut and don't let them tell you otherwise.
Just think, if CBT can make me feel warm again and stop my nails from cracking to bits and my hair falling out, it'll be like a miracle cure!!
