It has been a while since I last posted. Late in 2007, I was
combining Armour with Synthroid, after my FT3 shot up on 2 grains,
and I didn't feel any better. I was getting puffier, tired, and
depressed. No labs were taken while on Armour/Synthroid combo.
I got so fed up with playing with dosages that I decided to be a
dedicated Armour user. In January, I started at 1.75 grains and in
mid-February, I upped to 2 grains. Today, I received my labs, after
being on 2 grains for about 5 weeks, in the mail. Here are my
results:
TSH: <.01
FT4: 1.39(0.73-1.95)
FT3: 3.5 (2.3-4.2)
I have been getting tired, bloated, and depressed as of last week.
Headaches have been killing me. Wondering if I need to go up to 2.25
grains.
I thought it was weird that my FT3 didn't go over the max range of
4.2 this time. Last year it shot to 4.4 on 2 grains. Both times, I
took my Armour pill the day before the lab test.
Have you been tested for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. It may be antibody/autoimmune attack causing the facial puffiness and such. It does me. Steriods keep those phases in check for me.. and only steriods.
These are looking good but let me crunch the numbers:
TSH: <.01
FT4: 1.39(0.73-1.95) 54%. Just in the optimal range of (50-80%)
FT3: 3.5 (2.3-4.2) 63.15% This is good as well.
Now the question is are you optimal? Your FT levels are within 10% of each other. So you are close to balanced. 5% is the prefered deviation.. but 10% is acceptable. Now is 50 and 60% the right range for you? I can not say. My family females feel best in the upper 60 - mid 70 range. My maternal fetal medicine MD prefers a woman to have levels in the 60-80% range if they are of childbearing age and there is any risk of getting pregnant.
So I am not going to get into "normal" every one has a different Normal state. Families from my experience run true to each other though. What I am stressing in my care and my mother and her four sisters and.. I will stop. We have a lot of autoimmune thyroid vets in my family. Optimal levels are when your symptoms are negligibel and your FT levels are balanced (within 5 - 10% of each other) in the 50 - 80% (60-80 if you want to minimize fetal risks) range.
I hope this helps. If you haven't been tested for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Get tested. THe lab codes are TPOAb and TGAb.. write them down so the MD doesn't have to look them up. It is easier that way.
Sincerely,
MG
__________________
If we learn by our mistakes, I am working on one hell of an education.
Thanks for the quick feedback. I was tested for TPO and it was positive even though mine was 10 and the range for TPO was >20. TgAB was positive as well but lower than the range that is set to alarm the doc. In any case, I was id'ed as positive by my endo. That's why she diagnosed me with Hashi's.
That's interesting that steroids fixes the facial puffiness. Doesn't steroids cause moon face (most likely in higher dosages and longer duration of taking them). Every time I take steroids, I gain weight. This has shown to be true during dexamethasone suppression tests.
I know thyroid medication and labs are highly individual. My labs look good but I don't feel so good. I'm increasing to 2.25 grains for now and see how I feel.
Honestly, I find that this whole thyroid issue starting after getting my root canal on the upper left side of my mouth. I want to get a mercury test to see if I am overloaded with the metal considering that my mouth has at least 6 fillings and I'm starting to feel my cavities again while eating.
I never heard of the FT levels being balanced, such as 5% or 10% of each other, between each other. I know about the upper third of the range or top half of the range but never knew about the FT3 and FT4 being x% of each other. If you don't mind me asking, could you show me how you got the percentages?
The way to calculate percentages as used by the National Association of Clinical Biologists and chem geeks like me uses the following formula.
[3.5(your value) - 2.3(the lower range limit)]/[4.2 (upper range limit) - 2.3(lower range limit)]*100 = 63.15% (your percentage in the normal range)
Yeah it took many MDs and a lot of searching to get the facts down. I want to know all the facts because my husband and I want a second child.. but I will take no risks in that regard. If I am going to have a second child, I must be ready physically in every aspect. Good luck.
MG
__________________
If we learn by our mistakes, I am working on one hell of an education.
Thanks MG for breaking the math piece by piece for me. I always have to see steps before I can master it. Same with every other task in life, i.e. cooking.
Yes, you have to make sure you're ok physically before pregnancy. It will be very hard on the body and you have to have all the hormones and nutrients to give the baby everything it needs.
