Some symptoms i have are..
dry straw-like hair, frizzy, hard to wash and comb
abnormal hair loss, no bald spots but have to clean out drain when shower and hair pulls out of ends of my hair with like 20 pieces of hair in one strand
painful bottoms of feet cant hardly stand
weak legs cant hardly walk and slow way down with slight incline
painful joints, popping joints
extreme anxiety that causes neuropathy like poor circulation to feet, tingling numbness in legs feet hands, extreme teeth clenching, high heart rate, chest pain, burning sensations all over, cold feet, burning red toes, trembling, etc
memory loss, confusion, blurry vision, cant think or concentrate, foggy mind
narcolepsy occasionally, sleep disturbance, insomnia
profuse sweating; armpits, groin, under breasts, scalp, feet
waxy greasy skin on face and shoulders
acne; face neck, back, shoulders, chest, scalp
vaginal dryness burning odor
body odor
dry mouth and eyes
intolerance to exercise because of joint pain and muscle weakness and pain,
cant climb stairs, exhausted
moods, irritability, rage, on edge, cant tolerate noise
carpal tunnel pain sometimes
these are most of them. doctors say i do not have a thyroid problem because labs are always "normal." is it unlikely that hypothyroidism is the cause of most of my symptoms?? thank you for your help. here was my labs:
Hi Rene,
Even though your TSH is not high, your free thyroid levels show that you very much ARE hypothyroid. This is starting to make me so angry- how can doctors call these results NORMAL?
The last couple of posts I've answered recently that had TSH like yours with hypothyroid symptoms were also positive for TSI antibodies. This has a suppressive effect on TSH, despite glaring hypothyroidism. I would ask to be checked for anti- TPO, Tg and TSI antibodies. The first two are Hashi's antibodies, and the third is Graves (typically associated with hyperthyroidism) but it appears as though a low positive result for TSI antibodies can suppress your TSH just enough to make it appear optimal.
The Following User Says Thank You to bee01 For This Useful Post: rene764 (07-01-2012)
The other thing to ask about would be a pituitary/ hypothalamic problem. In other words, your brain is not sensing the low thyroid hormones and is not trying to stimulate the thyroid by producing TSH.
Thanks for your reply. Free T3 appears normal right in the middle to me but i dont know much about this. TSH also seems normal or low. Ive been told some people can have low range FT4 without being hypo. I am very frightened i have a pituitary problem because i have low estrogen also with a normal FSH which doesnt make sense either. I had something called Lupron Depot shots about 5 years ago which shuts down estrogen temporarily but since then ive never been the same. It works on the pituitary gland so im afraid it damaged it. A few symptoms started shortly before that with pregnancy and childbirth. Anyways i have been disabled ever since and feel im going to die or live disabled and never be me again. Thanks so much for listening and for your advice and god bless.
Hi Rene- did you use lupron due to endometriosis, or IVF? Endometriosis has strong ties with hypothyroidism. I'm not that familiar with pituitary issues. You could ask your doctor for an MRI to rule out any of the more concerning causes. Your doctor could also evaluate your other pituitary hormones- are your LH, ACTH, prolactin, growth hormone all normal?
Does your FSH correspond with your age?
From the little reading I've just done on the side effects of lupron, it appears as though it can affect the adrenals as well as the pituitary. Low adrenal function can also cause a low TSH with hypothyroidism. I wish I could be more helpful than that. You will have to seek out a very knowledgeable endo because it sounds as though your current doctor is not taking your condition seriously.
yes im 29 my FSH is low it was 2 so its normal and not high. I have normal prolactin and LH. Ive seen 2 endos the first thing one did was feel my thyroid by having me drink water and told me it feels enlarged then did labs and said it was normal. He said he was surprised it was normal and did another lab and said normal. another one did thyroid labs and said normal but with a low range FT4 doesnt look normal to me. They both said i could take birth control for hormones but the birth control is only helping me about 10% after almost a year. Ive tried antidepressants also for 2 years and helped anxiety some but all underlying symptoms were still there. thats why i think thyroid. a regular doctor was going to write me a script for thyroid med based on the results above then changed her mind and said i dont need it. im going to see another endo and im going to ask for antibody tests and adrenal and pituitary and female hormones. My DHEA is higher than they thought since i feel so bad. It was 236 (43-320) range. Thank you both for taking the time to respond.
Hi Rene,
I'm more concerned with the fact that your FSH seems a bit low for your age. I would expect it to be around 5 or 6. Is your day 3 LH also around 2? They should be roughly 1:1.
Ok yes my day 3 FSH 5.5 on another lab. if birth control doesnt help enough it must be pituitary/thyroid/adrenal? confused. still have all symptoms above while on birth control.
oh ok, 5.5 sounds more like where your FSH should be. I really don't know what to tell you. I know that birth control that is heavy on estrogen can raise thyroglobulin levels and bind thyroid hormone, possibly lowering free thyroid hormones.
