Ever since I was young, I've never felt fully up to par (my mom had my TSH tested when I was 11 and it was 1.8). However, over the last couple of years, I've been feeling especially low. With a long list of hypothyroid symptoms, I finally went and got tested.
First test was about a month ago:
TSH 2.42 mIU/L (0.2-4.2)
Free T3 2.72 pg/ml (2.3-6.9)
Free T4 0.92 ng/dl (0.78-2.11)
Doctor said everything was fine, the usual case. But from reading information and forums, I know these levels aren't normal. I ended up going back and getting my antibodies tested. Got the results today:
TSH 2.220 mIU/L (0.2-4.2)
Free T3 3.09 pg/ml (2.3-6.9)
Free T4 0.87 ng/dl (0.78-2.11)
Thyroperoxidase AB 28.97 IU/ml (0-35)
Thyroglobulin AB 150.60 IU/ml (0-115)
Despite the high thyroglobulin, doctor said everything was normal. I've been looking online about what the antibodies tests really mean and have been having a hard time.
I'm sure many of you have experienced the frustration I'm feeling right now. I wanted to punch the doctor at first, and then cry. I know that there's something wrong, and I strongly believe it has to do with my thyroid (or at least some kind of hormonal imbalance).
Any help with these numbers (especially the antibodies) would be really helpful. Resources and links are much welcomed!
Hello Welcome to Thyroid Board
You're right, these are not fine. High Tg Ab tells us you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmune disorder that is the most common cause for hypothyroidism. Your thyroid function labs and your symptoms tell us that you're already hypothyroid. Your TSH is not clearly off (healthy people usually have it around 1, or 2 tops) but your freeTs (that measure the amount of actual thyroid hormones) are on the low side which would explain your symptoms. I really think you should try to find a doc that would prescribe at least a trial period of meds to see if that'll help with the symptoms. You can find trustworthy material on for example PubMed (posting links is limited by the posting rules of the board)
The Following User Says Thank You to FinnMaid For This Useful Post: mayfliesmayfly (11-09-2012)
Thank you for your reply! It's nice to at least see someone say that there's something going on!
One of the difficulties right now is that I'm actually in Thailand. The doctors I'm seeing right now have kind of blown my symptoms off, saying they don't know what it is because everything looks normal. The only reason that they did the test is because I told them to.
I emailed my doctor at home, whom with I don't have a close relationship, and she said it was normal, no questioned asked. I've switched to a DO since then (via email), but without my being in the country, there's not much he can do. He first said my initial tests were normal, wouldn't treat it, but suggested an endo. After seeing my antibody tests, he said there was a possibility (because TPO is normal but TG is high) of Hashimoto's, but again suggested an endo to be sure.
I won't be back in the US until the end of December. Even then, I'm afraid that I won't be able to find a doctor who will take me seriously or treat me in the way I feel I need to be treated. There are plenty of naturopathy doctors where I live, but at $250 an hour there's no way that I'll be able to see them anytime in the near future.
I'm at least feeling a little more hopeful that people might start taking me seriously about this. The possibility of feeling better is on the horizon!
Welcome to Thyroid Board 
