Thyroid blood test normal? Maybe not...

24

Replies

  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
    Go see someone else.

    This. It sounds like you're doing the right thing by listening to your body and researching your symptoms. Whether you're actually hypo or not still remains to be answered, but seeing a different (and perhaps more open minded) doctor would be my next move.

    Lots of information about thyroid disorders can be found here: http://thyroid.about.com/

    And good luck to you. I personally know how frustrating it can be.
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    thank you for all the good advise i think i wait for my next bloodtest in 4 months (for pcos and thyroid) if they go further down or if its getting better now with the healthy eating exercise and metformin lowering my glucose levels.
    Cant really afford to many doctors at the moment due to not heaving health insurance and had all that blood works and treatments done for my pcos and today it cost us almost 80 bux just for him telling me to wait till it gets worse. Defenetly wont be seeing him again
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Do you eat soy? It can also mess with your thyroid as well as raw cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    aww i love cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower but i never eat it raw just cant get it down that way. And nope dont eat soy
  • Bianca42
    Bianca42 Posts: 310 Member
    Do you eat soy? It can also mess with your thyroid as well as raw cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
    I knew soy could impact things....but didn't realize that cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower could problematic.
  • hegster23
    hegster23 Posts: 36 Member
    I went to the doctor because I thought for sure I had an under active thyroid- tons of symptoms. It came back normal, but that I had very low iron. I upped my iron intake and began to feel better quickly.

    They have many of the same symptoms.

    ^^This^^
    I have both low iron and and underactive thyroid (fun times, right?). The low iron really kicks my butt.
    Also, what is a "normal" thyroid level may not be for you (found this out at my last visit to the endocrinologist). My levels were on the higher side of "normal", but it was affecting me. It depends on the type of hypothyroidism you've got. My endo is super awesome and understands not just because he's been educated well, but because we have the same variety of hypothyroidism.
    :wink:
  • JayMri
    JayMri Posts: 241 Member
    I had Thyroid cancer 3 years ago. Prior to that I had symptoms of hypothyroid but was told blood work was always fine, however no matter what I did I could not lose weight. After having my cancer treatment and getting stable on meds I began to drop weight. My Endo doesn't think that my thyroid had anything to do with it because my levels before were "fine", even thought pathology showed I had Hashimoto's. My Gyno agrees with me that my thyroid was a factor in me not being able to loose.
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
    bump
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    I had "sub-clinical" hyperthyroidism after a period of clinical hyperthyroidism. If it is your primary care dr telling you it's normal you may want to question it. You may fall into a gray area that the primary care dr is not willing to acknowledge.
  • theCarlton
    theCarlton Posts: 1,344 Member
    Another thing I've learned about the thyroid is that despite being a gland, it can be physically broken. If you've ever had a serious car accident, your thyroid might be broken. Hospitals are checking for broken bones, not broken glands when they're checking you over. Your endocrinologist can have an ultrasound done to determine if that's the case.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Do you eat soy? It can also mess with your thyroid as well as raw cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
    I knew soy could impact things....but didn't realize that cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower could problematic.
    Kale is another big one. These are what they call goitrogens. My spelling may be wrong. It wouldn't hurt to do some research here. I used to eat a good bit of raw cabbage (cole slaw) when I had hyperthyroidism for this reason. I had multiple cysts on my thyroid which did heal on their own over time.
  • cindypalm1
    cindypalm1 Posts: 28
    I am having this same problem and it is so maddening when everything comes back normal but yet you know that it is not.
  • jenniferitzep
    jenniferitzep Posts: 66 Member
    The range for normal TSH most doctors use is way too broad. I believe the most used upper cut off is 5 but when I was seeing a specialist for my miscarriages she wanted it to be 2 at the most. What was yours?

    I had a miscarriage last year and they checked my thyroid for "unrelated" issues Does the thyroid effect it?
    I am just wondering because I have strong family history of bad thyroids Overactive, under active, even some that goes in cycles of over then under active. My test was Normal but wasn't giving any info on it I thought I was a positive \ negative kind of test. I know I'm not who you were asking question to but more info would be great. thanks
  • gparks
    gparks Posts: 56 Member
    I have also been going through the same problem for years. My doctor says he concerned about my hypothyroid, however when I get it checked the test always come back normal. Also was sent for biopsy and still normal. It appears that I have to work extra hard to lose weight even when on the same diet or weight loss program as some one else. The good thing is with MFP, I am getting support that encourages me to work harder. Always looking for supportive friends so feel free to add me!
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    The range for normal TSH most doctors use is way too broad. I believe the most used upper cut off is 5 but when I was seeing a specialist for my miscarriages she wanted it to be 2 at the most. What was yours?

    I had a miscarriage last year and they checked my thyroid for "unrelated" issues Does the thyroid effect it?
    I am just wondering because I have strong family history of bad thyroids Overactive, under active, even some that goes in cycles of over then under active. My test was Normal but wasn't giving any info on it I thought I was a positive \ negative kind of test. I know I'm not who you were asking question to but more info would be great. thanks

    It was during my second pregnancy that my hyperthyroidism was discovered. It developed after my first pregnancy, or as my endocrinologists said, because of my first pregnancy. He and my O.B. were surprised that I was pregnant, and that I did not miscarry. If you have hyperthyroidism, it can cause a miscarriage. It can also cause plenty of other complications during pregnancy. I had so many extra check ups at both the O.B. and endocrinologist. I think you should get a copy of those tests, if you have not already, and do some digging on your own. And I would also get as much info from an endocrinologist as possible. I found that both my primary care and my O.B. were giving me false info.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    The range for normal TSH most doctors use is way too broad. I believe the most used upper cut off is 5 but when I was seeing a specialist for my miscarriages she wanted it to be 2 at the most. What was yours?

    I had a miscarriage last year and they checked my thyroid for "unrelated" issues Does the thyroid effect it?
    I am just wondering because I have strong family history of bad thyroids Overactive, under active, even some that goes in cycles of over then under active. My test was Normal but wasn't giving any info on it I thought I was a positive \ negative kind of test. I know I'm not who you were asking question to but more info would be great. thanks

    Yes both hypo and hyperthyroidism could cause miscarriage. If the baby goes on to be born it could also cause other complications with development. My reproductive endocrinology wanted to make sure my TSH stayed under 3, preferably under 2. I would ask for your numbers and make sure they also test your T3 and T4. I'm sorry about your loss.
    Ps in most cases it's impossible to say what exactly caused a miscarriage as there are so many possibilities. I had several of them and went for a battery of tests to find out why. I swear the requisition had about 20 items checked. Sugar levels, genetics, progesterone, thyroid etc etc. good luck.
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    I had "sub-clinical" hyperthyroidism after a period of clinical hyperthyroidism. If it is your primary care dr telling you it's normal you may want to question it. You may fall into a gray area that the primary care dr is not willing to acknowledge.

    that is whats puzzeling me my gyn who did all the bloodwork because she suspected i have pcos, witch came out positive and i have insulin resistent pcos, and she also tested my thyroid just to be sure and the tests said something is wrong with it so she told me to go to a primary care doctor to get it checked. So i went to a primary care doctor in the same house and he also agreed that my thyroid is not functioning right but said there is nothing that can be done at the moment that i need to wait till i have to come back for the bloodtest for pcos metformin dose increasement in 4 months and if it has dropped more i can get medication and he also made very clear that it will drop more and there is nothing i can do about it.
    So why cant i get treatment now? why do i have to wait 4-8 months (his words) till i can get it treated and its a very good private clinic and he actually said he is specialiced in thyroid problems
  • TOPSmarca
    TOPSmarca Posts: 187 Member
    WOW!!! Some of the things I am reading on here that are considered a "normal" level are really stunning!!!! My ENT has told me that GPs and such use old out dated guidelines and that she likes to keep women's TSH levels between 1 and 2, she never prescribes levothyroxine because the doses are not as even and she finds that often women need more than a supplement of T4 (the commonly supplemented thyroid hormone) but also need small doses of T3... and let me tell you, I have felt better since I have been under her care!!! Also, I am a FertilityCare practitioner and our studies have show that even mild thyroid dysfunction can cause some sub-fertility and infertility, as well as miscarriages. It stuns me that the thyroid is STILL not one of the FIRST things checked in these situations!!!:explode:
    Rant over!!! LOL!!!:tongue:
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    I have also been going through the same problem for years. My doctor says he concerned about my hypothyroid, however when I get it checked the test always come back normal. Also was sent for biopsy and still normal. It appears that I have to work extra hard to lose weight even when on the same diet or weight loss program as some one else. The good thing is with MFP, I am getting support that encourages me to work harder. Always looking for supportive friends so feel free to add me!

    There are other things that cause the body to try and hang on to fat. A vitamin D deficiency, candida over growth, wheat consumption, gluten intolerance, insulin resistance. Maybe try tweaking your diet here and there. See is you can find the trigger. It has taken me months to peel back the layers to my problem.
  • JoMarie76
    JoMarie76 Posts: 3
    When I did that research, it said that the blood test only tests for part of the thyroid process (T4 I think). Once it was explained that if the problem was with the T3 part of the process, that levothyroxin wouldn't help but hormones would, I realized that all my problems started happening when I got off my birth control pills. I wonder if I'm not getting enough hormones? I don't know, parts of the explanation were confusing and parts made sense and were very enlightening. I am moving to a different state in a few months, so I was going to wait until I moved so I only have to deal with one doctor through the whole process. Is it smart to wait, or could I be a ticking time bomb? :frown:

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