The waiting is the hardest part.... (waiting on new blood test results)
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Cricket1515
Posts: 153 Member
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism in April and started on Amrour Thyroid then. After about two months on that, the doctor ordered a new blood test on Saturday. I should get the results today or tomorrow!
I'm hoping the results will support increasing the Armour Thyroid dosage. It feels like it is working, but that there is still room for improvement, you know?
I'm hoping the results will support increasing the Armour Thyroid dosage. It feels like it is working, but that there is still room for improvement, you know?
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I am right there with you. I find I check to see if my tests (from Friday) have posted like once an hour!0
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Good luck! Is this your first set of blood work or do you already have a diagnosis? Since this is only my second time, I'm still learning how to interpret the numbers.0
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I was diagnosed in 2011, I went gluten free back in May and was having hyper symptoms more than not so my doc told me to lay off the meds if I felt hyper. I haven't taken it very often since then and when I did I only took half a pill so I am curious to see where everything is.0
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And the results are (drumroll)......
Pretty good, but the doctor said there was room to increase the dosage so he gave me a new prescription.
Reading all the horror stories about people not having their doctors listen to them really makes me appreciate my naturopathic-leaning GCP. I'm really looking forward to feeling better.0 -
Happy NSV (non-scale victory)! Finding a doctor who listens is huge.0
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That's great, Cricket. Do you take any other supps with your thyroid meds? I found that to make a huge difference personally -- for me, it's primarily vitamin D, magnesium and DHEA as I was deficient in all 3.0
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NSV - I like that! Actually I'm feeling pretty good about SV too. Down 3.5 pounds (started 24 days ago), which might actually be real and not just normal fluctuation. This is my third time trying logging to lose and the first time it seems to be working. Yay for proper diagnosis and treatment!
In addition to the Armour Thyroid, I'm taking the three supplements that my doctor instructed. I posted about them in the Ashwagandha thread.
Rhodiola, when I wake up (boosts energy)
Ashwagandha, with dinner (gets the body ready to think about sleep)
PS100, when going to bed (for the brain fog I think?)
I was low in Vitamin D too, but the doctor prescribed more sunshine.
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3.5 over 24 days sounds more like actual fat loss than fluctuation - especially if you were properly hydrated previously. Nice!
Good on your doc for prescribing sunshine! Far too many HCPs pushing drugs and supplements without considering the ramifications.0 -
I just got my results but still waiting on note from doc. I thought she ordered a full panel but it was just T4 and TSH. My T4 was normal (1.4) and my TSH was pretty darn high (13.4). Why/How does this happen? My values are usually normal for T4 and high for T3 and high for TSH. Seems is TSH was that high T4 and T3 would both be low??? This has never been explained to me.
P.S. OP sorry to hijack, and that is great that you have such a good doc!0 -
It's cool. Hijack away! I wish I could offer insight, but I only have surface-level understanding of thyroid numbers. Will you share what your doc says when you get her note?0
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Cricket1515 wrote: »NSV - I like that! Actually I'm feeling pretty good about SV too. Down 3.5 pounds (started 24 days ago), which might actually be real and not just normal fluctuation. This is my third time trying logging to lose and the first time it seems to be working. Yay for proper diagnosis and treatment!
In addition to the Armour Thyroid, I'm taking the three supplements that my doctor instructed. I posted about them in the Ashwagandha thread.
Rhodiola, when I wake up (boosts energy)
Ashwagandha, with dinner (gets the body ready to think about sleep)
PS100, when going to bed (for the brain fog I think?)
I was low in Vitamin D too, but the doctor prescribed more sunshine.
I hope the sunshine works. I live in California -- plenty of sunshine -- and my levels were still very low. Though, to be fair, I work inside, so my opportunity to get sunshine 5/7 days is rather limited.0 -
My T4 was normal (1.4) and my TSH was pretty darn high (13.4). Why/How does this happen?
TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. It tells the thyroid to produce T4 & T3.
You need more tests to determine what's wrong with your pituitary, thyroid, and/or hypothalamus.
Edited to add that the hypothalamus tells the pituitary to produce TSH.0 -
I just got my results but still waiting on note from doc. I thought she ordered a full panel but it was just T4 and TSH. My T4 was normal (1.4) and my TSH was pretty darn high (13.4). Why/How does this happen? My values are usually normal for T4 and high for T3 and high for TSH. Seems is TSH was that high T4 and T3 would both be low??? This has never been explained to me.
P.S. OP sorry to hijack, and that is great that you have such a good doc!
Assuming this is Free T4 at 1.4?
Your TSH is high because it's signalling that you need more T4. If your total T4 came in at 1.4 you're either not producing enough, or there is a competing hormone, usually estrogen.0 -
I just got my results but still waiting on note from doc. I thought she ordered a full panel but it was just T4 and TSH. My T4 was normal (1.4) and my TSH was pretty darn high (13.4). Why/How does this happen? My values are usually normal for T4 and high for T3 and high for TSH. Seems is TSH was that high T4 and T3 would both be low??? This has never been explained to me.
P.S. OP sorry to hijack, and that is great that you have such a good doc!
Assuming this is Free T4 at 1.4?
Your TSH is high because it's signalling that you need more T4. If your total T4 came in at 1.4 you're either not producing enough, or there is a competing hormone, usually estrogen.
If you're Hashi's (which it sounds like you are), antibodies could be binding up your T4 (and T3). So the levels look "normal" in your blood tests, but the effective levels are actually much lower --and you have hypo symptoms. I have the same thing. For me to actually feel well, my levels have to be in the upper third of the "normal" range. Anything lower and I get hypo symptoms. If they're borderline low, I feel AWFUL.
So, if your effective T4 is actually low, your body is going to signal more TSH to create more T4. That may also explain your usually high T3 rates (but the effective level of T3 is lower -- or perhaps a good deal of it is reverse T3).
I'm sure this isn't the only explanation, but one that would fit your test levels. Here's an article that explains it more thoroughly: http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/woliner.htm
Given that you said you feel hyper more often than not, it could be other things that are throwing things off.
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Thanks CSAR and lindsey for your replies. I had to go back and look and it was Free T4 with a range of .82-1.77. Your explanation makes some sense. Still trying to wrap my head around it. So I wonder if my birth control is the competing hormone?? Also, these are results with pretty much no thyroid replacement in my system at all, as I haven't taken my meds in a while because of the hyper symptoms.0
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My free T4 was normal (1.4) and my TSH was pretty darn high (13.4).
These are results with pretty much no thyroid replacement in my system at all, as I haven't taken my meds in a while because of the hyper symptoms.
Wait, what?! Your levels are messed up because you're unmedicated.
If your dosage was too high, the correct response is to talk to your doctor about lowering the dosage—not stop taking your meds.0 -
editorgrrl wrote: »My free T4 was normal (1.4) and my TSH was pretty darn high (13.4).
These are results with pretty much no thyroid replacement in my system at all, as I haven't taken my meds in a while because of the hyper symptoms.
Wait, what?! Your levels are messed up because you're unmedicated.
If your dosage was too high, the correct response is to talk to your doctor about lowering the dosage—not stop taking your meds.
These have been where my levels have been since I was diagnosed in 2011. High TSH, normal T4 and high T3, each and every time I have my panels done. My doc is the one that told me to not take it when I am hyper, (constantly sweating when everyone around me is cold, crying and anxious for no reason, racing heart at all times, etc. Not mild hyper symptoms). This blood panel was done so that my doc can see where we need to adjust to. I am taking Tirosint now so she couldn't just tell me to take half a pill since those are gel caps. And Tirosint is expensive so I can't just keep going and paying for multiple doses.0 -
I assume your doctor (endocrinogist?) told you to skip a dose—not go off your meds entirely. And what you're doing right now obviously isn't working level-wise. (How do you feel?) So it's time to try something else.0
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I feel fine, I actually haven't felt this good in years. Also, the weight has started to just melt off. Yes, she is an endo. And yes, obviously it isn't working, hence the order for lab work for re-adjusting. It isn't like this has been going on for months. I called her, told her I was going crazy, she told me to cut it out when I am feeling crazy, and then we scheduled an appointment for me to get my labs redrawn.0
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@mkwrose - There's a long lag time in thyroid meds, so while you may feel different immediately - that's placebo. It takes at least 48 hours for your body to react and can take up to seven days. Keep this in mind if your symptoms switch from hyper to hypo. I had much of the same and this is how we came up with the idea of alternating my daily dose from 175/200mcgs.0
