ping
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6974
posted
Hi Lymenetter's -
Got the hard copy of my lab results yesterday and it seems that the woman who called me from my PCP's ofc last week mistook my thyroid panel reading as "high", when she was actually reading the C-RProt result right below it, which is very high (likely due to the appendix rupture in late-Oct '09).
Consequently, my doc's ofc called my pharmacy and reduced my thyroid meds (T3) because of this mistake, which makes me wonder if my PCP even looked at the test!
Thankfully, I've not even started taking the synthetic T3 yet and the results below are due to my taking 150mg. Armour per day:
Thyroxine (T4) is 8.2: normal range is 4.5 - 12.0 T3 Uptake is 32; normal range is 24 - 39 Free Thyroxine Index is 2.6; normal range is 1.2 - 4.9
And the biggie that really makes me irritated at this mistake on the PCP offices' part -
TSH is 0.021; normal range is 0.450 - 4.500
For all intents and purposes - No TSH! I'm open to suggestions as to how I can get my TSH at least to the low end of normal again.
Lugol's iodine has been suggested. I've no doubt I'm deficient, as the primary source of it is iodized salt or Real Salt, etc., which I can't indulge in as I have SEVERE hypertension (uncontrolled is 200/120). I would imagine that to get the TSH cranking again, I'll have to stop all thyroid meds, introduce whatever new substance to encourage TSH to produce and find out where subsequent readings go from there?
Any and all suggestions welcomed!
I will be out of town until Monday morning and will acknowledge all posters when I return. (I'm so bummed about this, but too busy trying to pay the rent to be too mad.)
A great deal of thanks in advance for your help!
-------------------- ping "We are more than containers for Lyme" Posts: 1302 | From Back in TX again | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Hi, any thyroid forum can tell you that once people are on thyroid meds, TSH often will go down to 0. Usually that does not matter. Often or sometimes patients will feel awful when reducing the dose so TSH goes up into norma.
by the way, the tests done were ancient, they were the wrong ones. t3 uptake is just a test for vacant binding sites for t4, it does not measure any t3. t4 is total t4, and should not be uesd in women as they have high binding proteins and total t4 will show high but the actual free t4, the actual hormone, will be lower.
You shoudl have gotten the free t4 and free t3 tests instead. Any thyroid forum would have told you so too.
My TSH is 0,02 when my free's are just below midrange, and virtually everyone needs their free's well into the upper half of their reference ranges. The excact level is individual and one must just try out some doses and note at which % or number one feels best.
Any t3 is famous for lowering TSH to 0, even without being hyper.
Another thing is, in case of infection or inflammation or other illness, TSH is famous for going doen die to the cytokines being made. Ft4 and ft3 are more accurate then.
nora
Posts: 366 | From Europe | Registered: Nov 2008
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ping
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6974
posted
Thank you, nora. I haven't had the time to investigate any of the 'thyroid sites', as I just received the results yesterday afternoon. Appreciate the info.
-------------------- ping "We are more than containers for Lyme" Posts: 1302 | From Back in TX again | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
If you were fine on the previous dose, then reducing the t3 dose might not work, maybe, maybe not. If not, ask to go back on the dose that worked.
Posts: 366 | From Europe | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
B the way, TSH is just a pituitary hormone, and its job is to scream ta the thyroid to get busy ans send out more thyroid hoemones. If there is enough thyroid hormone, or exogenous t3 (which acts directly on the pituitary)then it seem logical that TSH goes down to 0. No need to scream for more hormone.
There are also some other reasons for TSH to get falsely low, like illness or blocking TRAB antibodies.
Posts: 366 | From Europe | Registered: Nov 2008
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massman
Unregistered
posted
Good points from nora.
The endocrine glands do get lazy when they don't have to do their jobs.
And even if your TSH value "looked" better it still may not be doing its job correctly. The hypothalamus gives signals to the pituitary so the base of the problem may not even be the pituitary.
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
Right as pointed out by northern. It is the free
ratio that needs figured in on the big picture. I
would say if you feel like crap see a great endo.
Otherwise I might back off a pinch and see how I felt.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
I want to second other's comments about T3. A low TSH and normal thyroid values should not be a concern at all. The tests that are best are Free T3 and Free T4. Those should be near the middle of the range and up.
Tish
Posts: 31 | From TX | Registered: Nov 2008
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ping
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6974
posted
Thank all of you so much for your help!
I've been on 150 mg. Armour for a while, thus, the lab results I gave you. Since Armour is not readily available anymore, doc switched me to just T3 at a dose 1/3 lower than usual Armour dose. Guess I'll find out if it's sufficient. Would love it if thyroid issues would resolve w/T3.
Again, thanks. I'm not up on thyroid issues, but will study it (along w/all the hypertension info that trumps thyroid) at home.
Best to you!
-------------------- ping "We are more than containers for Lyme" Posts: 1302 | From Back in TX again | Registered: Mar 2005
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