Re: Re: Test Results

[Guest guest]

I think it's a good thing that you didn't go to the 75 mcgs because it looks

like both your readings are barely sending you just over the midpoint for

normal (Free T3 and Free T4). Since your TSH is not stimulating your

thyroid, it appears (my opinion) that you are/were definitely having

problems converting it or getting it into your cells after conversion. I'm

thinking conversion problems because you don't have a lot of T3 floating

around out there waiting to be absorbed by the cells. From everything so

many people are saying on these thyroid boards, it seems that most are

actually feeling better, with symptoms dissipating, when the Free T3 is in

the very high end of upper range, or, in some cases, even over the top,

while the Free T4 being in the mid to upper range seems to suffice on that

one. Neither one of mine has made it either place yet, and I've been

working on the Armour for almost 6 months now. It's looking like I MAY have

both problems because I just went on up to 120 mgs Armour. I tried adding

back the Eutirox (name for Levoxyl), but out came the eye itching, as usual,

so I had to drop it. I've never been so sure of anything in my life---I

definitely have extreme allergies to a whole lot of fillers in many of these

things. Alavert is supposed to be a generic for Claritin---Huhh!---I

started feeling so dizzy and draggy on it. Then I read the fillers, which

is what I should have done in the first darn place. It has aspartame in it,

to give it a sweet flavor (Why???). Anyway, Claritin does not have this

ingredient in it. I switched back to the Claritin, and within 2 or 3 days,

the eye symptoms were GONE! I've got to read read read on these labels

because sometimes I forget about all these fillers, and generic doesn't

necessarily mean identical.

Tx

Re: Test Results

> Hi there... I'm sorry I can't remember your name?? What is the reference

range for the T4

> test? It very well could be that your doc is going by the totals and

shouldn't be. Your TSH

> is high. With your symptoms you sound hypo. I'm sorry I can't offer any

advice for the

> dizziness.

>

> The frees indicate how much thyroid is actually available to your body,

right gang?

> Someone should jump in here.. I'm having trouble remembering the

difference btwn frees

> and totals, I just know the frees are said to be a better indicator.

>

> Coincidentally, I'm having some similar issues with my labs, which I

received today. I had

> to twist the guy's arm at Unilab to have them faxed to me. I had asked my

doc to test the

> frees time before last, which she did. But as usual she was rushed last

visit and hastily

> marked off total T3 and T4. I changed it myself back to the frees... but

now apparently

> there was some confusion with the scribbling on my form because only my

TSH and Free

> T3 were tested. Summary:

>

> THIS lab, while on 88 mcg Levoxyl and 10 mcg Cytomel:

> TSH .06

> free T3 3.7 (2.3-4.2)

>

> PREVIOUS lab, while on 88 mcg Levoxyl and 5 mcg Cytomel:

> TSH .88 (.4 low end of range)

> free T4 1.6 (0.8 - 2.7)

> free T3 3.1 (2.3-4.2)

>

> I did not tell my doc I stayed on the 88 mcg... she wanted me to drop to

75 because I had

> asked to add some Cytomel. Well, she had forgotten to give me my

prescription for the 75,

> and by the time I received it in the mail, I already had to refill and

decided to just stay on

> 88 and see how I felt. I do NOT feel hyper. I just took my pulse and it is

still less than 60

> bpm... so this should be interesting if she phones me and wants me to

lower my dosage of

> Thyrolar. Am I supposed to believe I'm hyper now that my palps are finally

GONE..??

>

>

[Guest guest]

One thing that I know I've learned, is that no, we can't tell any doctor

what to do that he/she doesn't want to do, but we can be assertive in asking

for what we want. If, after this is done, a doctor absolutely will not see

it this way, despite all the evidence to the contrary, then, to me, it's

time to move on to someone that will listen, and will at least consider me

an activist with substance and knowledge about my own condition. You

already did ask for the Frees testing, didn't you Jo? The Totals testing is

supposed to show how much hormone is bound, right? That means that's the

part that is floating around is not being used or taken up by the cells, I

believe. A portion of that in there somewhere is going to be Free, but all

they do with the other types of testing is to make an estimate of how much

is Free. The Free testing is absolute and direct, but is a little more

expensive and a little more time consuming for the lab, and frankly, a lot

of doctors are not familiar with how to interpret these tests. When the TSH

goes up (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), it is stimulating the thyroid to make

more hormone (T4 and T3), to carry out every single body function that we

have. The TSH is made by the pituitary, which gets stimulated by the

Hypothalamus with something called TRH (Thyroid Releasing Hormone).

Supposedly, this is a grand scheme of feedback, going in a circle amongst

these 3 organs, to put it simply. TRH tells the pituitary to make TSH,

which in turn tells the thyroid to make T3 and T4. The complicated part is

when autoantibodies come into play here, as with Hashimoto's, and these

little " pac people " are pummeling one or more of these 3 organs, at

different points on the spectrum. Then, sometimes, the signalling gets

messed up on one or more of these 3 organs, and even the blood tests can lie

to us. I know that Grave's Disease is a horrible thyroid condition, and I

certainly wouldn't want it, but Hashi's is the most tricky of the two

because we can spend yrs with these antibodies " eating away " at our most

basic endocrine system, and not know which way is up, or rather, if the

system is up---or is it down!? Opinion: Each person's body system is

different, but the general consensus that I've been getting from other

people is that they generally feel better with their TSH below 1-2, their

Free T3 in the FAR upper range of normal (or, even in some cases, over the

top of " normal " ), and the Free T4 from the mid to upper normal. No two

people are exactly alike, but I can bet that most people do not feel good

with a TSH of 5 or so, and Frees down below normal, or barely inside the

so-called normal ranges. I have yet to get there either, and I've been

working on it for almost 6 months or so.

Tx

Re: Test Results

> My name is Jo. I asked about the normals for the T4, and she only

> told me that over 11 was elevated, and mine was 11.4. I'm sure the

> T4 was total and not " free. " Should I insist at this point that he

> do a free T3 and T4, or should I wait and see what it is he

> prescribes?

[Guest guest]

This is a VERY individual thing because of differences in creation of, and

processing of either endogenous or exogenous thyroid hormone, from person to

person. This is/was my scenario. My Free T4 is still not that much inside

the so-called " normal " ranges. Someone else's chemistry may be different.

It is not a one-size-fits-all treatment program. I'm probably doing this,

more or less, the way a liberally treating doctor might, if I was going to

one. Many folks on Armour have to add that little bit of T4 to bring it up,

and others don't. Some of the people I've spoken to, who have added the T4,

have said that they felt too cold without a little more T4. I don't what

there is to that though. I started feeling cold ALL the time, even in warm

weather, when I was being treated with T4 only, so there are vast

differences in people's general body chemistry.

Tx

Re: Test Results

> Thanks for the info!! When you switched to Armour, you stayed on

> the synthetic T4 for awhile? Is that how I would need to do it if I

> switched over to Armour?

>

> Jo