Guest guest Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 Subject: Re: Hypo? Janie ) I will give some of my test results also but I have almost all the hypo symtoms except I am hot when others are cold. If I excert any energy I am almost instantly sweating-it is bad.Have gained 40 llbs. am always craving carbs and have 0 energy and 0 sex drive. LAB RANGES T3 136 ng/dl 60-181 TSH .84 uU/mL .35-5.50 T4 8.8 ug/dl 4.3-12.8 uptake 31.9 % 24-41.9 AM Cortisol 8.4 5-24 Iron serum 38 40-165 Insulin 6 under 20 I am 41, but have been having symptoms for 14 yrs since I had a tubal ligation. My hormones are really messed up also. My body makes very little progesterone if any. I take natural progesterone and that helps with a lot of the symptoms, but not enough. My drs agree that I have hypo symptoms but are only willing to try me on synthroid or levoxlyl. My cholesterol is close to 150 now and was normal before the tubal, also have gained a steady 5lbs per yr since the tubal also. > I don't see a Free Ts or Free T4 result anywhere though. > Any suggestions are welcome. > Jody in Idaho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 Hi Jody!! Ok, you have labs for total T3 and T4. It does give some clue, but better labs would have been the Free T3 and Free T4, which tell what is available and unbound. But.....your total T3 gives away that you " might " be hypo. It's not very high in the range, which can mean that your free T3 is even worse. The goal when on treatment is to get the free T3 towards the top of then range, if not slightly over! On the other hand, it's always good to dose by symptoms, not by labs, which was done for many decades!! Jody, let me strongly encourage you to find a doc who will test your free's and who will put you on Armour. Armour gives you exactly what your own thyroid would be giving you--T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin! If you go on Synthroid or Levoxyl, you will only be getting T4, a storage hormone. And in the vast majority of users, it leaves you with symptoms that you have no idea are related to being on a T4- only med. How to find a doc? First, go to the LINKS and try the Armour locate a doc. Or, go to your nearest pharmacy and ask the Pharmacists (not the workers) who prescribes Armour in your area. Sometimes you have to go out of your area to find one. I drive one hour and 15 minutes!! Also, it is important that you have your Ferritin tested. Ferritin is iron storage, and can give the exact same symptoms as hypo. Many of us, even with hypo, have had miserably low Ferritin levels. Your iron levels suggest that you have low Ferritin. Also, the heat and sweating you have could be a symptoms of sluggish adrenals, so getting your cortisol tested via a 24 hour test might be a wise idea, not just an AM test... A low sex drive is indicative of a low testosterone. If so, you can supplement with testosterone and have a return of that sex drive! It also helps with energy. And...getting on thyroid meds can lower that cholesterol!! And finally, a low TSH suggests a pituitary problem---something to look into!! Are you overwhelmed yet?? LOL. Don't you worry. Many of us deal with these kind of issues, and we are doing well now!! Stay in touch. Janie ) p.s. There are also many good articles to read in the FILES on this site!! > > T3 136 ng/dl 60-181 > TSH .84 uU/mL .35-5.50 > T4 8.8 ug/dl 4.3-12.8 > uptake 31.9 % 24-41.9 > AM Cortisol 8.4 5-24 > Iron serum 38 40-165 > Insulin 6 under 20 > > I am 41, but have been having symptoms for 14 yrs since I had a tubal ligation. My hormones are really messed up also. My body makes very little progesterone if any. I take natural progesterone and that helps with a lot of the symptoms, but not enough. My drs agree that I have hypo symptoms but are only willing to try me on synthroid or levoxlyl. My cholesterol is close to 150 now and was normal before the tubal, also have gained a steady 5lbs per yr since the tubal also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2004 Report Share Posted June 2, 2004 Look at that serum iron value!!! Important----You need a Ferritin test, which is the storage value of iron, more important than the serum value, which changes constantly. If you're not taking an iron supplement, this could be a big part of your problem, but don't take iron without finding out what this value is. Re: Re: Hypo? Janie LAB RANGES T3 136 ng/dl 60-181 TSH .84 uU/mL .35-5.50 T4 8.8 ug/dl 4.3-12.8 uptake 31.9 % 24-41.9 AM Cortisol 8.4 5-24 Iron serum 38 40-165 Insulin 6 under 20 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 2, 2004 Report Share Posted June 2, 2004 > And...getting on thyroid meds can lower that cholesterol!! > > And finally, a low TSH suggests a pituitary problem---something to > look into!! > Hi, Might I add to what Janie has said, and say that a thyroid antibodies test is another good test to have. Since 90% of hypothyroidism is caused by autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's), it would only be prudent to have that done as well. If you test positive, then there is a lot less digging you have to do to get the answers you need. If I had had this test done 15 years ago, perhaps I wouldn't have gotten so bad after the babies, and lord knows what damage I have done to them invetro, since even mild hypothyroidism can create IQ deficits - URGH! I just don't even want to think about it. My daughter lost a lot of weight while nursing (from the 75% percentile at birth, and two weeks early at that, to the 25% at 10 months. She grew leaps and bounds after I stopped nursing. I guess I didn't have milk from the Hashi's). Good luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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