New Labs

[Guest guest]

I was feeling pretty good through January until the last few days of Jan and through the first week of February, so I thought I'd have my blood checked again to see if it was thyroid needed dose adjusted again. Here is my history, new labs are at the bottom, and there were at least 6 weeks between labs:

Lab's ref ranges:

TSH: 0.34 - 4.82FT4: 0.64 - 1.46

FT3: 2.3 - 4.2

October 27, 2005: Felt terrible, tired, naps in afternoon

TSH 3.08 (within normal, but doc allowed dose change due to symptoms and had " room to play with the numbers " )

Previous dose: Synthroid 75mcg, New Prescription based on labs: 100mcg

December 9, 2005: Energetic, but fidgety, trouble concentrating, mood swings, brain fog

TSH 0.08 (low)

FT4 1.09 (normal)

FT3 4.3 (high)

Previous dose: Synthroid 100mcg, New Prescription based on labs and mildly hyper symptoms: 88mcg

Doc started me on Magnesium and extra Vit B Complex at night to help me sleep and help with bowel movements (the magnesium is wonderful for both).

Began Adrenal Support on my own, 1/4 tablet first week, then up to 1/2 tablet thereafter; immediate improvement in cognition, brain fog, energy, and mood

CURRENT LABS:

February 9, 2006: Felt great through January, feeling more tired first week of Feb, but also major stress due to finding out we're moving to Japan for 3 years and trying to do a Calculus class before we move to complete degree. Also had some low body temps that week, between 98.0-98.4 mostly between noon and 4pm, and again between 6-9pm. Felt very cold, freezing, couldn't get warm until temp came back up above 98.4, mild constipation returning. That all only lasted one week, except I'm still having episodes of feeling a little tired and sluggish. Right now, my temp is 98.6, it's 4pm so that's good, but I felt sluggish all day.

TSH 1.9

FT4 0.84

Current dose: Synthroid 88mcg, just began taking a full tablet of Adrenal support yesterday (Feb 13th) because thought that might perk me up a little, and also because of extremely dry skin.

My current labs don't look too bad to me, perhaps my FT4 is on the low side, but even when my TSH was nearly zero, my FT4 wasn't at the top of the range. I'm taking daily multivitamins, staying away from iodine (allergic), taking iron, multi has selenium in it. Haven't changed my diet as far as eating more soy/cabbage/goitrogens than usual. The only thing that has changed is the level of stress. Could that alone be causing me to feel sluggish and tired? Have a doc appointment Thursday so I'll discuss with her and see what she thinks.

I'm also on birth control pills, I'm 26. Perhaps the pill is why my FT4 isn't as high as it could be, I remember reading something about it affecting your numbers, and I do feel best during my period when I'm not taking the pills, but there's no option to not take some form of hormone-induced birth control right now because it controls my migraines. I just find it odd that I felt so good through January, and now I'm all at once feeling tired again, unless it's purely stress.

Any ideas? Thoughts? Maybe I need to bring my TSH down just a tiny bit still...somewhere between 0.08 and 1.9...like closer to 1. But that would mean some major pill splitting, cos I'd have to take 1 and a 1/4 of a 75mcg Synthroid...taking me to 93.75mcg. That, going by my previous labs, should make my FT4 and TSH both around 1.0. Maybe that's my magic number. I think I'll see if she's willing to let me do that, unless she has some other reason for the tiredness, low body temps at times, and return of mild constipation. That all screams thyroid to me, from everything I've learned. She's such a good doc to listen to me and let me work with my numbers as long as we're within the ranges, and our lab doesn't have too bad of a range for things, though the top of the TSH is a little high still for " normal " but the doc realizes that and ignores it. Heheh. Yeah, that's what I'll go in asking for unless you guys can come up with something else that could be wrong...I'll aim at getting changed to 93.75mcg.

Sometimes, it just helps to think it all out to someone. I think I'll take my little temperature and thyroid charts in to show her, the trend with the numbers become very clear when you see them all next to each other.

-- (stewlis)ville, NC, USA