New to thyroid issues – lab tests/

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-08-2004
New to thyroid issues – lab tests/
2
Tue, 08-17-2004 - 10:43am
Can you please help me on this? I am just coming to the realization that I might have a thyroid problem. For YEARS I have been constantly tired, sleepy (even after sleeping 9 hours), excessively cold, brittle nails, etc., and all the doctors have ever said was that I was depressed. Well, 3 doctors and 5 anti-depressants later, I have decided to make an appt. with an endocrinologist. I got my results back from a blood test I took a few weeks ago with my PCP (I don’t visit the endo. for another 3 weeks). Can anyone tell me how this looks? (I don’t know if birth control pills affect these tests, but because of endometriosis, I have been on them for 4 years now) Oh, the normal ranges are in the right column.

T3, Total 163

T-3 Uptake 24 22-35%

T-4, Total 9.9

Free T4 Index 2.4

TSH 2.33 MIU/L

Also, my carbon dioxide level was low – 18 and the normal range is 21-33. Any advice?

Alicia

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-20-2004
Fri, 08-27-2004 - 12:04pm
Well your thyroid panel does seem to be very normal, also does show that the BC is increasing the binding proteins, T3 RU is a measure of binding proteins, the lower the number the higher the binding proteins and vice versa. It is still possible to have a underlying thyroid condition and be symptomatic espcially if you became more symptomatic when starting BC, primarily the only thing that would support this would be a positive antithyroid antibodies panel. Proceed with caution BC can also affect the binding proteinsof other hormones also and they could be the culprit for the symptoms. I am not to familiar with endometrosis, maybe you should also look into some of the sex hormones, and also anemia. AD's can also have the effect of increasing thyroid hormone metabolization, it breaks them down before the body can use them, again this is not a problem foe people with out a underlying thyroid cxondition, some of the symptoms you describe can also be side effects of AD's. Wish I could help you more, feel free to ask any question though.

Eric

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Fri, 08-27-2004 - 10:19pm
Hi Alicia and welcome - It may still be possible for you to be hypothyroid. Your tsh at 2.33 may be too high for you where someone else may feel just fine. One of my last tsh tests came back at 2.7 and I was still feeling badly. I've been diagnosed for 2 years andon medication but not able to get into the normal range for those 2 years until this past month, where my test came back at 1.8 and I feel great. I'm convinced that some of us don't feel well until we are in the tru normal range of 1.0 to 2.0. Even that .33 percent can make a difference in you're sensitive to it.

That said, your total T4 is on the high side, so that means that your body is producing enough thyroid hormone but perhaps something is interfering with your thyroid's use of it. I can't get to Eric's post right now but perhaps the birth control pills are interfering just enough for you to feel so badly. Those are certainly hypo syptoms but then, there are other things that can mimic hypothyroidism. Have you had your adrenals checked? And your iron levels? There is also something called Wilson's syndrome that presents symptoms similiar to hypothyroidism but with a normal tsh level. Check out this link: http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/WilsonsThyroidSyndrome.htm

I hope some of this info helps. Maybe it will give you some ideas of what to discuss with your doctor. It will be important for you to stress your syptoms regardless of the "normal" tsh level. You want to get to the underlying cause, not just treat a number on a blood test. Cathy :)