Confused and frustrated AGAIN
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| Tue, 09-14-2004 - 9:16pm |
Hi:
My test results came back today, and I'm confused by how my Endo. reacted.
The TSH = 5.3
PTH = 87
Cortisol = 25.9
Thyroid antibodies = 974
And some others that I didn't get the numbers for (he's sending a printout). So, the endo had his medical assistant call me to say that "some of the results were on the high end of normal, so we're going to keep the Levothroid increase at .112 (put up from .1)--- and then re-test in 6 weeks. He also said I'm not absorbing Calcium properly, so he'll monitor that, too. Aside from the fact that it burns me that he doesn't call himself (it took him just as long to tell his assistant what to say to me as it would to say it TO ME); I'm confused as to why he keeps the dose increase so low given that it's Hashimoto's, and given that he agreed that the TSH needs to be a 1 or 2.
I've left a message for my fertility doc, and I plan to tell her that I want a more aggressive approach (including a T3 test, which the other endo flat out won't do because he says "it isn't necessisary").
(Also, the med. asst. didn't know the normal ranges for PTH or cortisol, so I don't even know what those ranges are!)
Any thoughts??
Thanks,
Dee.

I don't know how your health ins. does it but with mine, when I get a copy of my lab work back it shows the normal ranges, along with my numbers so maybe yours will too that might help to answer some questions. hang in there!
Michelle
Michelle is right, if you can get a copy of your lab results it will include what the normal ranges should be, and it will show you if your results are out of the normal ranges, either high or low.
I agree with you that if your TSH should be between 1 and 2 that it seems that your meds need to be increased. What is the exact dosage of Levothroid you're taking? Is it in mcg (micrograms?)
I know what you mean about the assistant calling you back...I've run into the same problem with my current Dr. and although I kind of like him, I'm going to see another endo in a few weeks because I'm very unhappy with the level of communication from him. I need a doctor who returns phone calls and speaks with you in person. I don't care if it takes 3 days for the dr. to get back to me; I want to talk to him and not some receptionist who gives me yes and no answers. (Guess my charts have alot of notes on "pain in the butt" patient!)LOL
Just FYI, I just had a baby in March of 2004 and my endo at the time always tested me for TSH, T4 and free T4.
Hang in there!
Rebecca
I'm going to ask my "good endo" (fertility) to send me a copy of the results when I talk to her today. Being the obsessive, impatient person I've become, I looked some things up last night and I think the PTH was a little high because my Calcium is a little low. I'm going to start supplementing the calcium, and I'm hopeful that will help with the muscle twitches too.
But I really want to get the thyroid suppl. ironed out, so I'm planning to get "pain in the butt" put into my chart today! :-)
Cathy, thanks for posting the autoimmune info... I'm going to buy the book. Seinfeld IS "funny because it's true!"
Hugs to you all,
Dee.
Your TSH at 5.3 may be within the lab range for normal but you know it's not true normal.
Normal values on the cortisol test, taken at 8 AM, are 6 to 23 mcg/dl, according to the MedlinePlus site. Your lab may have a different range but it shouldn't be too far out of line with this one. So yours is just a bit higher than normal. I don't know what it means in terms of how high it has to be to be significant and how it relates to your hypothyroidism, which can actually cause lower cortisol levels but ask your doctor about Cushing's syndrome and see if that's a possibility. I don't want to freak you out over it so I'm just raising it as a possibility because that's what I see on this site but don't know anything at all about it myself but here's what I found:
"Cushing's syndrome is a disease caused by increased production of cortisol or by excessive use of cortisol or other steroid hormones.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Cushing's syndrome is a condition that results from an excess of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. The most common cause of Cushing's syndrome is Cushing's disease caused by excessive production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the pituitary gland. ACTH stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol."
So I guess the important thing to know is how high is too high for a cortisol level and what does yours mean. Let us now if you find anything out this afternoon! Hugs, Cathy