Help is it my Thyroid????

[wisdomseeker101]

I have really been sick this last year and a half. My vitamin D has been low. Hair falling out. Anxiety ridden. Dizziness and fainting. IBS. The awful heart palps and tachycardia. Shortness of breath. My THYROTROPIN level on my test is .593 down from .817 last year. Although this is within normal range could it still be my thyroid since numbers are on the low end. I am not getting my help from the doctors and they have not referred my to and Endo. I only have VA insurance and rely only on their services. I have been to cardiologist and they say my heart is ok and heart palps and tachy is normal. What ever normal is? Can anyone lead me in right direction? I feel SOOOOO sick.

[goolarra]

Your FT4 is at 33% of range, which is a little low of the 50% guideline and a bit lower than the previous FT4.  That's a total T3 test, not free T3.  However, it looks good at 55% of range.  Your D has improved a lot, but it's still short of the 50-70 recommended for proper thyroid hormone metabolism.  So, while FT4 is a little low, I wouldn't expect it to be causing the symptoms you're having.  

Have any of your symptoms changed?  

[wisdomseeker101]

THYROTROPIN .948    (0.465-4.68)
THYROXINE.free  1.24    ( 0.78-2.19)

TRIIODOTHYRONINE   131   (71-180)

My vitamin D is now 40

I reposted this because I put the wrong Thyroxine free level.

[wisdomseeker101]

Well I got tested again and my labs I guess look better but I still feel sick and can barely get off my bed.

THYROTROPIN .948
THYROXINE.free  1.54

TRIIODOTHYRONINE   131

Vitamin D is 40

Dr. said everything is fine but I should feel better.

[wisdomseeker101]

Thank you both for your responses. I will ask for them to retest all and ask for free t 3. It feels good to correspond about this because my doctors act like I am complaining while my her is falling out of my head and I have no energy to get out of bed. Thanks again and I will post my updated results.

[flyingfool]

You MUST specify the FREE T3 test.

If you ask for simply T3 you will be tested for "total T3" which is an outdated test of little value.

Be adamant and do not take no for an answer that you want the "FREE T3" test.

the thyroid hormones both T3 and T4 can be in one of two different states.  And this is the hormone can become attached to a protein or all by itself and NOT attached to anything.  ONLY the "free" unattached hormones are used by your body.

So you want to makes sure that you are testing what your body actually uses as the Free T3 is the ONLY hormone your body's cells actually use.

Testing for total T3 is like trying to determine how much gas is reacing your cars engine by measuring how much fuel is in the gas tank. Sure you need gas in the tank. But the engine only cares what amount of fuel gets to the engine.  So measuring the fuel flow at the entrance into the engine would make more sense wouldn't it?  And this is what the FREE T3 test does.  It measures how much "fuel" is actually available for use by your body's cells.

B-12 has a huge range.  Most other nations the bottom of the range does not even start until 500.  Yet in USA it is not uncommon to see the range start as low as 200.  And many people do not feel well until it is over 700 if not 900.  So a Dr telling you that your B-12 is fine when it is like 230 is total B.S!

[goolarra]

Have you had a complete iron panel recently?  Ferritin is another that has to be high enough or cells can't metabolize thyroid hormones.  Low iron can also cause hair loss.  

You might want to discuss your D supplement with your doctor or with a dietician.  People sometimes supplement D at 50,000 IU per week until it starts to come up, then they slowly cut back.  You don't want to do that without medical advice, however.  

[wisdomseeker101]

Thank you for help. I looked more closely to me labs and found that this were high also.

mean corpuscular hemoglobin 35.4  (32.9-34.5)

Platelet Mean Volume 11.  (6.5-10.5)

I really have not been right since I had a hysterectomy last year due to fibroids. They gave me 4 iron injections when my iron was at a 9.0.

I just increased my Vitamin D to 4000 and 200 mag.

I will ask for T3 test.

[goolarra]

Typically, when TSH is low, FT4 should be high and vice versa.  However, your FT4 is actually on the low side of the 50% of range target at 37% of range.  So, there's a bit of a discrepancy between those two.  FREE T3 (FT3) is the test that correlates best with symptoms, and that one's missing.  Many doctors don't order FT3 because their belief is that "if FT4 is okay, FT3 is, too".  In an ideal world, that's true.  However, in reality, several conditions are characterized by discrepancies between FT3 and FT4.  You should ask your doctor to order a retest of FT4 and TSH and add in FT3 this time.  If VA won't, you can order from an online lab without a doctor's order.    

Your vitamin D is dismal.  Are you supplementing?  If so, how much?  Vitamin D must be present in sufficient quantities, or thyroid hormones can't get into cells and do their work.  For proper metabolism of thyroid hormones, D should be in the 50-70 range.    

[wisdomseeker101]

Thanks or your patience.

THYROTROPIN 0.593 mcIU/mL 0.465-4.68

THYROXINE.FREE 1.30          ng/dL 0.78-2.19

These test were done in May.

Vitamin D is 21.6  range 32-100

[goolarra]

That's FREE T4 (FT4).  What's the reference range?  Ranges vary lab to lab, so please post the range from your own lab report.

[wisdomseeker101]

They ran a THYROXINE.FREE test.   My level was 1.3