I agree with you that TSH is very sensitive and is affected by many factors. But I still find it quite reliable. For example, It should be done in the morning before breakfast otherwise it's irrelevant etc. I'd be happy to discuss it further once I get a new computer that doesn't turn off all the time..lol
Just thinking out loud here...if I'm HYPER..as euahome thinks...wouldn't I have trouble sleeping, shaking, etc? I mean I do get anxiety..but my symptoms sound mostly HYPO to me. Lethargy, tingling in hands, brain fog, etc. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can here. I also read up on things, but it's very confusing to me and this brain fog doesn't help. Sometimes, I try to educate myself a bit and what I find makes me more anxious! Ha! For instance, my GP tells me my potassium is at the far low end of the range..I look on the internet and see it can cause muscle aches, fatigue, memory problems, anxiety, etc...everything I am now...plus this thyroid mess. Ahhh....I just want to feel like a normal person again.
Euahome...I think I mentioned (not sure)..at the beginning of my post that they did detect a very small amount of cancer and that I already had kidney cancer. I now have one kidney.
Thanks for all replies!
Euahome has apparently based her diagnosis of hyper on your TSH of .47. This ignores the fact that TSH is frequently suppressed when taking thyroid meds. Having a TSH of .47 doesn't automatically mean that you are hyper. You are hyper only when excessive levels of FT3 and FT4 cause hyper symptoms. Symptoms and the levels of FT3 and FT4 really should define your thyroid state, not TSH. My TSH has been .05 for over 25 years with no hyper symptoms. In fact I had lingering hypo symptoms until learning here about the importance FT3 and getting my meds changed to include a source of T3.
My doctors kept wanting to reduce my medication also, but I never agreed, because I knew how I felt and it sure wasn't hyper.
I said what I said based on TSH, T4 and the symptoms. froggy0936, Your symptoms are the symptoms of thyrotoxicosis=hyper=too much meds. The hypo and hyper symptoms do often overlap. But since you had cancer they probably want your TSH suppressed. That's something you need to ask your doctors. Try to read posts on hyperthyroidism and you will see that many people have exactly the same symptoms as you do. And I repeat, based on my own experience and that of many, many people that the symptoms of hyper and hypo can be exactly the same.
I just wanted to add that I was both hyperthyroid and hypothyroid. That's how I know about the symptoms. Good luck!
You are absolutely right. Having a low TSH doesn't automatically mean you're hyper. Some people, like you, have conversion problems. While T4 suppresses TSH the person might actually be hypo due to low FT3. In that case the person usually does well on additional T3 therapy (should also be the right amount, 'cause too much too fast can backfire). But not everybody have conversion problems. So for many people a low TSH does mean they're hyper. In froggy0936 case though that's probably where she should be (or maybe even with a lower TSH) due to cancer. My point is that each case is unique and one should really look at EVERYTHING to make a correct diagnosis. Sometimes it can take a long time.