Help with test results

[AmandaS828]

So a little background, I was once diagnosed as hypothyroid after I had my son, however I was told that sometimes it just happens after pregnancy and isn't permanent. I was put on synthroid and after about 8 months or so was taken off and re-evaluated and things were normal. About three years ago I started experiencing extremely itchy skin that never went away. Up until 3 months ago it was only itch- no rash, but now it appears I have some sort of eczema or psoriasis? on my legs that I cannot get rid of. It is only on my shins/thighs and nowhere else on my body.
Apart from the skin I am generally tired, unmotivated, I have always had trouble with anxiety and IBS, bloating, etc. I shed like crazy and always have hair coming out, I am always cold and have a pretty low body temp at all times. I know a lot of these problems can be related to thyroid.

I don't have insurance, I recently got bloodwork done to try and interpret myself but according to the lab paperwork it is coming up as "normal" I have tried researching and find a lot of conflicting reports about what is truly normal and stumbled upon this page, I would be so, so grateful for some help.

If anyone has any ideas/thoughts/suggestions I am desperate for them. If anyone has experience similar symptoms, I'd love to hear it as well as your thoughts on my results which I will post below

TSH- 3.38 uiu/mL
Thyroxine (T4) -7.6 ug/dL
T3 Uptake- 24%
Free Thyroxine Index-1.8
T4, Free(Direct)-1.04 ng/dL
Triiodothyronine,Free- 3.4 pg/gL

Also had this, but not sure how it relates to thyroid
Magnesium, Serum 1.9 mg/dL
Ferritin, Serum 35 ng/mL

[gimel]

Most doctors you would go to would listen to your symptoms and past history and then only test TSH (and occasionally Free T4) and then tell you that your test results are in the normal range and that you are not hypothyroid.  That would be incorrect.  That is because TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many things that, at best, it is only an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms and also levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T4 and Free T3.  The tests for Total T4, T3 uptake and Free Thyroxine Index are outdated and not very useful.

In the words of a good thyroid doctor,"The free T3 is not as helpful in untreated persons as the free T4 because in the light of a rather low FT4 the body will convert more T4 to T3 to maintain thyroid effect as well as is possible. So the person with a rather low FT4 and high-in-range FT3 may still be hypothyroid. However, if the FT4 is below 1.3 and the FT3 is also rather low, say below 3.4 (range 2 to 4.4 at LabCorp) then its likely that hypothyroidism is the cause of a person's symptoms."

So with your symptoms and those Free T4 and Free T3 results I'd say you are hypothyroid and need thyroid medication.  A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as needed to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.  

So you need to find a good thyroid doctor, which is the most difficult part of getting adequately diagnosed and treated.  If you will tell us your location perhaps we can suggest a doctor that has been recommended by other thyroid patients.  

[AmandaS828]

I don't have a doctor yet, I ordered the bloodwork myself through an online lab because I don't have insurance and just wanted to see what abnormalities popped up. I ran a more basic complete blood panel vs. only targeting thyroid. Perhaps I should have done a thyroid only panel that could have been more thorough? The reference ranges are as follows:
Thyroxine (T4) --4.5 - 12.0
T3 Uptake-- 24 - 39
Free Thyroxine Index--.2 - 4.9
Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct,--0.82 - 1.77

Triiodothyronine,Free,Serum -2.0 - 4.4 0

[gimel]

There is much to discuss, but first please post the reference ranges shown on the lab report, for Free T4 and Free T3.  The tests for T3 Uptake and Free Thyroxine Index are outdated an not useful.  Probably more of an indication of the age of your doctor than anything else.  LOL