Please Help!

[katieojkb]

Hi! I am 18 years old and have been having some issues over the past couple years. I have decided to address them recently but am confused as to which step I need to take next. I have been CONSTANTLY tired, I can never seem to lose weight, I have a very hard time focusing, joint and muscle aches, and anxiety attacks. I have seen a doctor recently and asked to get a thyroid function test because, besides these symptoms, my mom and her sisters all have thyroid problems. The TSH level was 1.42 but the free T4 was 0.55. The doctor said theres nothing wrong but I know theres something wrong with me. I don't know if this has anyting to do with these problems but I also have been vegetarian for just about 4 years now. I just have no clue what to do.

[goolarra]

Let me just clarify the above comment a bit.  If you have tests for the thyroid antibodies, TPOab and TGab, and they come back positive, you will know that you will develop thyroid disease at some point in the future if you have not already.  However, if the tests come back negative, you will only know that you do not have an autoimmune thyroid disease, like Hashimoto's.  There are many other causes of thyroid deficiency, so ruling out hashi's does not rule them out.

Your FT4 is very low.  You are hypo.

[6hashi]

I don't want to contradict what others said ,so I will only add that you can be sure whether you have thyroid issue by testing for thyroid antibodies ;anti TGab and anti TPOab, ask for these blood tests and you can then know by sure if you are developing thyroid disorder !

feel well ,

[katieojkb]

I've been thinking for so long this whole thing was in my head. It is not until recently did I even start considering there is a problem.

My mom is absolutely convinced all my symptoms are due to being vegetarian but that doesn't explain the FT4. It just seems hard to know what to do next when you feel no doctor can help. My current doctor told me I just need to exercise more but I know it's more then that. I found a good doctor nearby but it is holistic medicine so my insurance doesn't cover it.

I really appreciate the input!!! It definitely gave my condition some validity.

[gimel]

TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many variables that it is inadequate to be used alone, as a diagnostic to determine thyroid status.  At best it is an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators, which are symptoms and aIso the levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, FT3 and FT4.  Free T3 is actually the most important because it is four times as active as freeT4, plus FT3 correlates best with hypo symptoms.  So, it  is good that FT4 was checked, but as red suggested, you do need to test for FT3, as well.  

Members here frequently report that to alleviate symptoms required their FT3 to be adjusted into the upper part of its range and FT4 adjusted to at least the midpoint of its range.  If you check the reference range for your FT4 test I think you will find it in the very low end of the range.  You may also find out that FT3 is also in the low end of its range.  All of these results, along with your symptoms, will be strong indicators of being hypo, regardless of the TSH result.

In my opinion the very best way to treat a thyroid patient is to test and adjust levels of FT3 and FT4 with whatever medication is required to alleviate symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  I doubt you can get this from your current doctor, and you should start looking for a good thyroid doctor.

[katieojkb]

I was thinking about requesting something. I just had no clue what path to take. This whole area just seems so confusing and unclear.
Thank you so much!

[redheadaussie]

Hi there. It could be that you are starting to develop a thyroid disease and your doctor is not paying attention to that. I know when my TSH goes up I feel lousy. Many people say not to go by the TSH as it really is only a way of knowing your pituitary gland is triggering the thryoid to release hormone. But taken in conjunction with a Free T4 reading it can show that there is a problem. Yours is very low and I suspect you are hypothyroid.

  Because you are a vegetarian you may well find your iron stores are low as well as your B12. That happened to me when I was a vegetarian and my 22 year old daughter is still a vegetarian and her levels are low too.

  Because of the family having thyroid problems I would be insisting on getting the Free T3 test done as well. If the doctor refuses, just walk on out and find another doctor. Feeling miserable is not allowed! Well, in the sense that doctors seem to think we SHOULD just put up with that feeling of tiredness etc.

  Cheers!