TSH & free T4 came back normal but have symptoms of thyroid problems

[drotherside]

TSH - 3.76
Free T4 - 1.20

Symptoms:
-mood swings
-always nervous
-can't put on weight (fat or muscle - I'm 6' and 135)
-always thirsty with dry mouth (I drink about 128oz water per day)
-shaky hands

My vitals are normal. What do you think could be causing this?

[goolarra]

Don't forget the most important...FREE T3 and FREE T4.  (Sorry, can't help myself!)

It will be interesting to see your results.I

[drotherside]

I saw the endocrinologist the other day. He said that he thinks the increased TSH level was caused by thyroiditis, and that the excessive thirst may be caused by diabetes insipidus. I doubt I have diabetes insipidus, as it doesn't account for the variety of symptoms.

I will be getting another blood test some time this week. It will have all of the antibodies you suggested, TSH levels,diabetes insipidus things, along with other stuff.

Thanks for your help!

[drotherside]

Haha. The lab technician was having difficulty reading what he'd written.

I told my doctor to add the antibodies and free T3 to my next test (March 26). Sorry it's so far away. GP wanted to see if there's a trend going on over time as opposed to rapid-firing the tests.

[flyingfool]

Another reason to test for the Free T3 is to discover a possible poor conversion issue.

That is if your body does not convert the T4 into T3 efficiently, You could have plenty of gas in your fuel tank and simply no gas getting to your engine. T4 is a storage hormone and needs to be converted into T3.  the Body's cells ONLY use the FREE T3 hormone.  So if the conversion process is having trouble, there may not be enough of the active T3 in your body and THAT is the cause for your being Hypo even with plenty of FT4 storage hormone in your bloodstream.

Just another theory and it is another reason why it is important to get your Free T3 levels checked.

It always amazes me that the medical industry will not test for the ACTUAL Thyroid hormone that does ALL of the work.  The end result. It just baffles my mind.

[goolarra]

Ah, yes, the old handwriting excuse!  LOL

I think you should still ask for TPOab, TGab and TSI, then.  My guess is that whatever antibodies they tested were pretty useles in determining autoimmune thyroid disease.  

[drotherside]

It's definitely possible since he's a neurologist and rarely deals with that. It's also possible that the staff in the lab had trouble reading his handwriting. I have no idea.