It depends on the doctor. IF a doctor knows what he's doing with thyroid, he will order FT3, FT4 and TSH every time blood is drawn. However, there is a lot of prejudice out there, and many doctors were taught in med scholl that FT3 is unimportant, all you need to test is TSH and FT4. They think that if FT4 is ok, FT3 will be too, and that's probably the biggest fallacy we deal with on this forum. Still other doctors only test TSH, and that's a huge disservice to their patients.
Your FT4 of 17, with a range of 9-19 is quite high in the range. With FT4 that high, you shouldn't be having hypo symptoms any longer.
My best guess at this point is that you convert slowly and your FT3 is probably way too low. You mention hand tremors, which could reflect the fact that your FT4 is a bit on the high side.
Ask for FT3. Be sure to specify FREE T3. Otherwise, they'll test total T3, which is not nearly as useful. Don't leave the lab without making sure FT3 has been ordered on your labs tomorrow!
Once you get FT3 result, post it with range, and we'll help you decipher what's going on...
My range is 9-19 for ft4 and I have no other results are ft3 and t3 and t4 tested routinely or do I need to ask for them as having another test tomorro .
My range is 9-19 for ft4 and I have no other results are ft3 and t3 and t4 tested routinely or do I need to ask for them as having another test tomorro
What's the range on your FT4? It will be on your lab report near your result.
What's missing from your labs is the FT3 test. T4 is the "storage" form of the thyroid hormones. Your cells cannot use T4. First, it has to be converted (mostly by your liver) to T3, the "active" form. Some people convert slowly, and even though their FT4 level can be quite high, they still feel hypo because FT3 is too low and their cells are starved for thyroid hormone.
I'll comment further after seeing your FT4 range..
i got my results today
serum TSH level is 6.2 miu/l
serum free T4 level is 17 pmo1/l
i dont understand what any of that means
Do you have labs to post? FT3, FT4 and TSH? If so, please do along with reference ranges that vary lab to lab and have to come from your own lab report.
No, it's not normal. You're on a relatively high dose of thyroxine (T4) but still get tired. I'm guessing something else is going on (perhaps you don't convert well).
Tell us more, and maybe we can help point you in the right direction.