Yet another thyroid thread

[lph]

Forgive me for not plowing through all the gazillion thyroid discussions here already, but I've been at the computer for hours already and my head hurts. I know there are lots of you smart people out there with thyroid issues, and I'm hoping you may have some relevant info for me.

I just got back the results for some blood tests taken a few weeks ago, partly because I felt tired and out of "oomph", and gradually realized that I wasn't like that one or two years ago. (But hey, it's November, I'm 45, things change, yadda yadda. But I figured I might as well get some tests done.) Can't phone the dr until Monday, in the meantime I'm curious:

I'm not going through menopause, for one. I'm otherwise healthy, eat normally, no allergies, exercise regularly, no particular stress.

I do have high thyroid antibody levels: anti-TPO >1000 (ref. level < 35). My TSH is 2,13 (ref. level 0,2-4,0), free T-4 16,5 (ref. level 11-23), both which look normal to me.

Anyone want to doodle around what that means? Just scientific curiosity, I'm not a hypochondriac :-) Is this one of those things you need multiple tests to actually be sure of?

[redrhodie]

Hi lph! I think the Anti TPO results means you might have an autoimmune condition, like Hashimoto's. I don't know whether your doctor would want to medicate you with your normal range tsh, but you should ask if that's an option since you're having some classic symptoms.

Keep an eye on your eyebrows. An early sign that things aren't right is thinning at the outer edges.

I hope this helps a little! I've been on levothyroxine for a few years now and it's made a huge difference. I look at pictures of me from right before I was diagnosed and I look years older than now.

[lph]

Heya red! I was just wondering where you had got to! Yup, I've read loads about anti-tpo recently, and am pretty sure the doc will tell me I have latent hypothyroidism, and can be treated if I have symptoms. As of now I feel fine, and am exercising well.

Thanks for the tips. I'm glad the levothroxine is working well for you. I've read a few too many stories about the ones it doesn't work well for, and tend to forget that many many people are treated successfully. That's really interesting that you said you looked older. I am more aware of looking older now, but I feel fit and well too.

[redrhodie]

I suspect you have a high tolerance for pain, so you may not realize how bad you feel. That's how it was for me. It wasn't until I got the hormone that I realized my normal feeling was not good. So if you're looking older, I'd give that more weight than how you feel. I tolerated the lack of energy until my hair fell out.

[lph]

It's funny you should say that, because my dentist says the same thing, but I consider myself a bit of a wuss. Not that I can't tolerate a certain amount of discomfort if I have to, but I'm jumpy, always ask for anesthetic, tense up at needles etc. But back when I was a new mother it wasn't until DS starting sleeping through the night that I realized I had been mildly depressed for almost two years.

I'm going back and forth on whether to ask for thyroxine or not. I'm a very light sleeper, so I don't particularly want something that might cause me to be even more "alert". And I'm not too happy about the idea of medication for life, until I know I need them. Ah well. Dr.s app on Thursday, I'll see what she says. Will probably end up with wait and see, come back in three months.

[Blueberry]

I'm going back and forth on whether to ask for thyroxine or not. I'm a very light sleeper, so I don't particularly want something that might cause me to be even more "alert". And I'm not too happy about the idea of medication for life, until I know I need them. Ah well. Dr.s app on Thursday, I'll see what she says. Will probably end up with wait and see, come back in three months.

So anecdotal evidence but confirmed by my doc....I was diagnosed as sub clinical hypothyroid (not the best term). I have all of the symptoms of having a low thyroid (exhausted, hair coming out), but my numbers were borderline. One of the symptoms I hadn't attributed was waking up in a night sweat at 3AM and not being able to go back to sleep (I was ~32 at the time, so no where near menopause). I hadn't expected thyroid supplementation to change that, but it did. I now sleep through the night most nights, and am sleeping much less lightly. I wouldn't say it makes me more alert, just less tired. So...it won't necessarily make you sleep worse.

[lph]

Thanks Blueberry, that is useful. It would be interesting to try out a low dose of thyroxine, but I'm a bit worried there's no going back.