dsmith Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 The doctor just called with my lab results and told me my thyroid levels were elevated, and he gave me a number - 9.59. I see him soon, but he didn't give me much info over the phone, so I don't even know what that number is. ?? I'm looking on various websites and all sorts of numbers are listed, but I have no idea what number he is giving me. I'd like to go to my appointment with some general knowledge of what this means, lol. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Well that number could be TSH, which would mean that you are hypothyroid. Or, it could be your T4, which would mean you are hyperthyroid. Have you been having any heart palpitations or high pulse rate, or insomnia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Insomnia has been a problem for a while. I have been gaining weight, too. My pulse is within normal levels, but I do have palpitations occasionally. I have also been having trouble tolerating hot days. Many of these things I have attributed to menopause, but maybe they are related to my thyroid? My brother was recently diagnosed with Graves disease. Maybe the doctor's office can fax me my results... He sent a prescription to my pharmacy already, which I thought was strange without seeing me first. I guess the medication may give me a clue. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Gaining weight sounds more like hypothyroid, and that would be a crazy high number for say Free T4's, whose lab range is usually 0.6-1.6. TSH on the other hand often has a range of 0.5-5.0 so it would be a pretty normal 'high' result for a TSH. Anyway, my guess is he's talking about your TSH. TSH is technically a pituitary hormone and it's the hormone that tells your thyroid to make more T4 and T3, which are the hormones that kinda energize your body. So more TSH means your thyroid is under-producing T4 and T3 and your brain is telling it to get off its lazy butt and make more ;) But then again the heat intolerance sounds kinda more like hyperthyroid? And if your brother has Graves you could too, which would cause hyperthyroidism. High TSH = hypothyroid Low TSH = hyperthyroid Low Free T4/ Low Free T3 = hypothyroid High Free T4/ high Free T3 = hyperthyroid Hypothyroid is often associated with Hashimotos Autoimmune disease, Hyperthyroid with Graves disease. If you're postpartum sometimes it can go high or low unrelated to those, it's just your body going out of whack from hormones and will usually get better by 1 year postpartum. And I think theoretically you can get hypo or hyper without having Hashimotos or Graves but I'm not sure. I would ask for your results asap and maybe if they didn't already ask for a follow-up lab with Free T4, Free T3, TSH (can't hurt to check again), and the hashimotos and graves antibodies tests. I went undiagnosed for 6 years because my TSH was always kinda normal but when they finally checked my antibodies they were over 1900 with a healthy range of 0-25 and so it turns out my immune system had been attacking my thyroid, essentially killing it, for awhile. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Autoimmune disease. Once I got on thyroid replacement meds my symptoms went away, my antibodies started calming down gradually, and my blood thyroid levels looked a lot more ideal. I tend to have insomnia with hypo levels, but I'll be dragging and exhausted during the day. Some other symptoms are weight gain/inability to lose weight with exercise, dry skin, feeling cold all the time (if you for example did basal body temperatures for TTC charting you would see unusually low normal body temperatures every morning, like my 'normal' was 96.5). You can also have brain fog, depression, and hair loss. For hyperthyroidism you tend to see insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations, feeling hot, losing weight/inability to gain weight, etc. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Thanks for the info! I tried to call the pharmacy to see what the doctor was giving me, but they had me on hold for so long I got tired of waiting. I wish I knew what questions to ask when I was on the phone with him. My sister also has some kind of thyroid issue but I don't remember the particulars. I know she had most or all of her thyroid removed as a teenager, but I had a new baby with colic and other issues and those months are very foggy. I'll have to call her in the morning. She doesn't really like to talk about it too much - I know the surgery was very traumatic for her. Gaining weight sounds more like hypothyroid, and that would be a crazy high number for say Free T4's, whose lab range is usually 0.6-1.6. TSH on the other hand often has a range of 0.5-5.0 so it would be a pretty normal 'high' result for a TSH. Anyway, my guess is he's talking about your TSH. TSH is technically a pituitary hormone and it's the hormone that tells your thyroid to make more T4 and T3, which are the hormones that kinda energize your body. So more TSH means your thyroid is under-producing T4 and T3 and your brain is telling it to get off its lazy butt and make more ;) But then again the heat intolerance sounds kinda more like hyperthyroid? And if your brother has Graves you could too, which would cause hyperthyroidism. High TSH = hypothyroid Low TSH = hyperthyroid Low Free T4/ Low Free T3 = hypothyroid High Free T4/ high Free T3 = hyperthyroid Hypothyroid is often associated with Hashimotos Autoimmune disease, Hyperthyroid with Graves disease. If you're postpartum sometimes it can go high or low unrelated to those, it's just your body going out of whack from hormones and will usually get better by 1 year postpartum. And I think theoretically you can get hypo or hyper without having Hashimotos or Graves but I'm not sure. I would ask for your results asap and maybe if they didn't already ask for a follow-up lab with Free T4, Free T3, TSH (can't hurt to check again), and the hashimotos and graves antibodies tests. I went undiagnosed for 6 years because my TSH was always kinda normal but when they finally checked my antibodies they were over 1900 with a healthy range of 0-25 and so it turns out my immune system had been attacking my thyroid, essentially killing it, for awhile. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Autoimmune disease. Once I got on thyroid replacement meds my symptoms went away, my antibodies started calming down gradually, and my blood thyroid levels looked a lot more ideal. I tend to have insomnia with hypo levels, but I'll be dragging and exhausted during the day. Some other symptoms are weight gain/inability to lose weight with exercise, dry skin, feeling cold all the time (if you for example did basal body temperatures for TTC charting you would see unusually low normal body temperatures every morning, like my 'normal' was 96.5). You can also have brain fog, depression, and hair loss. For hyperthyroidism you tend to see insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations, feeling hot, losing weight/inability to gain weight, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hm, thyroid removal sounds like Graves, they usually do that when it's hyper and won't calm down I think. I hope the doctor calls you back tomorrow and you're able to get some reassuring and clear answers. It's always a pain when you have a new diagnosis that's all vague and the doctor acts like obviously you as the patient know exactly what he meant when he said your levels were elevated, lol! You'll feel lots better once you have answers. Either way it's not urgent or dire luckily, so you have time to get your answers, do some research, and follow-up sometime in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 If this was routine bloodwork, I would guess that's your tsh level, which would indicate hypothyroid. I would call your dr's office back and at least talk with the nurse to get a better explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 I would guess TSH and hypo if it was routine bloodwork as well. I have cousins who are hyper/Graves but my mom and I are hypo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Based on the Dr. giving me levothyroxine I guess it is hypo. Talked to my sister this morning - she has Hashimoto's, and had 3/4 of her thyroid removed due to a benign growth when she was in high school. Thanks everyone for your replies! I will have to do some reading before my appointment but a nurse is calling me today to discuss the results. I see an ENT right down the street next week for vertigo, so I will probably ask them about it too. A good deal of their practice seems to be dealing with thyroid issues, so perhaps their group can handle this instead of my GP, who is 45 minutes away. My sister sees an endocrinologist. Is that necessary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Generally you want an endocrinologist or naturopath and check that the endo specializes in thyroid. Because most really focus on diabetes and aren't as up to date on thyroid stuff. Levothyroxine is for hypo so you're right that must have been tsh. I'd insist on the other tests I mentioned, especially the ones for thyroid antibodies. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Thanks! Generally you want an endocrinologist or naturopath and check that the endo specializes in thyroid. Because most really focus on diabetes and aren't as up to date on thyroid stuff. Levothyroxine is for hypo so you're right that must have been tsh. I'd insist on the other tests I mentioned, especially the ones for thyroid antibodies. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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