# Tsh 15.4



## Enigma (Jun 13, 2011)

Hi all,

I just posted in the introduction section...but wanted to get a little more feedback on TSH.

I have had symptoms of hypO for probably 5 years now, but really concentrated the last 10 months. Just tested a couple of weeks ago for thyroid (even tho my doc said he thought it was stress) and my TSH was 15.4 (.4-4.0 range) and free T4 .9 (.8-??, can't remember).

I know my TSH is very high. But I am really frustrated with myself that I can't seem to get out of my own way, am soooooo tired, depressed, etc. I am also on meds for ADD and anxiety (which I think came from undiagnosed thyroid probs, or at least didn't help). Also seeing a cognitive psych.

my question is- how much should I be pushing myself?? I feel really crappy right now, but I want to do more, but just don't feel physically able. Am i being lazy? or is it reasonable to think that i may feel this lethargic with these numbers?

i just started meds under two weeks ago, and will go back for more blood tests in mid-July. i will ask for antibody tests at that time too.

thanks for any advice you may be able to give!!


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## northernlite (Oct 28, 2010)

I would be non-functional at 15.4!!! What I found before I started on medication and in my first 4 weeks on medication is that my energy was finite. When it was gone it was gone and then I just crashed.

You should only do what you are able, save your energy for the important things you need to do each day. You will be absolutely amazed as you feel yourself come back as the medication kicks in, you suddenly realize that "Wow today was a better day than yesterday" and it just keeps continuing. It took me about 12 days before I noticed the first improvements after I started on medication.

You might need a few increases in medication to get to the level where you feel great. Keep a file with your lab work and notes on it. Write what amount of medication you are on and what your current symptoms are.

I felt about 80% better when I got my TSH down to 2.0 but did not feel completely well until I got it under 1.0. It is not a quick process but it is best to do it slowly. Be picky with your doctor about your desire to feel well. My doctor tried to stop increasing my Levothyroxine when I was at 2.0 and I had to fight a bit to get the increase that made me feel well.

You are not lazy, your metabolism and energy level are very, very low right now and you just have to listen to your body.


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## Enigma (Jun 13, 2011)

thank you for the feedback and ideas! i will definitely keep a journal... good idea... i had started one earlier in the year, but didn't keep up with it. now i definitely need too. it gets too hard to remember what happened when and what meds i was on!

i am a teacher....so it's the end of the school year, as of tomorrow, and it is just killing me. i have nothing left at the end of the day, and all the other teachers keep telling me how sick i look. it's so annoying! i am just trying to make it through tomorrow then can relax as needed, and work on my own graduate work. this has been a long several months.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Enigma said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I just posted in the introduction section...but wanted to get a little more feedback on TSH.
> 
> ...


It has been my experience that in order to give the meds a chance to kick in, ease up on yourself and only do what you have to do to maintain status quo.

What med are you on and how much? Did doc tell you to come in every 8 weeks for labs so that your thyroxine replacement can be titrated as needed until you feel well?


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

You feel crappy because your body is telling you that _it's_ crappy. The physical and mental effects all run together. Don't push yourself to do everything all at once, you'll just burn out whatever energy you have left. It's hard to say "no" to family, friends, etc. who want to go here and do that. But sometimes you just have to so your body gets a break. Even if that means some folks will be frustrated or not really understand.

I know everyone's case is different, but I know how I felt last year with a TSH of nearly 7. I can't imagine how it feels with a TSH of 15.4 -- everyone here is right, take it easy and go slow. And also the log idea is great, I have one and it helps me remember how I was feeling a few weeks ago, instead of just guessing. This comes in handy when it's time to see the doctor, too.

Hang in there! :anim_32:


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## castledreams (Jun 13, 2011)

You are not being lazy! Your body doesn't have what it needs to function correctly. The thyroid controls multiple aspects of the bodily processes from how the hormones are produced to how the cells process their energy. I was undiagnosed for 3 years and they treated me for anxiety and depression and even suggested that it was all in my head because the medicines they were giving me made me delusional and psychotic. Go figure! I could not function I was sleeping 18 to 20 hours a day and horrible mood swings. My doctor kept telling me that my thyroid was fine that I just needed to do what I was told. My stomach issues continued to worsen and I eventually went to a GI and during his battery of tests he found out that my TSH level was 25.3! All that time my doctor had not been checking my TSH just the T3 and T4. If It had not been for that specialist I don't know where I would be today. I am still having troubles with my thyroid and it periodically goes south for the winter with another bout of weight gain. After 9 years I still do not know what type of thyroid disease I actually have. I hope to find out soon. Mine has went south again and it is only sitting at 5.6 and I cannot even get up to walk across the floor without being out of breath and every muscle in me just feels like jello. I recommend you see a specialist for this. Regular doctors I have found just don't have a lot of the knowledge to work with the specialized problems. I have went through 4 doctors and finally decided to go to an endocrinologist and hopefully she is as good as I think she is. So far she has been awesome. Don't give up! hugs3


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