# Doctors say my thyroid is fine but I'm not so sure?



## evief (Apr 11, 2012)

I've been suffering various symptoms of hypothyroidism for a couple of years. The symptoms are gradually getting worse but no doctor I've seen has thought I might have a thyroid problem.

My problems started a couple of years ago when my menstrual cycles went out of whack and I started gaining weight and feeling tired. I was told the menstrual problems and tiredness where due to weight gain. I tried to lose weight with no real success. I then started losing my hair and was referred to and endocrinologist who diagnosed me with PCOS. He also tested my thyroid which was normal. I was told to lose weight to help with the PCOS but I just couldn't shift it and was still losing my hair getting more tired etc. He put me on birth control to help with the PCOS but it didn't relieve any of my symptoms. They kept getting worse especially the hair loss. He took two more thyroid tests during this time and said they were normal.

I then went to a dermatologist about my hair and she ordered some bloods and she was the first one to mention a possible thyroid problem. The test results were still normal but when she compared them with the older ones my free T4 was gradually falling and my TSH was getting higher. She wrote to the endo about it and he assured me that my levels were normal and my thyroid was fine. I didn't really know anything about the thyroid or how it worked so I accepted that.

Since then my symptoms have been getting worse. I've had to stop work and move back in with my parents. I've been reading more about the thyroid and I really believed there was something wrong. I thought maybe I just had a useless doctor. I went to a new endo where I'm living now and I really expected him to consider the possibility and he did order tests, which where worse, but since they're still normal he says there's nothing wrong with my thyroid.

I'm getting so frustrated, I feel like it's so obvious there's something wrong. The doctor has no explanation for what's going on with my thyroid he just insists it's perfectly healthy but to me the fact that the TSH is steadily going up and the freeT4 is going down shows that my pituitary is having to work harder and harder.

I don't have the results of every test but the free T4 has gradually decreased from 22.5 to 13.4. The TSH has increased from 1.7 to 3.2
Are there other problems that can cause the thyroid to behave this way?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

evief said:


> I've been suffering various symptoms of hypothyroidism for a couple of years. The symptoms are gradually getting worse but no doctor I've seen has thought I might have a thyroid problem.
> 
> My problems started a couple of years ago when my menstrual cycles went out of whack and I started gaining weight and feeling tired. I was told the menstrual problems and tiredness where due to weight gain. I tried to lose weight with no real success. I then started losing my hair and was referred to and endocrinologist who diagnosed me with PCOS. He also tested my thyroid which was normal. I was told to lose weight to help with the PCOS but I just couldn't shift it and was still losing my hair getting more tired etc. He put me on birth control to help with the PCOS but it didn't relieve any of my symptoms. They kept getting worse especially the hair loss. He took two more thyroid tests during this time and said they were normal.
> 
> ...


Here are some tests that are going to help you sort this out and when you get them, not only do we need the results, we need the ranges also as different labs use different ranges.

It sounds to me like you do have a thyroid issue. It "really" does!

TSI
Normally, there is no TSI in the blood. If TSI is found in the blood, this indicates that the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is the cause of the of a person's hyperthyroidism. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html

TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

TSH ref. range
http://www.endocrinetoday.com/view.aspx?rid=28716

Also, an ultra-sound of your thyroid would be very very important!

Not at all impressed w/your doctor's explanation...................


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