# Been Hypo for 5 years...



## MandaJean (Feb 16, 2010)

And have NEVER, I repeat NEVER, had "normal" range bloodwork.

Hi all! I am looking for some theories other than what my Quack doctors and myself have.

When I first thought that I was a hypochondriac, my bloodwork showed a TSH of 67. Doc 1 put me on 25 mcg of Levothyroxine. Uh, yea right, 6 weeks later, TSH was at 89. So, to 200 mcg we went. Ultrasound was normal, a little enlarged but nothing looked bad.

Over the course of the next few years and Doc 2, my TSH played around 30. I started exercising and I changed my eating habits. Stopped taking the meds because I just wasn't feeling any better. Hair still fell out, still cold, still tired all the time, joints hurt, etc.

I lost 25 pounds over a few months, and my TSH went to 17 off of meds. Figured I should start taking the T4 again to appease my doctor, but at the advice of others I chose the Synthroid instead of doing the Generic. Maybe that was part of the original problem. Nope. After a year, and the same symptoms, I stopped taking the T4 again the beginning of January. Doc 3 is now starting over like I am a fresh patient. (She was glad that I took it upon myself to stop my meds in this case)

Bloodwork 2 weeks ago, and uptake scan/ultrasound next monday...

It is like pulling teeth to get the nurses to tell you your lab results. :sick0025:

But here we are, as I sit, no meds until after next Monday...

Free T3 - 168.6 (I thought maybe I wasn't converting, but this looks like I am, right?)
Free T4 - .70 (low)
TSH - 12.09 (Off of meds, lowest I have been in the last 5 years)
Antibodies - 50.7 (This seems on the high end of the normal scale.)

Any thoughts from any more experienced than me?

Thanks.


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## MandaJean (Feb 16, 2010)

Maybe she tested for Total T3 instead of Free. The ranges for Free T3 is NOT where my 168.6 is. I am going to go by and get my hard copy of the labs at lunch. I will definitely find out then.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

MandaJean said:


> And have NEVER, I repeat NEVER, had "normal" range bloodwork.
> 
> Hi all! I am looking for some theories other than what my Quack doctors and myself have.
> 
> ...


Hi, MandaJean and welcome to the board. Wow! You have some unusual numbers there in that they are not the norm. When I see numbers like yours, I firstly suspect cancer of the thyroid and secondly suspect hyperthyroid. As strange as that may sound.

So, I will be personally anxious to know of the results of your radioactive uptake scan and even though ranges were not included (in the future, we need them) it is quite clear that your FT3 is through the roof.

The reason your TSH is always so high is that I believe you have thyroid receptor antibodies going on. Trab And these are often found in hyperthyroid/Graves'.

So, from a clinical standpoint, what are your symptoms? Goiter, eye involvement, pretibial myxedema................any thing like that?

Wonder what Antibodies' test that was that you had?


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## MandaJean (Feb 16, 2010)

I don't have any visually physical issues. Other than normal dry skin, but I have had that problem since childhood. No Eye problems, other than around the time my thyroid shut down, my eye sight went down as well. (not much, just mildly, night vision mostly)

Other than hair loss, and thin outer eye browns, my symptoms are more internal.

Little to No weightloss even workingout and restricting calories.
Run down, sluggish 95% of the time
Cold intolerance
night sweats
depression
long recovery after workouts (I lift weights regularly)

My thyroid is slightly enlarged, but it has been as long as I can remember. Even before my levels were elevated.

What I believe started all of this is 6 rounds of antibiotics to treat Strep over a year and a half time frame. That is the only thing that I can think of that happened around the same time.

I didn't get a chance to leave work at lunch, but I will post the ranges and definites on my lab work when I get my results.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

MandaJean said:


> Maybe she tested for Total T3 instead of Free. The ranges for Free T3 is NOT where my 168.6 is. I am going to go by and get my hard copy of the labs at lunch. I will definitely find out then.


That would be really really good. I would like to have a closer look with the lab ranges. Different labs do use different ranges.

It is not good to guess; especially when one's health is at stake.


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## MandaJean (Feb 16, 2010)

Got my labs:

Here are the results:

Vitamin B12 - 536 (211-911)
Folate - 11.83 (>5.38)

T3 - Triiodothyronine - 168.6 (60-181)
FT4 - Thyroxine Free - .70 (.89-1.76)
Thyroglobulin Serum - 50.7 (< 60)
Thyroid Peroxidas-Microsom - >6500 (<60) - Not sure what this is. Seems way off the charts but they didn't highlight it as a problem
RT3 - Triiodothyronine, Reverse - 201 (90-350)
TSH - 12.09 (.34-5.60) - Lowest in years without medicine

She also did my CBC (blood counts) and CMP (metabolic panel). Those were in range. I can post those if it would help, but all seemed normal on those ends.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

MandaJean said:


> Got my labs:
> 
> Here are the results:
> 
> ...


That is really high TPO. Goodness. No wonder. And that was a Total T3 not a Free T3 so I am really glad you got the hard copies.

Well..........things look mighty suspicious to me. At a glance, one would think you are hypo but I think you are flitting back and forth.

When will you get the results from the uptake scan?

You may find this interesting..........

Conversion of T4 to T3 and Reverse-T3: A Summary

The thyroid gland secretes mostly T4 and very little T3. Most of the T3 that drives cell metabolism is produced by action of the enzyme named 5'-deiodinase, which converts T4 to T3. (We pronounce the "5'-" as "five-prime.") Without this conversion of T4 to T3, cells have too little T3 to maintain normal metabolism; metabolism then slows down. T3, therefore, is the metabolically active thyroid hormone. For the most part, T4 is metabolically inactive. T4 "drives" metabolism only after the deiodinase enzyme converts it to T3.

Another enzyme called 5-deiodinase continually converts some T4 to reverse-T3. Reverse-T3 does not stimulate metabolism. It is produced as a way to help clear some T4 from the body.

Under normal conditions, cells continually convert about 40% of T4 to T3. They convert about 60% of T4 to reverse-T3. Hour-by-hour, conversion of T4 continues with slight shifts in the percentage of T4 converted to T3 and reverse-T3. Under normal conditions, the body eliminates reverse-T3 rapidly. Other enzymes quickly convert reverse-T3 to T2 and T2 to T1, and the body eliminates these molecules within roughly 24-hours. (The process of deiodination in the body is a bit more complicated than I can explain in this short summary.) The point is that the process of deiodination is dynamic and constantly changing, depending on the body's needs.

Under certain conditions, the conversion of T4 to T3 decreases, and more reverse T3 is produced from T4. Three of these conditions are food deprivation (as during fasting or starvation), illness (such as liver disease), and stresses that increase the blood level of the stress hormone called cortisol. We assume that reduced conversion of T4 to T3 under such conditions slows metabolism and aids survival.

There is much more here if you would care to read it all........
http://www.drlowe.com/QandA/askdrlowe/thymetab.htm


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## MandaJean (Feb 16, 2010)

I am reading that link now.

I have been looking at exactly what a high TPO means, but I haven't found any resources that state a TPO greater than 6500. Any ideas on that?

I have my uptake and ultrasound done on Monday. Hopefully will know something early next week.


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## MandaJean (Feb 16, 2010)

I just got back from completing my Uptake and my ultrasound.

The ultrasound was as I expected. I can feel a nodule on my left front, and it showed up WHITE. There is also a round spot on the left that showed up BLACK. Any ideas what the difference could be?

I should know something in 2 or 3 days from the Doctor.


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