# Help with Labs



## chickoftampa (Oct 6, 2010)

Can someone please help me understand my Lab work?

TSH 2.23
T4(free) 1.15
TSI 53%
T3 133
TPO 6
Cortisol 23.8
Vitamin D 24.6

The cortisol level was repeated today but don't have results. I did a steroid supressed test to see if my cortisol changes. I am now on a supplement for Vit D.

My biggest question is should I have a TSI level? Someone told me that if you have that then your antibodies are off. Can Anyone Help?

I was on synthroid two years ago for 3 months, due to abnormal levels. After 3 months i became hypo and my endocrinologist removed me and I have been on meds ,for thyroid, since.

I am extremely tired, depressed/anxious, muscle aches, heart races, gained 10 lbs(over the last 3 months), and seem very scatter brained.

Any info anyone can give me would be great!


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## GD Women (Mar 5, 2007)

Your thyroid levels look good. However, a FT-3 would have been more help. You TSI suggest Graves'. You could tweak your dose up to get a lower or better TSH level and of course that probably will automatically up your FTs a little as well.


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## chickoftampa (Oct 6, 2010)

So my TSI DOES suggest Graves? Im new to ALL of this and trying to figure it out. 
I need to request to have a FT-3? What will that indicate?

Thank you SO much for responding!


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## chopper (Mar 4, 2007)

Hello and welcome. Essentially yes, normal people have ZERO TSI. You have it in your system so your numbers are gonna be all over the place.

Were you tested regularly over the years? Also I don't understand your meds history. What you wrote in your post is contradictory. If you were deemed hypo you would be kept on meds, not taken off.

Take the time to read this and see if any of this applies:

http://www.thyroidboards.com/hashitoxicosis

Good luck getting fixed in Tampa! .


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## GD Women (Mar 5, 2007)

TSH and both FT levels on how they relate to each other can tell more about the thyroid status. For instance if you have early Graves' or late Graves'. In other cases early Hashi stage or late Hashi and much more depending how all three levels relate to each other.

Next time it will also help to post your Lab reference range for all three levels.

Your FT-4 looks a little on the low end of the range (scale) and depending where your FT-3 is on the range (scale) could suggest something else might be going on.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

chickoftampa said:


> Can someone please help me understand my Lab work?
> 
> TSH 2.23
> T4(free) 1.15
> ...


Hi there and welcome!! With TSI @ 53%; that says hyperthyroid. You should have no TSI at all; period.

On the other stuff, having ranges would be terribly helpful as different labs use different ranges.

Here is TSI info........
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/endocrine/graves/TopicAnswer.asp?QuestionID=22

Results and Values
What do the test results mean?
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


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## chickoftampa (Oct 6, 2010)

well my endocrinologist says im perfectly fine. he said that i have no need to worry about my TSI because it is "not that elevated". i stated that i didn't think i should have any TSI level and he said "well you probably have an autoimmune disease,but your thyroid levels are all in range. he said there was no need to order a Free T3. I am so frustrated and still feel bad. i don't know what to do now. btw my cortisol level went down to 17(normal range) after taking the steroids.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

chickoftampa said:


> well my endocrinologist says im perfectly fine. he said that i have no need to worry about my TSI because it is "not that elevated". i stated that i didn't think i should have any TSI level and he said "well you probably have an autoimmune disease,but your thyroid levels are all in range. he said there was no need to order a Free T3. I am so frustrated and still feel bad. i don't know what to do now. btw my cortisol level went down to 17(normal range) after taking the steroids.


My advice is to find another doctor who understands this stuff. It is typical to have your thyroid levels in range because there are binding, blocking and stimulating antibodies. One stops the other. So the messages are not being sent to the rest of you. Simple way to explain.

Once again and I furnished proof to you. You should have no TSI. None, zero, zilch.

Free T3 is your active hormone. It is what is available for cellular uptake.

Here is a place so you can learn about the FREEs and other stuff.

Understanding thyroid lab tests.....http://www.amarillomed.com/howto

Please try to find a better doctor.


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## greatdanes (Sep 25, 2010)

chickoftampa said:


> well my endocrinologist says im perfectly fine. he said that i have no need to worry about my TSI because it is "not that elevated". i stated that i didn't think i should have any TSI level and he said "well you probably have an autoimmune disease,but your thyroid levels are all in range. he said there was no need to order a Free T3. I am so frustrated and still feel bad. i don't know what to do now. btw my cortisol level went down to 17(normal range) after taking the steroids.


Your body your health. Don't ever let a doctor tell you that you can't have a test. They are serving YOU, You are making their pockets fat! You are your best advocate!! I would get all 4 tests for thyroid antibodies to see if you have hashi-toxicosis. I'm in a similar boat, but all my labs have read hyper or slightly hyper, never hypo.


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## greatdanes (Sep 25, 2010)

Oh, and what's up with all these ENDO's not knowing that TSI AB indicate graves??????


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

greatdanes said:


> Oh, and what's up with all these ENDO's not knowing that TSI AB indicate graves??????


More importantly, why do they not know the the healthy person should have NO TSI (thryoid stimulating immunoglobulin?)

They say it's in range and you are fine. This is just too too scary. The range is only to detect movement of the immunoglobulin either up or down as the case may be so you can see if the patient is recovering.


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## mememe (Mar 18, 2010)

Both endos I've been to, also ignored my TSI and said it is okay since it is in "normal range". I COMPLETELY understand how you are feeling. The last doc also told me I do not need an uptake scan test when I asked about it. Just keep trying to find a new doctor!


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## McKenna (Jun 23, 2010)

My endo also ignored my TSI b/c it was *only* 103! He said it was under 125 so I was fine and didn't have Graves. It's downright dangerous what they do to us sometimes! My TSI went down to 40-something about two months ago and I have no idea what it is right now.

My endo did tell me I have hashitoxicosis and I'm scheduled for a TT in two weeks. This should put an end to this hyper-hypo nonsense.


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## usmc4myson (Sep 26, 2010)

Honestly, this is enough to make me-at age 41- want to go to medical school and become the best darn endocrinologist there ever was! I'd specialize in thyroid only. Can I get a witness??!!! :a1Thyroid:

My theory is that thyroid disorders are not as cut and dry as diabetes, so most endos don't want the hassle of trying to figure us out! We can be a persistent bunch too, and they don't like it!!

If you've got a great endo, you're really really lucky.


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## GD Women (Mar 5, 2007)

There is no treatment for antibodies regardless if they are present. They treat thyroid levels and if the thyroid levels are in Labs then there is nothing to treat. Nor should they treat by symptoms alone.

If you have symptoms and don't have a wholesome diet, take nutritional supplements, exercise to tolerance, get physical treatment as needed and abstain from taking metabolism-slowing drugs each day (such as beta-blockers, muscle relaxants, and narcotics) raises the possibility that your symptoms are caused by the issue addressed above. For example, if you don't take nutritional supplements, nutritional deficiencies may the cause of your symptoms. In that case, taking nutritional supplements would relieve the symptoms.

If you do all the above, it's suggested to find an alternative doctor who is cooperative and collaborative. The doctor should be competent at differentiating medical disorders that might be causing your symptoms. For example, low adrenal function is a common cause of some of the symptoms. 
A doctor competent at diagnosis can help you determine the cause-whether it's hypothyroidism or some other disorder.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

McKenna said:


> My endo also ignored my TSI b/c it was *only* 103! He said it was under 125 so I was fine and didn't have Graves. It's downright dangerous what they do to us sometimes! My TSI went down to 40-something about two months ago and I have no idea what it is right now.
> 
> My endo did tell me I have hashitoxicosis and I'm scheduled for a TT in two weeks. This should put an end to this hyper-hypo nonsense.


And wishing you the best tomorrow!! 10-27-10 The long-awaited thyroid ablation will be behind you.

When you can crawl to the PC, we will be soooooooooooooo glad to hear from you!


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## McKenna (Jun 23, 2010)

Thanks Andros! :hugs:

I'm going to call the hospital and see if they have wi fi. LOL!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

McKenna said:


> Thanks Andros! :hugs:
> 
> I'm going to call the hospital and see if they have wi fi. LOL!


Might as well live it up; right?

This hugs for you


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## McKenna (Jun 23, 2010)

usmc4myson said:


> Honestly, this is enough to make me-at age 41- want to go to medical school and become the best darn endocrinologist there ever was! I'd specialize in thyroid only. Can I get a witness??!!! :a1Thyroid:
> 
> My theory is that thyroid disorders are not as cut and dry as diabetes, so most endos don't want the hassle of trying to figure us out! We can be a persistent bunch too, and they don't like it!!
> 
> If you've got a great endo, you're really really lucky.


I volunteer to be your first patient!

One of the nurses in my endo's office told me that they usually don't see "complicated cases" like mine. She also told me her daughter has a lot of the same symptoms as mine, labs showing hypo, hyper symptoms, and my high uptake and TSI and she doesn't know how to help her b/c they don't see it often. She said she has been an endo nurse for 20+ years and can't help her own daughter. I'm going to tell her to read The Thyroid Solution, which helped me understand a lot.

My opinion is that they DO see cases like mine in his office, but he ignores it and pushes antidepressants and anxiety meds, like he tried to do with me. It was because of this site and reading a lot (especially The Thyroid Solution) that I started to realize that the problem wasn't in my mind or my doing, but that I had a real problem.

The day he saw my high TSI level, my endo sent me out of his office with a script and starter packet of Cymbalta and told me that stress makes my symptoms worse and that if I don't calm down and stop being anxious that I will not heal. Well, both of those went in the trash and *isn't it funny that when my TSI went down in the 40's that my anxiety went away??!!* But he sees no connection b/c my labs showed hypo. Forget binding and blocking antibodies....he doesn't look beyond TSH.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

McKenna said:


> I volunteer to be your first patient!
> 
> One of the nurses in my endo's office told me that they usually don't see "complicated cases" like mine. She also told me her daughter has a lot of the same symptoms as mine, labs showing hypo, hyper symptoms, and my high uptake and TSI and she doesn't know how to help her b/c they don't see it often. She said she has been an endo nurse for 20+ years and can't help her own daughter. I'm going to tell her to read The Thyroid Solution, which helped me understand a lot.
> 
> ...


In some ways we have not moved forward in out society. It is still, "Give the little woman something to shut her up and shut her down."

My bad!:evilgrin0025:


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