[Alexa]

#1018421

Hi everybody, I am a newbie here and I’d like to get some opinions concerning my thyroid.

For a start, here is a little bit of background..
I am 18 years old as of yesterday and I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism when I was 15. My parents and I were given options on which treatment to choose and decided on radioactive iodine. About a year later, I found out it was unsuccessful and was treated once more with radioactive iodine.. and it seems to have done the trick. My original endo had trouble getting my dosage right but I am currently on Synthroid 88mcg and have been fairly stable on it for about a year now. My insurance changed about 2 months ago so I had to leave my original endocrinologist so I do not have an endo at the moment but just a regular physician that I have seen about 2-3 times.

I must also note that last month I had an allergic reaction to Amoxicillin, and since then I have noticed some changes in my body. My pulse is about 100-125 bpm and have been feeling a bit fatigue. They checked to see if there was any enlargement in my heart or blockage but they came back normal. So my new doctor checked my thyroid levels and the results were:

TSH: 0.16 — RANGE: 0.10 – 5.50 uIu/mL
T4 Free 1.6 — RANGE: 0.7 – 1.6ng/dL

Since they came out in range, she doesn’t think she needs to refer me to an endocrinologist unless I get new symptoms..

Although my levels are in range, do you think that my thyroid may have a part to play in this?

Thank you for your time and I apologize that it is a bit to read.

[Bobbi]

#1064692

Hi, Alexa, and welcome to our board.

If it were me, I would take my pulse immediately upon waking up for a few days, and keep a log of the results. That is the "resting" pulse rate, I think. Anyway, it is a good indicator of whether or not your heart is working overtime. If that resting pulse rate is high (and what "high" means, I’m not sure, but when we first wake up, our pulse should be at its slowest — unless we’ve just had a major nightmare), then I would go into the doctor, and politely nag. When I was hyperthyroid — seriously hyperthyroid — my resting pulse was 108. Doctors are trained to look at numbers, but they also will consider "objective," verifiable symptoms data — like pulse rate, number of bowel movements a day, whether there are tremors, number of hours you can sleep, etc. — if pushed. (You could also keep a log of those symptoms for a week or so.) When someone is at the edge of normal — as your tests show — making slight adjustments in the replacement hormone dose can make a difference. Some of us are not "normal" at the very edge of the normal range. There will be symptoms. We need a doctor that will pay attention to those symptoms.

Additionally: a dose change does NOT have to be a whole step up or down in replacement pill (i.e. like going from .88 to .50). Some of us — myself and Ski and Jake, for example — take one dose most days of the week, and either a different dose on other days, or a skipped dose. Replacement hormone has a relatively long life in the body so it is possible to find doses between the pharmaceutically manufactured ones by alternating pills or skipping them.

[Alexa]

#1064693

Thank you for the welcome and response Bobbi. I will do as you mentioned and keep a log of my resting heart rate and symptoms. I have decided to see my original endo as a cash patient as I trust his judgment more so than a doctor I have just met.

Again, thank you for your response. I very much appreciate it.

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