[erica]

#1017947

For more than 6 months now I have been having my old GD symptoms come back and wreak have on my life, so I went in for blood testing recently and for the first time ever have been doing research on GD and the thyroid. This site has been enormously helpful ” title=”Smile” />

I went in recently for blood work and had an appointment yesterday to go over the results. My labs were “normal” however due to the fact that I have had GD in the past and my laundry list of matching symptoms to before, my doctor prescribed me PTU. I had great luck with PTU in the past, I took it for two years and went into remission.

My doc ordered more labs to be done and I gave more blood yesterday for :Thryroid Stim Immunoglobin, Antithyroglobulin Ab, Antinuclear Antobodies Direct, and Thyroid Peroxidase. I wish she would have tested for these originally.

I am confused because I have “normal” TSH

Here are my past and present numbers, any insight would be very appreciated!

TSH 3/2010 .77 reference range : uIU/mL .350-5.500

TSH 5/2010 .51 reference range : uIU/mL .350-5.500

TSH 5/2011 (is confusing bc the reference range is different than the past tests)
.92 (reference range: uIU/mL .450-4.500)

Here are my other recent tests.

T4 (free direct): 1.4 ng/dl .82-1.77

Triiodothyronine, free, serum: 3.4 pg/ml 2.0-4.4

Unfortunately, for the past three years I have gone every year to a different doctor, so besides the TSH, the other thyroid tests are very confusing for me to compare, due to each test being in a different unit, so I can’t compare the tests.
Is it possible to have these results and have GD? The symptoms I am experiencing are the exact same as before when I had GD. My twitchy eye, palpitations, dizziness, and anxiety are the worst ones to deal with.

I am a bit worried about the long term effect of PTU. When the doctor said she was concerned about PTU problems, I said oh its ok I never had side effects. She said no, she meant for the long term. I would like to get pregnant someday (I am almost 34). Seeing as how my numbers are normal I don’t know if I should take the PTU, but I feel I must do something, anything for relief. It is important to note when in remission I felt great, no other health problems ever.

Any advice is helpful!!!

[Kimberly]

#1061788

Hello – We can’t interpret labs here, as we aren’t medical professionals, but I can at least give you some "food for thought"!

Sometimes our thyroid hormone levels can go on a bit of a rollercoaster ride before we end up with full-blown Graves’. So that could be the reason for the disconnect with your symptoms and labs. However, have you thought about getting a second opinion before starting on PTU again with normal labs? Side effects generally occur withing the first 90 days of treatment — and this period "resets" if you go off of the drugs and then re-start them. Methimazole/Tapazole is actually the preferred drug now, because it has a track record of fewer liver complications — although PTU is the preferred drug during the first trimester of pregnancy, due to the risk of two specific birth defects.

Also, if it turns out that you *aren’t* dealing with a Graves’ relapse, the PTU could potentially send you into hypO territory.

The antibody testing will hopefully shed some further light and help you make a decision as to how to proceed.

[erica]

#1061789

Thanks for the advice. Well I am up for all options, but I am not sure what a second opinion will do, as this doctor is not really doing anything but interpreting lab results, which show as normal. I am going to call and see what the lab tests showed from last week, I was hoping to get a call Friday, but I did not. If the antibodies are ok in the labs I do not know what to do. All my old Graves symptoms, without official Graves, kinda weird. I guess I should be happy the tests are good, but it leaves me feeling yucky and feeling iffy about taking PTU. I can’t take Methimazole because I am allergic to it, as I found out in my first bout with graves.

Thanks again, Erica

p.s. I do realize people can’t interpret my tests, but thought maybe someone else had run into the same situation. If so, was curious what they did.

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