[barbra]

#1181149

Hi Sue,

When I called the endo my levels were:

FT4 0.4 Ref. 0.7 – 1.8
TSH 34.1 Ref. 0.4 – 5.5

After 2 weeks, and with another 2 weeks to go before my next labs, I absolutely could not function and I told him so.

I think he added the Cytomel, T3, to see if would help, and it did! But, it produces some of the symptoms of being hyper, like looser bowel movements, slightly accelerated heartbeat and some weight loss. I did notice the weight loss when, after stuffing myself and thinking every waking moment about food, I lost 4 pounds. None of the symptoms were near as severe as when I was hyper. I was, and still am, able to get stuff done and feel pretty good but I am on my last day with it and really hoping that with the increase of the Levothyroxine to 75mcg I won’t have to beg or threaten the endo for more Cytomel. Just kidding!?

Maybe the fact that I’m 70 years old has something to do with the 2 week limit he set. Maybe he just wanted to cover the 2 weeks to my next labs to see what the results would be. I’m not really sure. All I know is that it made me feel human again.

I had labs done 2 days ago and I’m going to pick up a hard copy from the endo’s office today.

Hugs.

Barbra.

[barbra]

#1181150

Just a quick update here.

The new levels are:

FT4 0.7 Ref: 0.7 – 1.8
TSH 26.8 Ref: 0.4 – 5.5

And I feel pretty good. Quick, somebody knock on wood.

I have 2 questions.
1.] Why are the references for the thyroid levels different at some labs? Why aren’t they universal?
2.] Has anybody heard from Boomer? I miss his humor.

Hugs.

Barbra.

[Kimberly]

#1181151

Hello – Haven’t heard from Boomer for a while…hope that he is doing well!

Dr. Douglas Ross at Mass General tackled the question about differences in TSH ranges on one of the GDATF’s past newsletters. Turns out there are a lot of factors involved! There are different “kits” available for testing TSH, as well as different processes for doing the actual testing. Issues like local water quality and temperature in the laboratory can have an impact as well. Finally, some organizations argue that the upper limit of TSH should be lowered to account for the fact that many so-called “normal” people actually have undiagnosed hypothyroidism. It would be great if there was one universal test, but for now, we are stuck with a patchwork of processes!

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1181152

I haven’t heard from him, either, even after sending him a private message a few weeks ago. Maybe I better dig up his e-mail address and try that way.
Sue

[Raspberry]

#1181153

Barbra, glad you are feeling better! Only one time I got slightly below the bottom of the FT4 range and I felt like I could barely stay awake and be alive. This thyroid stuff is tough! I hope your endo prescribes enough of the right stuff for you.

[barbra]

#1181154

@Kimberly,
Thanks for the info. I’m surprised that so many things influence the test results, that’s interesting.

@Sue,
The reason I asked about Boomer is because he was a week ahead of me with the RAI and I thought he was kind of paving the way.
I also hope that he’s OK.

@Raspberry,
Right now I’m only taking the 75mcg of Levothyroxine, 50mg of Losartan Potassium and Ambien 5mg.
So far so good.
I noticed that I am not near as hungry as I was, but even though I lost 4 pounds I still feel fat as a tick.
Oh well, one thing at a time.

I feel fine, but don’t say it out loud because as we all know it could turn at any time and hit me in the face.

Hugs,

Barbra.

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