[djay1]

#1019846

Hi Everyone. Does anyone else have a low body temperature. I am currently on .112 mg of Synthroid. Is this a lot?
My temperature is usually 95.5 most days. It can go up to 97.0 sometimes. My pulse averages 56. I am tired most of the time, can’t seem to remember anything, and my body aches. When I see the doctor, he tells me my thyroid levels are perfect and my temperature is 97.0 I think I am hypothyroid, but the doctor’s tests prove otherwise. Any thoughts? I had my blood drawn Thursday, and I see him tomorrow for the results. Thanks.

[Ski]

#1074523

I’m not sure whether low body temperature can be related to thyroid function ~ I know some people generally "run low" in body temperature (one of my children does), but is this a new phenomenon with you? I’m not sure how far away from 98.6 you have to be before doctors are concerned.

Now, as far as you thinking you are hypothyroid and your doctor saying you are not ~ the range of normal is wide, and people have their own personal normal points at many places along the continuum. Make sure you are getting copies of all of your test results, so you can see where you fall. TSH is a "reverse" indicator of thyroid hormone, because it is a hormone excreted in response to pituitary readings of your thyroid hormone levels. Thus, when TSH is low, the T4 levels should be high, and vice versa. Not all doctors test T4 (TSH is considered much more reliable), which is why I mention this reverse relationship. If you think you are hypo, and when you look at your TSH test results you see that they are at the higher end of the normal range, the test result may be saying that this level is hypo FOR YOU. Ask your doctor if they’re willing to shift your replacement hormone dose up one measurement to see if you feel better and your levels still stay in the normal range. It’s going to take about six weeks for your body to fully metabolize the change in dose and for your TSH tests to tell you accurately the reaction your body is having to the new dose. In the meantime, you may feel a little hyper one day, a little hypo the next. That’s very normal. Wait the six weeks and see where your levels stand, and how you feel. In the meantime, make yourself a "symptom diary" (we have a sample available as a bulletin, I believe) and show it to your doctor at your next appointment. It is much easier to speak with authority to your doctor if you have data to back you up (they love that stuff!). ” title=”Very Happy” />

If you go through this process and the new dose makes you hyperthyroid (it can happen), then it may be possible to shift your dose by "half" a measurement by taking one dose one day, another dose the next. The effective average dose is between the two, and T4 replacement is also averaged in your bloodstream over time, so it wouldn’t mean that you’d feel hyper on the day you take the higher dose and hypo on the other days. It’d all even out.

If you go through this process and you don’t notice any difference in how you’re feeling, it’s time to ask your doctor where you SHOULD go for help. We tend to get into a trap where we think everything is related to our thyroid, and sometimes it’s just not. The doctors get into a habit of just looking at the test results and saying "it’s not your thyroid," patting the patient on the head and wishing you a good day. They need to remember that what’s going on is NOT normal and needs treatment one way or another to help you feel well. If the answer is for the endo to send you back to your general practitioner, so be it, but an acknowledgement of our issues and need for treatment is important.

[djay1]

#1074524

Thanks Ski. I will get my results tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, he tested all my levels. Unfortunately, it is too late to make a symptom diary. Next time! Thanks again.

[Author]

Posts