[Anonymous February 22, 1997 at 10:37 pm Post count: 93172]

#1056868

OK I know this is going to really sound dumb….but…..here goes. Exactly what test results should I be concerned about? I see TSH talked about quite a bit and T-3 and T-4 levels, etc. ,,,,,,I have to say I don’t know what any of my original test results were, everybody just became fairly excited and within an hour I was taking PTU. I was told that my thyroid is so large that RAI or surgery would be out of the question until my condition stabalized. I see the endo this Tuesday and I’d like to be able to come out of that meeting a little better informed.

thanks LT

[Anonymous February 22, 1997 at 11:11 pm Post count: 93172]

#1164612

Dear Linda, some docs will, at your request make sure that
you get a copy of your tests results. It is a good idea, then you can
track changes and ask questions etc. They are your tests… so that
would be a good start to have them. But we have to know to ask.
On the results it usually has a column stating what normal is for
that given lab for that given test. It is important to only
compare according to the lab’s standards. You need to ask the doctor
what the tests reveal to him. Don’t be frightened, my numbers were
awful, awful, awful. I began taking Tapazole and they have steadily
declined. I began to feel a difference within ten days. I will find
out soon if they are close to or approaching normal. I was tested
again yesterday. On 11/05/96 my “free T-3 was 2,510, (two-thousand
five hundred ten). Normal is 210 to 440. By 12/27/96 free T-3 was down to
589 and I was only taking 10mg of Tapazole.

I am sure the PTU is already making your scary numbers lower. Hope
you do well with all this. There is lots of material you can read
from NGDF on the home page and when you join and request phamplets.
Take care. Jeannette

[Anonymous February 23, 1997 at 10:10 am Post count: 93172]

#1164613

Hi Patricia,

Sounds like you’re probably hyperthyroid. However, without the exact ranges,
usually listed on the lab report, I have no idea what your results
mean except that TSH is undetectable.

LindaT

[Anonymous February 23, 1997 at 10:18 am Post count: 93172]

#1164614

Hi Linda,

This is the other Linda that posts occasionally. Don’t feel dumb not
knowing what all this means. I knew very little, almost nothing about
this disease when I was diagnosed. Start reading, this group, library
books, web searches, etc. It all gels eventually.

I noticed your initials at the end (LT). Interesting, same as mine.
You must have been born in the 50’s, Linda was a very common name in
55-57. I was born in 56 and used to have as many as 5 Linda’s in a class
of 30 during school years.

Linda T.

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