High TSH level....Hypothyroidism?
I had bloodwork done last Wednesday as a routine test since it had been so long since I had been seen by a doctor or had bloodwork. I am 32 years old and finally got insurance so I went in because I had been experiencing slightly high blood pressure. I am scheduled to go back Friday for a follow-up. I was at the hospital with a friend and decided to get a copy of my lab reports just for curiosity and for my records. My TSH levels are at 40.25 which apparently is high so now I am wondering if I may have hypothyroidism. I read some of the symptoms online and I have just about every one of the them. What happens next?
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TSH of 40.25!?! That is extremely high! I thank God that you had these 'routine' tests! I bet you thought that all these symptoms were just normal signs of aging? That is what most think AND doctors try to make them think!
Thyroid disease is missed more than found. Three reasons: 1) not checking for antibodies; 2) going by wrong TSH 'normal' range; and, 3) not listening to symptoms.
You need testing for thyroid ANTIBODIES as well as TSH. TSH ‘norm’ should be .3 – 3 (w/ most feeling best at < 2, like maybe ONE) but, for diagnosis, may not mean much if ANTIBODIES are present which is indicative of Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroiditis (cycles between HYPER & HYPO at start)…it is the main cause of eventual HypOthyroidism but worse (...OR Graves Disease – HypERthyroid from beginning).
You will have to INSIST they test for the antibodies. [anti-TPO and TgAb] They can code so that ins will pay.
WARNING: Doctors seem not to want to find/treat thyroid disease. You may have to go to more than one doctor before you get the right tests, interpretation, and treatment. Best wishes.
ALWAYS GET COPIES OF YOUR LABS.
Ck these:
http://thyroid.about.com/bio/Mary-Shomon-350.htm
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
http://www.thyrophoenix.com/index.html
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/newsinfo/l/blguideline...
You will be put on a replacement thyroid hormone. If not, get another doctor!
God bless you
I don't think stress can cause high TSH. TSH levels are normally controlled by the levels of free T4 your in body. Sometimes other events can cause a high TSH. The only way to really know if your TSH is abnormally high is to see if the TSH is still high on a later test. With only one test, your TSH, which is not that much elevated over normal, may just be a normal fluctuation.
You have had high TSH values. Has your doctor run the complete thyroid test? Has he tested your free T4 and T3, and complete T4 and T3? If not check them once. TSH is 40.25 means your thyroid is working very lazy, and this causes you fatigue, weight gain, depression, irregular periods, cold intolerance, etc. I found useful information at http://seahealth.org/hypothyroidism.
In your case, you need to consult an endocrinologist first and take a blood work for complete thyroid profile. So that he can able to suggest what to do in next or he may give you a small medicine to keep your thyroid in control.
A few months ago, I was very sick, zero energy, freezing cold, depressed, weight gain, thought I was dying. I read every word of this Hypothyroidism Revolution program and followed all the advice. My life turned around the first week. I started to feel human again. Within weeks my energy came back and I felt like living again.
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It doesn't seem that it's too high so you won't have to do much, an your symptoms shouldn't be incredibly severe, but because it is high you will just have to take some medication, probably Levothyroxine, its just a pill, once a day, and you'll do blood work every once in a while to check if you need a higher or lower dosage. Most of your symptoms should disappear then.
I got it at 45. I got on medication and all the symptoms went away.