What now?

[sicknote]

In 2005 I started feeling very tired all the time, gaining weight without change in diet or activity levels. I had my TSH levels checked and they were 3.07. For my hospitals labs these are borderline, and I was told they needed monitoring.

Skip to now, my symptoms are no better, I'm now cold all the time, dry skin, irregular periods, and generally feel awful. I had a blood test last week, my TSH is 4.78 and my FT4 is 10.9. So both "normal". I said to the GP that i don't feel normal, and my symptoms are just getting worse, but he recommended yet another test in another 6 months.

He offered me antidepressants for the second time, and I refused. He said the tiredness is not thyroid related its probably stress.

I don't know what to do. I feel half dead most of the time. I'm 21 and i feel about 80. Is there anything i can do? I can't really afford to go private but if i do, am i going to get any resolution? I just don't know how much longer i can go on like this but i can't see what else i can do.

[Thyroid Guy]

to the site sicknote! a very common problem borderline and lack off treatment.


It depends what you want to you. Do you want to wait, or do you want to start treatment? Maybe you could see a Thyroid doctor who will treat you

One thing I do know, is if you want to regain your health, you have to fight for it!!

Keep us updated

Ric

[Mike]

Hi sicknote

You may be one of those people who feel better only when their TSH is less than 1 or may be 0.5
Your FT4 is very low so no surprises that aint feeling well. FT4 range starts at 10 and you are right at the border line. GPs or Endos wont treat you as they consider this within the so-called reference range.

Wanna help yourself? Than get some thyroxine, say 25mcg to start with and give it a go for about a month and see how you feel. If you feel good, stick to it or else raise keeping an eye on your tests.

21 is very young age but thyroid problems can start at any age so dont be shocked But feeling as if you are 80 is absolutely shocking as you would have thought TSH being 3 would give you that feeling unless it was about 30 or so.

Other option is Armour Thyroid but you have got to Thyroxine a go first as in mild thyroid cases, thyroxine works better thumbup

[Ginny]

Hello Sicknote I am so sorry you are feeling this bad at such a young age, I am wondering if your GP has tested your antibodies at all ? If positive for antibodies this could indicate that your thyroid will eventually fail, and maybe you could persuade your doctor to give you a trial of thyroxine, if he is the approachable type. Do any of your family members have auto-immune diseases - Fibromyalgia, Diabetes or similar ?

If your doctor is approachable, I suggest you ask to be tested for Vit.B12, folate, ferritin, sex hormones as well as the antibodies because a deficiency in any of these can give similar symptoms to low thyroid and it would be best to eliminate these as possible causes of your troubles.

Dont let your doctor talk you into anti depressants, sure, you may feel a bit down because of your symptoms but your symptoms are not causedby depression.