To add to my current medical woes, I got a call last night diagnosing me with an underactive Thyroid and got sent a prescription for Thyroid medication!
G took the call and the numbers down - which were
TSH : 0.68
Free T3: 2.6
Free T4: 0.6
Apparently this puts me as a borderline low underactive Thyroid / borderline clinical Thyroid problem...... and could well be the cause of my racing heart beat. The Dr wants to start me on a low dose of 'Synthroid', a Thyroid replacement medication.
After the call I phoned my friend who I know has Thyroid problems, and she said that 0.68 TSH means that my Thyroid is borderline *overactive*.. the lower the TSH level meaning more overactive, the higher level meaning underactive. I was immediately a bit worried that either a) G had taken the numbers down wrongly or b) The DR had mis prescribed me.
So, I called them this morning and spoke to the nurse and she said it would be the Free T3 and Free T4 levels that are the problem.... but would confirm with the Doc and ring me back. Pah.
UPDATE: The nurse called back and they told me that as my DR is away for 10 days (helpful!) NOT to take the medication until he comes back..... arghghgh.
Posted by katie at February 16, 2007 12:40 PMYour nurse is most likely correct - Your TSH level seems to be within the normal range. The "high" reference point is actually below 0.3 or 0.4mU/l and the "low" point is above 2.5-4.0 (depending on the lab/doc). Note that I'm guessing on the units of measurement...see below.
You can have a "normal" TSH level and still have hypo(or hyper)thyroidism. More and more docs rely on free T3 and T4 leves to make the diagnosis.
A possible cause of the confusion is that different labs, especially in the US vs. Canada or abroad, measure the levels in different units. It's not even a matter of standard vs. metric, but also metric vs. SI units. Your friend may be used to seeing the levels in SI units (pM).
To further complicate things, different labs have different reference ranges (especially with T3 and T4). These ranges vary depending on patient factors (age, gender), methodology of the test, and so forth.
Where you go from here depends on your anxiety level. On one hand you could wait for the doc that prescribed the medication. A borderline result may not be as concerning in the short term.
In the meantime, if it helps to know exactly what your levels are, you could ask to get a copy of your lab report for your own records. This would give you a better idea of how your doctor is interpreting your results. There is nothing wrong with being educated about your medical care and having the report for your records for future comparison.
Finally, if you are really worried, you could ask to talk with the doctor that is covering for your primary while he's away. I don't think this would be a unreasonable request given your heart symptoms and the fact that you are pregnant. Left untreated for a long period of time, hypothyroidism can cause problems in the unborn baby. A racing heart could mean your heart doesn't effectively pump blood through your body. Not that this should scare you -- your doctor's partner could better judge how concerning your situation is and whether he feels it's ok to wait to speak with your usual doc when he returns.
Posted by: Lynanne at February 16, 2007 02:30 PMWhen G shakes you do you rattle?
Posted by: boo at February 17, 2007 01:37 PM