Hey Tex
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Hey Tex
Way back in November you informed my about the Thyroid and its "misfunctions". My last Dr. visit (remember the 3 strikes and you're out?) I got a thryoid test. The results came in the mail today. Quoting, "The results indicate that your thyroid is mildly overactive, this does not explain why you are experiencing a decreased energy level. Please have this test rechecked in 3 months" I guickly googled overactive thyroid and saw fatigue and muscle weakness listed on many sites. My question to you - should I get the detailed report or should I just wai and see what happens in 3 months? I'm thinking the fatigue and muscle weakness could be contributed to both my thyroid and side effects of Entocort. Ugh!
Becky
Hi Becky,
You're correct. With hyperthyroidism, for some people, symptoms can be the opposite of what is considered to be the correct response. Since you're still relatively young, it probably won't cause any serious problems for a while, so it's not necessarily urgent that you start a treatment program right away.
I think it's always a good idea to see the actual test values, (especially for thyroid tests), since many doctors, (and labs), use obsolete values for so-called "normal" TSH ranges. Five years ago the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend a new range for TSH values, but at last count, it seems that few labs, (and even fewer doctors), have incorporated the new range limits into their diagnostic practices.
http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedan ... hlevel.htm
When my doc looked at my numbers last spring, my free T4, (which they tested at my request), was below the range, but he decided that I was "OK", because my TSH was still within the old range. When I pointed out that my TSH was outside the "new" range, and my free T4 was below the "normal" range, he decided that he "wouldn't be opposed" to trying a thyroid supplement, (I'm hypothyroid). After a couple of months, and another blood test, we doubled the rate.
If your doc used the old range, it's possible that you may not be considered to have hyperthyroidism under the limits of the "new" range, since the old range was apparently skewed by the unintentional inclusion of people who actually had hypothyroidism, but were considered to be "normal".
Tex
You're correct. With hyperthyroidism, for some people, symptoms can be the opposite of what is considered to be the correct response. Since you're still relatively young, it probably won't cause any serious problems for a while, so it's not necessarily urgent that you start a treatment program right away.
I think it's always a good idea to see the actual test values, (especially for thyroid tests), since many doctors, (and labs), use obsolete values for so-called "normal" TSH ranges. Five years ago the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend a new range for TSH values, but at last count, it seems that few labs, (and even fewer doctors), have incorporated the new range limits into their diagnostic practices.
http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedan ... hlevel.htm
When my doc looked at my numbers last spring, my free T4, (which they tested at my request), was below the range, but he decided that I was "OK", because my TSH was still within the old range. When I pointed out that my TSH was outside the "new" range, and my free T4 was below the "normal" range, he decided that he "wouldn't be opposed" to trying a thyroid supplement, (I'm hypothyroid). After a couple of months, and another blood test, we doubled the rate.
If your doc used the old range, it's possible that you may not be considered to have hyperthyroidism under the limits of the "new" range, since the old range was apparently skewed by the unintentional inclusion of people who actually had hypothyroidism, but were considered to be "normal".
Tex