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Ahem, kazbern: I got my thyroid test results back

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Posted 9/3/2013 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
Gone from underactive to underactive in 2-3 months, apparently >_>.

GP phoned me up earlier today; wasn't expecting this as I do actually have an appointment to see him next week. Anyways, the blood test results were back. TSH = 5.57 and T4 9.14 (I think; 9 something at any rate). Something weird is going on here; my last T4 result was 24, but dunno what the TSH was.

I'm being prescribed a low dose of levythyroxine, but I'm not sure what to do next. Whether to try the med and hope it gives me more energy (am feeling groggy and underpar most of the time), or whether to try to get a proper diagnosis. I really do think my GP is bad for jumping to conclusions and not investigating further. If my Crohn's had started today instead of 13 years earlier, he'd probably diagnose me with bowel cancer from a single blood test.

So after all this time, my thyroid is still an unsolved mystery... *sinister music*
Posted 9/4/2013 12:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hey, I thought you'd just moved on. I'm glad to hear that you got some results and I hope that there is proper follow-up. I think you SHOULD take the thyroxine, but I'm no expert.
Posted 9/4/2013 1:25 AM (GMT 0)
Would like a more definite diagnosis than 'wonky thyroid' first, to be honest. Might be different if it was a relatively short course, like Pred, but from what I've read so far thyroid medication is something that is usually taken for life.

Would trust my GI's opinion more than my GP's, so maybe I'll see if I can contact him through the IBD nurse. Maybe my stoma nurse would help, too. Actually am genuinely in a bit of quandary over this, because a part of me just wants to take the thyroxine and hope it helps, while another part wants to know what is going on, for reals.

In the meantime, I'd better go to bed... :-/
Posted 9/4/2013 2:25 AM (GMT 0)
I think you might do better with an OB/Gyn (I think thyroid dysfunction is more common in women than men) or an endocrinologist. I don't know what it takes to get referred to a specialist in the NHS, but either one of these would be more knowledgable than your GI, IMO. Glad you trust that guy tho!
Posted 9/4/2013 2:41 AM (GMT 0)
NCOT you should see an endocronologist. You can also try cutting our gluten. There are some who think that gluten is causing the uptick in thyroid disease.
Posted 9/4/2013 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I wasn't thinking of making my GI double up as my endocrinologist :-/ But he seems reasonably knowledgeable on thyroid tests and he doesn't BS about things he doesn't know. But yeah, it probably would be better to just see an endocrinologist. I'd have to get a referral from either my GP or the hospital - hospital referral would probably be quicker, actually.

@petittarte - I went on a gluten-free diet a few years ago and, as that made no difference, I am not motivated to try it again, tbh. Admittedly it wasn't for my thyroid, but... :-/
Posted 9/4/2013 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hey NCOT...sorry about your thyroid, but hopefully the medicine may give you more energy and certainly can help with depression. I don't blame you for not wanting to go gluten free...you finally get to eat again. An endocrinologist is a good idea if you can get in to see one. In my town the wait is 3-6 months!
Posted 9/4/2013 11:03 PM (GMT 0)
Think I may as well just start the thyroxine tbh; I'll pick it up tomorrow. I'll have at least a 3-6 month wait as well. A hospital referral would probably speed the process up, but I would have to get my GI or stoma nurse to refer me. I'm sorta avoiding the stoma nurse (for reasons too dumb to go into), and I don't think my IBD nurse - who is my port of call to the GI - likes me very much.

So.. yeah. Anyway, thanks gumby :p
Posted 9/5/2013 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
NCOT, I've been on thyroid med for 12 years. I'd show up borderline anytime they did the tests, and finally a doctor said let's just put you on the med and see if you feel better. And boy did I ever.

There are times where I'd like to know if I have Hashimoto's or not, but I'm grateful that doctor finally just put me on the med. I never have seen an endocrinologist, so I think if you'd like the mystery solved that would be good. Mostly I just wanted to chime in that I had a positive experience with just blindly taking the med, which sounds awful.

I noticed an improvement in my mood and energy level after a few weeks of taking the medication.

Good luck!
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