THYROID RESULTS

The lab that you sent it too should have a range for where they should be do you have the ranges? The TSH is really high as I think it should be 1-3 on the scaling here in Canada... not sure about the rest.

Oh, Roxy - you need thyroid meds...pronto

To explain your labs....

TSH is a pituitary hormone that is made in response to the body's need for thyroid hormone. The higher the TSH, the more the body is calling for thyroid hormone.

Healthy people have TSH 1.0 or lower. With your TSH being 8.37, your body is screaming for thyroid hormone.

Unfortunately, it's clear your thyroid isn't able to respond to those cries and produce more hormone.

T4 is one of the two major thyroid hormones (the other being T3).

I suspect the T4 test you had done was the Free T4 test which measures the amount of T4 that is usable to the body (much of our T4 is bound to proteins and not usable).....and I suspect the reference range for that test was something close to .8 - 1.8.

As you can see, your (Free)T4 level is close to the bottom end of that range. A healthy person would have a Free T4 level closer to 1.6 or higher.

TPO is a marker of thyroid inflammation - your level doesn't indicate any

Antithyroglobulin (antibody) is a marker of thyroid damage and yes, Lyme can do this.

However, without a properly functioning thyroid, your healing will be significantly impacted in a negative way.

Thyroid hormone fuels every single cell in the body. Your poor body is running on fumes ;(

LLMD's tend to be thyroid savvy. I suggest you ask (push) for thyroid meds.

Unfortunately, treating thyroid is a process - it's not like taking aspirin for a headache. I'll gladly help you as you move forward because you'll want to work towards optimizing your thyroid levels (Free T4 and Free T3) vs. just getting your TSH back into range.

Good luck getting the meds you clearly need!!!

I wasn't too far off with the Free T4 range as I'm sure you recognize. I use LabCorp and have the same Free T4 range you posted.

Hashimoto's usually manifests with antibody levels in the hundreds or the thousands. I wouldn't be as concerned as to whether or not you have Hashi's but, instead, on getting the proper treatment.

And, you definitely need Free T3 testing to get the complete picture.

Most of us need T4 and T3 thyroid hormone replacement.

This translates into either levothyroxine + liothyronine......or a desiccated thyroid product such as Armour, NatureThroid, etc.

Sorry to tell you this but, balancing a thyroid takes 6 months at the absolute least....often closer to a year.

It all depends on how your body responds to new amounts of hormone (titrating thyroid meds needs to be done low and slow just like Lyme treatment).

And, it also depends on a cooperative doctor willing to increase the dose until the Free T4 and Free T3 levels are similar to those of a healthy person.....not just working towards lowering TSH.

Here's a list of possible hypothyroid symptoms:

hypothyroidmom.com/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really/

As you can see, many overlap with Lyme symptoms.

You'll only know which is to blame *after* your Free T4 and Free T3 levels are optimized.