I have a lot of symptoms of a slow thyroid, but every test I take comes out negative. What do I do next?
I have a family history of slow thyroids and, frankly, thyroids that quit. My metabolism is SLOW. I’ve had depression and a lot of other symptoms. My mom’s thyroid just gave out and they’ve put her on replacement thyroid hormone. She’s lost a ton of weight and she’s much happier.
I’ve taken every blood test that I know to ask for. They agree my thyroid is on the sluggish side, but that’s it. Should I see an endocrinologist? What do I do next?
See an endocrinologist and bring some knowledge with you. Find out your test scores, including your TSH. A TSH above 3.0 indicated hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), but most labs use an older standards and a TSH may need to be as high as 5.0 to be considered underactive.
http://www.aace.com/newsroom/press/2003/index.php?r=20030118
Until November 2002, doctors had relied on a normal TSH level ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 to diagnose and treat patients with a thyroid disorder who tested outside the boundaries of that range5 . Now AACE encourages doctors to consider treatment for patients who test outside the boundaries of a narrower margin based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.04. AACE believes the new range will result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now.
You should see an endocrinologist just so he can check one more time then let a few years go by and see if there is any difference, just monitor it. I had mine checked the other day and I actually have symptoms for hypothyroidism, when it doesn’t produce enough, but my blood test reveled that I am on the high side of thyroid hormone production. weird huh?
See an endocrinologist. You know your body better than anyone and if you are concerned go for it. It may take more than one test. Do research on line and you will see that thyroids like hormones fluctuate. So a specialist understands that better. I know how you feel , I stay exhausted almost constant. Good luck.