thyroid readings

[Brandywine]

I had blood work done yesterday morning and called to see on the results.. the nurse said the T3 was 124 and that it was normal..
and the free T4 was 1.09 and that is in a normal range..
I had to ask now.. 3 times to get the full panel test instead of the regular one.. which ticked me of
Im already on synthroid 100 MCG.. which I have already missed .. I called to get tests done before they run out and the nurse said well it wont hurt to go 1 day with out it. I called to see if they called my prescription in and they left for the day and left me without any!.. talk about being on top of things.. I called both the pharmacy and then back to the Clinic.. so now the one nurse is supposedly finding out what is going on..
anyways.. sorry got side tracked.. lol .. but is this reading really normal or what.. Ive asked about different meds for this because my hair is falling out so bad. The nurse said to follow up with my Dr next wk and they will or can do tests plus send me to an allergist? is this a normal procedure.Thanks in advance for any helpful information..
Debbi~

[doreen T]

hi Debbi,


re - the thyroid blood tests ...

free T4 - normal is 0.7 - 2.0 (Less than 0.7 may indicate hypothyroidism.)

T3 - normal is 80 - 220 (Less than 80 can indicate hypothyroidism.)

~~~~~~~~~~

re - hair loss ...

Thinning hair can be a symptom of low thyroid .. but it's more that hair all over the body becomes thin and sparse, not so much that the scalp hair starts falling out in larger amounts than usual. One classic sign of thyroid-related hair loss is if your eyebrows have become very thin or non-existent.

My hair had been thinning for nearly six months .. it was falling out at the normal rate, but the new hair growing in to replace it was so fine it was nearly invisible, and very fragile .. it broke very easily. Anyway, the dr. rechecked my thyroid, but also checked adrenal hormones and stored iron levels (ferritin). The hair follicle requires iron in order to grow a new strand of healthy hair. Well .. my ferritin level was in my boots!! which suprised me since at the time I'd been eating low carb for over a year, lots of red meat and I just assumed I was getting plenty of iron. Well, some of us may not absorb iron very well from the intestines, and also may be deficient in folic acid and vitamins C & B12 which are needed for proper iron utilisation. So ... might be worth getting your ferritin level checked, if that hasn't been done already. You don't have to be anemic to have low stored iron levels .. my hemoglobin was perfectly fine.

Hair loss that happens suddenly, where your scalp hair is falling out in clumps .. may be due to stress, to rapid weight loss (from any diet or cause), changing hormone levels .. pregnancy, menopause etc. This hair loss is typically temporary, and new hair growth eventually fills back in. The name for this is "telogen effluveum". There's a monster thread about hair loss in the General Health forum .. check it out .. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=13389


hth,

Doreen

[Brandywine]

I will have to ask my Dr to try the tests that you recommended... Thanks Dorreen..
Have a great day..
In the meantime here I am still waiting on the clinic to call me back on the synthroid.. The nurse said the dosage would stay the same....
Thanks again..
Debbi~

[doreen T]

The specific adrenal hormones to look for would be DHEA and testosterone (yes, women produce some testosterone, just as men produce some estrogen ;)).

DHEA -- dehydroepiandrosterone -- is sort of a "master" hormone produced in the adrenal glands, which tells other glands to produce either testosterone or estrogen. As we age, for both men and women, there's less DHEA production. Low DHEA levels are associated with male-pattern baldness and may also be a factor for age-related hair loss in women too.


Doreen