I've mentioned in some spots that I think I was really hypothyroid for years before I got on any sorts of medication, but probably "subclinical" for all purposes of getting medication to get my thyroid optimized. I knew I had had tests done back in the late 90s. And lo and behold - while continuing to unpack boxes here in my new home I actually *found* some of the info from the tests I had had done back then.
The date of the test was March 27, 1999, or 3 days before my 47th birthday.
My TSH was 4.6 on a then scale of 0.4-5.5. The other tests they ran showed:
T3 Uptake: 26 (22-35 range)
T4, total: 4.0 (range 4.5-12.5)
Free T4 index 1.0 (range 1.4-3.8)
Because my total T4 and free T4 were lower than normal range my doctor sent me for some radioactive magnetic resonance test of my thyroid, using Iodine-123. The test was checked at 6 hours and 24 hours. Results were:
6-hour thyroid uptake of I-123 is 6% (range 4-10%)
24-hour thyroid uptake of I-123 is 10% (range 12-30%)
It goes on to say the scan of my thyroid looked normal, but concluded:
Quote:
Slighly decreased 24-hour thyroid uptake suspicious for hypothyroidism. Clinical correlation is recommended.
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The only follow-up test my doctor ran was another TSH test, which came in at 3.6, or well within the "normal" range she told me, and therefore there was no way she would dream of putting me on any thyroid medication!
So that was in 1999, and it was late 2009 before I finally got on a thyroid med of any sort, and that was the T4-only Levoxyl. And only this past May before I got on Armour. Wonder if my life would have been different if I'd been treated beginning back in 1999?