High T3 Total

[Karsuepas]

I was wondering if anyone out there had this problem and what they are doing...
I have an appointment with an endocrinologist on July 15th. I am not really sure what to expect so any help would be appreciated.

Karen

[qattales]

i am not surewhat you are asking but here goes.. there is t3 and t4 those are the thryoid hormones themselves then there is tsh the thyroid stimulating hormone.. when t3 or t4 are low or body is not using the tsh goes higher . so i know for me when my t3 or 4 might look normal or close but my tsh is elevated then i need more thyroid hormone. if your t3 is high that is one of the hormones itself they may want to look at what is causing it to elevate> do you have hypo or hyperthyroid already?

[Karsuepas]

I have been having some palpations and other symptoms of what can be related to having a problem with my throyid. I have no idea if it is hyper or hypo. All I can tell you is that my Total T3 was high. The high end of the normal range is 181 and mine was 246. I do have the appt with the doctor on the 15th of the month and I will find out more at that time. My T4 and TSH were in the normal range. Beside the palpations I have also been having other symptoms such as irritabllity, loosing hair, weight gain and fatigue. I was just wondering if there was anything that I could do until I see this doctor.

Thanks for your explantion! It really helped.

Karen

[qattales]

hi karen,

one of the other people has listed a lot of info on this forum on the thyroid. i read some of it it seems quite informative maybe you can find some help in these pages she has put on the forum. i had thought t3 was a hormone but it looks like from these pages it is not. so happy hunting and i hope you feel better soon. you know if the palpatations get bad or you start feeling really bad to get in sooner than your 7/15 appt right? i would think they have urgent care there where you are. let me know what is going on okay?

debra

[Karsuepas]

Hi Debra,

Thanks...I have been reading through a lot of the stuff here. Mostly I find that people are hypo. I really do not know what to do since I do not know what I am. I am trying to hang in there until the 15th because it is the first appt I could get with this specialist that my doctor recommended.

I really appreciate your concern! I hope that you start a journal so that I can visit it. You can also come by and visit mine. I will let you know what is going on. Thanks again!

Karen

[qattales]

hi karen,

i started my journal :rolleyes:, so come by anytime..lol. if i add you as a buddy does that help me get to your journal easier?

i have hypothyroidism started having problems in grad school, feeling tired, knees ached, hair loss. but the doc said it wasn't low enough to be a problem.. so didn't start therapy until a year or two later.. but by then the weight had startd coming on.. up until then i had never weighed over 135 in my life.. was i in for a big surprise. i am also interested in the premise of women with high stress tend to pack in on too.. linked to high cortisol levels.
is this is your first experience with thyroid stuff? please let me know or i will check your journal for updates okay?

debra
p.s. is it okay to add you as a buddy?

[Paulie-M]

Hi Karen & Debra,

I had my blood tested a couple of weeks ago and the Doc rang me the other day to say that my TSH has gone from 0.09 to 2.64. My T3 is 1.7. She has increased my Thyroxine to 200mg per day (up 50mg).

I have had 4 operations on my thyroid over the years I make "abnormal nodules" and the only way they can be treated is to remove them surgically. I have been told by the Consultant, that I only have a very small piece of thyroid left and that if any more abnormal nodules occur, that they would take the remaining piece out. I go back to the hospital on Tuesday (July 8th) so maybe they can throw a bit of light on why things have suddenly gone haywire.

[Karsuepas]

Hi Pauline,

Thanks for your imput! I really do not know what to think about my tests results because my T4 and my TSH are in normal range. I have to wait and see what the endocrinologist says on the 15th.

Four times you had to have surgery. Wow! That is too bad! Now if they have to remove the rest of the thyroid what do you do? Do you stay on meds? You may be better off without the thyroid since it has been causing you to have so many surgeries.

Let us know how you do at the doctor this week. We will keep a good thought for you.

Karen

[qattales]

yikes..sorry to hear that my brother has had the problem with the nodules but not that extent. wouldn't it be less invasive to take it out and supplement that keep doing surgeries if the thyroid it that compromised. i have several friends who do not have theirs at all and they seem to do better than those with one that is not working and the ups and downs it puts you through. i have had results come back pretty out of sink to but you are on a higher does than me .137 mg of levoxyl. do you take synthetic or natural replacement. i have wonderd if it would be good to try the natural. i am sorry that you are goingthrough this it is very difficult to go through with the tiredness and aching, are you having problems with depression also? it can happen with low thyroid.

thinking of you debra

[Paulie-M]

Hi Girls,

Wow, that's what I call express replying :) . I'm on a synthetic replacement. I had my first op when I was 16 and wasn't put on any thyroid meds. I had no further problems for 16 years and then had to have 2 ops within a year of each other! The 4th one followed a couple of years after that. I started thyroid meds (50 mg per day) after my 2nd operation. I actually stayed on that dosage until a couple of years ago. Although I often complained that I felt tired and that something was lacking, my blood test results always came back "within normal levels". It was only when I was talking to my consultant at my yearly thyroid check up that I mentioned this again. He asked what dosage I was on and when I told him 50mg per day, he nodded and said "50mg three times a day?". When I told him it was a single dose, he agreed that it was very low, and told me to double it straight away and then to have my family doctor check my blood in 6 weeks! In a way I'm lucky because my family doctor has been treated for thyroid cancer and is very interested in thyroid problems. She has kept an eye on my hormone levels.

You asked why they don't just take the remaining piece out. I have also wondered the same thing - especially when I was in for the 2 ops within a year. I gather that it is because it can be difficult to get the thyroid balance right after the operation, and depending on whether they have to remove some of your para-thyroids too, that can interfere with your calcium levels. I was told that it is only done as a last resort. Do you think they imagine I enjoy having my throat cut open? :rolleyes:

I have been told that there is a link between thyroid problems and depression although some say that it's only when your medication isn't balanced. Maybe that's why I'm feeling so down at present, I'll just have to hope that things pick up. I'll let you know what they say at the hospital.

Take care.

[hfwarner3]

Hello everyone. I came across this post while searching and had to jump on to ask for more information.

My wife is 34 years old. For several years now she has had a growing nodule on her thyroid. The doctor has been unhappy about it and needle biopsied it four times now with nothing found. When he has done the blood tests, her TSH is in the normal range.

Over the last four years the symptoms have gotten worse. No matter how little she eats, what she eats, or how much she exercises, she can not lose weight. She gained over 20 pounds in a 16 week period at one point. Her problems with fatigue, memory problems, and hair loss have gotten worse.

Last month, we found out she is pregnant again and we are very happy about it. The OB did not like what he heard about the symptoms and he ran additional tests for T3 and T4 that our PCP never ran. Here is what they found.

My wife has normal TSH, normal T-4, High T-3, and a Carnitine deficiency. We don't know what to make of it and apparently the OB does not either. His nurse called today with the test results and said the doctor was going to have to do some research and consult with an "expert" before he could get back to us. Scary.

Can you please share more of your experience? Any advice? Our PCP is an Internal Medicine doctor but all these tests were done by the OB. Should we demand to see an endocrinologist?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[hfwarner3]

Maybe it is time to get a new doctor.

They are doing more tests on her blood but otherwise know nothing more.

[macavity]

Hfwarner3 - wonder if you ever got any answers? I am asking because I just came home from a homeopathic doctor today with the same results - normal TSH, normal T4 but high T3. She is suggesting possible start of autoimmune endrocine disorder and is having me do some more tests - thyroid antibody, TPO, ANA.

Let me know if you have gotten any answers.

Thanks.

[ally2]

hi i came across this site while trying to find out more about my thyroid problems. i was shocked to discover i am not alone. i have had thyroid problems for the last 5 years. i have had half of my thyroid removed 5years ago and have been fine until about a year ago. i find it very hard to swallow and my throat is very sore most of the time. doctors found 6months ago that my remaining thyroid was enlarged and has nodules. the doctors aint keen on removing the rest of my thyroid i am loosing weight and my hair loss is bad at the moment. what is really getting me down at the moment tho is i havent been able to eat for over a year. i live on yogurts, custard, wotsits and millkshakes. doctors are treating me at the moment with levothyroxine but this seems to be making my symptoms worse. i have panic attacks often as i have tightening feelings around my throat. any advice on things i could do to ease my symptoms as i aint seeing the ent doctors till the 6th feb as we dont have a endocrinologist in my area.

[Nancy LC]

I don't really have any advice, Ally. If it were me, I'd immediately go on a diet that didn't include any grains or milk, in case your condition is caused by autoimmune, brought on by a food intolerance. I don't think you'd get that advice from many doctors though. Might work, might not. Other than that, I wish you the best and hope they get your issue squared away.

[ally2]

i dont eat and i mainly live off my milkshakes which contains everything i need to live on. if i cut milk out of my diet i would be living off nothing hardly. my symptoms were the same 5 years ago when they removed half my thyroid and i was fine for 4 years after it was removed but doctors aint keen to remove the last piece of my thyroid.

[nawchem]

If you're saying you can't eat because of the thyroid that is very serious. Obviously something will have to be done.

I get swelling in my throat too, my thyroid is slowly enlarging, and I get panicky. It always happens at night so I take some antihistamines and just go to bed. There are ways to help your body not panic. I used the www.lifespa.com there is a section about arrythmias that talks about the nervous system, how to keep it calmed down. The massage helps keep me from freaking out when my heartrate picks up and I start pouring out stress hormones. I also have propranolol. It is a betablocker, it blocks adrenaline. People take it for stage fright that can help panic attacks too.

Hang in there, hopefully the 6th will come soon for you and you can get some help with the drs fast.

[ally2]

:) thank u for your reply. i do know how you feel. it aint nice going to sleep with a enlarged thyroid. it feels like your airway is narrowing and swallowing is difficult i guess thats why we start to panic and get palpitations. it is a scary experience. for me the 6th cant come fast enough he he im getting a bit sick of milkshakes. i went to see my doctor today to see about getting a second opinion if the hospital refuse to remove the other half of my thyroid on the 6th feb. he seemed quite postive that we will get the doctors at the hospital to remove the rest of my thyroid shortly i just have to go through the motions with them to make sure that taking my thyroid out is the only option they have. if not we will get it done with a second opinion. so i am hopeful that there will be a end to all this soon. im still smiling and being postive in the mean time i will check out your advice and web sites that you mentioned as im willing to try anything at least once that might help and easy things abit so thanks.

[Nancy LC]

Heart palpitations and anxiety are just par for the course with hyperthyroid. Sorry to hear you have them, they're miserable! But realize they're not caused by your thoughts or emotions, they're caused by your thyroid putting you into "flight or fight mode". Also it isn't unusual to have a really bad temper. So that is something to keep in mind if you're around other people. Take yourself out of any stressful situations until you can get under control. I'm sure I probably damaged some relationships while I was hyperthyroid just because I was acting so strangely. Try to avoid stress as much as possible.

[nody]

Hi!!
after reading the posts on this site from you guys... i dicided to go and do the tests and the doctor told me i have high level of T3 with T4 and TSH being Normal and reffered me to the physician.....can someone share with me what does high level of T3 with normal T4 and TSH mean

[Nancy LC]

You should probably start a new thread so people like me don't end up responding to the first post and miss your question. :p