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TSH Thyroid level is 5.66


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Hello, I desperately need help! I went to my general doctor about a month ago to have her test my thyroid. I gave birth to my daughter 9 months ago and have been having trouble losing the weight I gained, plus low energy and fatigue. She tested my TSH level and it came back at 5.66. She doesn't want to treat me because it is only borderline high. My problem is I would like to feel better and want to know if treating me will do more harm then good. She does want to retest in a month. Everything I have read suggests that for the thyroid to function properly and to feel well the TSH level should be between 1 & 2. Should I be treated based on my TSH level?? I have lost a little weight and inches since my visit almost 1 month ago. I have an appt with her tomorrow and would like to request that she treat me.

 

1. Is 5.66 considered high? I don't feel completely well, so shouldn't treatment be based on how I feel as well as the TSH level???

 

2. Because I have lost weight and inches within the last month does this mean the the thyroid level is not an issue????

 

3. If I am treated will the postpartum related hypo resolve itself or will treatment hamper this????

 

I am so confused about this condition right now, any advice or suggestions would be most appreciative!!!

 

Thank you!

 

My e-mail address is: jazzergirl2000&yahoo.com if you would like to e-mail me privately.

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5.66 is borderline. your levels are naturally in flux daily becuase of negative feed back. These levels can vary from day to day (TSH T3 T4)

 

People with hypothyroid will sustain higher levels of TSH for an extended period.

 

I personally will take the whole picture into consideration before treatment (lab values, symptoms, even vital signs BP pulse weight etc..)

It is a clinical call. Your doctor is correct with watchful waiting. you have to consider your body is adjusting after the baby, it may take time to get back to normal.

 

take it easy and give it some time

 

barry

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Hi there,

 

I have a type of hypothyroidism called autoimmune thyroiditis, so I can somewhat relate.

 

Pertaining to your situation, I think your TSH level doesn't really give as much necessary info as, say, what are your T4 and T3 levels? TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) doesn't always tell a lot on its own........okay, so at a level of 5.66, it's definitely stimulating production of your thyroid hormones, but what ARE Your thyroid hormone levels? Knowing this would give a more accurate picture of things. So do you happen to know what your T4 and T3 are? If your T4, for instance, was very low, or on the low side, that would be a whole lot different than if it was within a good range and you really weren't having any actual symptoms of hypothyroidism.

 

The fact that you've been able to lose weight and inches, that's a good thing. If your thyroid was really sluggish, as it can be due to pregnancy, trust me, you wouldn't be losing anything, in fact, you'd slowly be gaining weight.

 

In all honesty though, family doctors simply don't know enough about thyroid disease. Discussion and treatment of same is best left to specialists in that area: endocrinologists. Heck, most family doctors don't even know that for those with hypothyroidism, it's recommended that TSH level be between 1 and 2. Most foolishly think that as long as it's within the normal range, that things are "fine."

 

I suffered for nearly 3 yrs with increasing classic symptoms of underactive thyroid........weight gain, constantly freezing, tired all the time, hair loss (on my legs, made for less shaving lol), feeling discouraged a lot of the time, "brain fog", etc......and I'd have my TSH and T4 levels done, always came back "normal" but it was so obvious that something wasn't right. After doing much research, I started reading about Hashimoto's (autoimmune) thyroiditis...a condition where the body's thyroid gland attacks itself, believing it's a "foreign body".....and if left untreated long enough, can lead to total hypothyroidism. In this condition, the ONLY way to diagnose it is to do thyroid antibody levels. I had to beg to have these checked, and my own family doc refused, citing that my TSH and T4 were "just fine"...I finally found a doc at a walkin clinic who agreed to check my antibody levels, and sure enough.....they were elevated 100 times past the normal range. I was then, THANK GOD, started on thyroid replacement (Synthroid), referred to an endocrinologist and within a few weeks of starting on the meds, I felt like a new person and lost the weight I'd gained very quickly.

 

Currently, I'm verging on being hyperthyroid.......my last TSH was 0.02!! and my T4 was 21.5 (high end of the range is 22)....and I do have some mild symptoms of feeling hyper, so I've dropped my dose back a tiny bit (because being HYPER is more dangerous on the heart/kidneys/liver, etc) than being HYPO.

 

So..even though my family doc is good, she simply didn't know enough and wouldn't listen to me or address my textbook symptoms (I'm an RN, too).

 

So in closing, find out what your T4 and T3 levels are. Those are more important to know, really, than your TSH.

 

And if you feel like you want this further addressed, try to get into an endocrinologist.

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