Blood Test Results Indicate Hypothyroidism
February 14, 2022 12:12 PM Subscribe
So, I had a bunch of blood tests after going to my doctor for neuropathy in my feet and they all came back completely terrible. Help me put it into perspective - how terrible ARE they? The leading suspect is the thyroid, because of its score, but is the score really as bad as my paranoid brain thinks?
Yes, I do have a new visit lined up to discuss stuff with my doctor, but I feel the need for information in the meantime.
I can see the norm listed for a TSH score as .4 to 4.0. Mine came back at 13.75. I freaked out and read too much internet all night. There were lots of people posting that they had scores in the hundreds before treatment. I tried to put this information into perspective with the little chart on the medical website but failed.
A bunch of my other scores also came back super terrible, and I’m trying to figure out if all systems have reached the end of their warranties simultaneously or if it’s linked to the probable hypothyroidism. Glucose came back just into the diabetic range. B12 came back as just a teensy bit above what they would consider too low (304, when low is 300). Both cholesterols sucked and would indicate a need for meds.
I am a breast cancer survivor, and acknowledging the fact that we may have nuked my thyroid to death during my radiation treatments. I think I can handle that. I can’t handle every single meat component throwing in the towel at the same time. HOPE ME. Or just educate me. Whatever.
Yes, I do have a new visit lined up to discuss stuff with my doctor, but I feel the need for information in the meantime.
I can see the norm listed for a TSH score as .4 to 4.0. Mine came back at 13.75. I freaked out and read too much internet all night. There were lots of people posting that they had scores in the hundreds before treatment. I tried to put this information into perspective with the little chart on the medical website but failed.
A bunch of my other scores also came back super terrible, and I’m trying to figure out if all systems have reached the end of their warranties simultaneously or if it’s linked to the probable hypothyroidism. Glucose came back just into the diabetic range. B12 came back as just a teensy bit above what they would consider too low (304, when low is 300). Both cholesterols sucked and would indicate a need for meds.
I am a breast cancer survivor, and acknowledging the fact that we may have nuked my thyroid to death during my radiation treatments. I think I can handle that. I can’t handle every single meat component throwing in the towel at the same time. HOPE ME. Or just educate me. Whatever.
Please take a deep breath. Having numbers just slightly out of range is not worth panic.
A high TSH is almost always easy to fix with supplementation of thyroid hormone, and may have absolutely nothing to do with radiation. Millions of women have hypothyroid, up to 10% of the female population, though many don't know it. When my hypothyroid condition was diagnosed I think my TSH was in the 30s, and supplementation has been completely normalizing. No more fatigue or constipation.
A tiny elevation of B12 is not a problem - it may even be within normal range if retested. Do you take vitamin supplements?
The cholesteral levels may indeed indicate a need for meds, but again, millions of people deal with elevated cholesterol, and it's typically correctable with lifestyle changes and/or medication. Perhaps the same lifestyle changes could improve your glucose level. An endocrinologist can be very helpful in explaining the values to you, especially of the thyroid and glucose, and how to improve them. Your primary care doctor can help with the cholesterol and vitamin levels - this is right in their wheelhouse of every day conversations.
Please know that you will be OK. It's not indicating a return of your breast cancer, and it's unlikely that every bodily system you have has given up the ghost at the same time. The pandemic has worn a lot of us down, deconditioned us and set our panic-buttons to ALERT. You will be OK!
posted by citygirl at 12:38 PM on February 14, 2022 [5 favorites]
A high TSH is almost always easy to fix with supplementation of thyroid hormone, and may have absolutely nothing to do with radiation. Millions of women have hypothyroid, up to 10% of the female population, though many don't know it. When my hypothyroid condition was diagnosed I think my TSH was in the 30s, and supplementation has been completely normalizing. No more fatigue or constipation.
A tiny elevation of B12 is not a problem - it may even be within normal range if retested. Do you take vitamin supplements?
The cholesteral levels may indeed indicate a need for meds, but again, millions of people deal with elevated cholesterol, and it's typically correctable with lifestyle changes and/or medication. Perhaps the same lifestyle changes could improve your glucose level. An endocrinologist can be very helpful in explaining the values to you, especially of the thyroid and glucose, and how to improve them. Your primary care doctor can help with the cholesterol and vitamin levels - this is right in their wheelhouse of every day conversations.
Please know that you will be OK. It's not indicating a return of your breast cancer, and it's unlikely that every bodily system you have has given up the ghost at the same time. The pandemic has worn a lot of us down, deconditioned us and set our panic-buttons to ALERT. You will be OK!
posted by citygirl at 12:38 PM on February 14, 2022 [5 favorites]
In one way it's actually a good thing if your initial numbers are all out of whack & it's a much better situation than if your numbers came back good. That's because a bunch of crazy numbers will actually interest them enough to help you. You have a starting point. If your numbers were closer to normal you'd be in for a rougher ride in trying to get them to think it was worth trying things. And the treatment I'm on for low thyroid is easy peasy, I just take the pills & then I feel okay. So don't freak out just yet. Important thing will be finding a good endocrinologist or just working with them together if you already have one.
posted by bleep at 12:38 PM on February 14, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by bleep at 12:38 PM on February 14, 2022 [8 favorites]
I do not have a thyroid, and, it's fine! The main issue is that it can require a lot of testing and retesting to get the levels right. Once you're in a good spot, it's basically just, take the pill* in the morning on an empty stomach, and you're done.
There can also be some weird interactions with both pregnancy and oral contraceptives (estrogen and hCG can cause thyroid level tests to be off a bit) , so that may or may not be relevant to whatever's going on with you in re: post breast cancer treatment.
(*Note that there's some controversy around thyroid medications and bioequivalence of generics; you do want to stay on the same brand which is easier if you're on a brand name like Synthroid.)
posted by damayanti at 12:57 PM on February 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
There can also be some weird interactions with both pregnancy and oral contraceptives (estrogen and hCG can cause thyroid level tests to be off a bit) , so that may or may not be relevant to whatever's going on with you in re: post breast cancer treatment.
(*Note that there's some controversy around thyroid medications and bioequivalence of generics; you do want to stay on the same brand which is easier if you're on a brand name like Synthroid.)
posted by damayanti at 12:57 PM on February 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
Hey! Don’t worry too much. I had hypothyroidism at one point — I was tested because a doctor discovered a lump on my thyroid which turned out to be benign.
Funnily enough, the hypothyroidism resolved itself on its own within 6 months after the nodule was discovered. I still get my levels tested every couple years but they’re always normal, if on the low end of normal (i.e. high TSH).
Thyroid issues are super super common. About half my friends I’ve told about this have told me a thyroid story of their own. Definitely get it checked out, but don’t worry too much!
posted by mekily at 1:17 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Funnily enough, the hypothyroidism resolved itself on its own within 6 months after the nodule was discovered. I still get my levels tested every couple years but they’re always normal, if on the low end of normal (i.e. high TSH).
Thyroid issues are super super common. About half my friends I’ve told about this have told me a thyroid story of their own. Definitely get it checked out, but don’t worry too much!
posted by mekily at 1:17 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
I agree that bioequivalents aren't always bioequivalent, but some states give you the (cheaper) generic by law, and you'll have to tell them not to. Just as important is to understand that some patients do better with medication that includes both T3 and T4 in it, but some also do fine with a synthetic T4-only medication like Synthroid. It just depends.
The main thing is you want to find an endocrinologist with good diagnostic abilities to prescribe your medication — not your GP — and you want that endocrinologist to be very experienced with thyroid issues, not just diabetes. If your dosage is not right, an amazing array of symptoms can crop up. When it is right, however, you can completely forget it for years at a time.
posted by Violet Blue at 1:20 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
The main thing is you want to find an endocrinologist with good diagnostic abilities to prescribe your medication — not your GP — and you want that endocrinologist to be very experienced with thyroid issues, not just diabetes. If your dosage is not right, an amazing array of symptoms can crop up. When it is right, however, you can completely forget it for years at a time.
posted by Violet Blue at 1:20 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm hypothyroid. My numbers were indeed in the hundreds when I was first diagnosed (and I felt really awful). At this point, though, it's a daily pill and an annual blood test and that's it. As these things go, the treatment is very straightforward and inexpensive. My cholesterol was also out of whack and resolved once the thyroid levels were back in range. I echo the recommendation to get a referral to an endocrinologist, given your medical history, to help you unravel the test results and work on a treatment strategy for you.
posted by gingerbeer at 1:47 PM on February 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by gingerbeer at 1:47 PM on February 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
Call your doctor. Tell them the numbers seem high and you're worried. You should be able to speak to a Nurse or Nurse Practitioner. Part of having a Primary Care Physician is having somebody to call. If the numbers indicated a severe issue, they'd have called you.
High blood sugar should be addressed; being pre-diabetic is manageable with diet and exercise and diabetes is a major form of bad health, which will also help with cholesterol. Eating more vegetables, less animal fat, less sugar and highly processed carbs, and getting regular exercise is generally good advice.
I feel crappy when my B12 is low, and eat red meat 1x week, plus some eggs and chicken; seems to be effective.
This is all stuff that needs attention, but not a major crisis.
posted by theora55 at 3:46 PM on February 14, 2022
High blood sugar should be addressed; being pre-diabetic is manageable with diet and exercise and diabetes is a major form of bad health, which will also help with cholesterol. Eating more vegetables, less animal fat, less sugar and highly processed carbs, and getting regular exercise is generally good advice.
I feel crappy when my B12 is low, and eat red meat 1x week, plus some eggs and chicken; seems to be effective.
This is all stuff that needs attention, but not a major crisis.
posted by theora55 at 3:46 PM on February 14, 2022
If you are taking tamoxifen it is a part of your thyroid equation. Here is a link that talks about it. Talk to hour pharmacist, or your doctor.
posted by Oyéah at 3:49 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 3:49 PM on February 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
IANAD, IANYD: I have been taking 75 mcg (that's micrograms, very tiny pill) of Levothyroxine every morning on an empty stomach for decades and my blood tests are fine. My symptoms previous to diagnosis of hypothyroidism were slow bowels, hoarse speech, cholesterol, tiredness, etc. If I'm not mistaken the high TSH is your pituitary screaming at your thyroid saying "you need to produce more thyroid hormone yesterday, are you listening?" Other "T" numbers are what your thyroid is actually producing, which is what the pituitary monitors.
But yes, you want to have this explained to you by your doctor and/or endocrinologist. As my doctor always says, the blood tests need to be taken into context as part of an overall review, not in isolation. Plus they will want to know why you're hypothyroid.
posted by forthright at 8:21 PM on February 14, 2022
But yes, you want to have this explained to you by your doctor and/or endocrinologist. As my doctor always says, the blood tests need to be taken into context as part of an overall review, not in isolation. Plus they will want to know why you're hypothyroid.
posted by forthright at 8:21 PM on February 14, 2022
Other people have the thyroid part covered, but I also wanted to add that a one-time slightly elevated glucose reading means absolutely nothing in terms of determining whether you have diabetes. For that you need a hemoglobin A1C, a different lab that better reflects levels of stored glucose over time. Even if you misspoke above and are using glucose and A1C interchangeably, a slightly elevated A1C can also come down with medication and dietary changes. An endocrinologist should be able to guide you on the former part, and possibly connect you with a dietitian or diabetes educator RN for the latter.
posted by ActionPopulated at 2:25 AM on February 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ActionPopulated at 2:25 AM on February 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
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