Dragging into the doctors office, I once again brought the same complaints I had on prior visits.
Weight gain
Dry skin
Body aches
Extreme fatigue
I was only 22, I was too young to be feeling this way.
But still, once again I was met with the same old response. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfectly healthy.”
Except this time, I was armed with information. I had a checklist the nutritionist sent me with. It was a checklist that screened for hypothyroidism and I had checked 2/3 of the boxes on the page. I also had a list of tests I wanted the doctor to run (I had no idea what these were at the time, just that the nutritionist recommended them).
The doctor scoffed. She didn’t believe anything was wrong with my thyroid and she responded that she certainly wasn’t going to run those tests. She acquiesced and ran one of the test on the list, modern physicians gold-standard for thyroid function: the TSH test.
Thankfully, my levels came up abnormal and we began treatment for hypothyroidism. I also promptly began a search for a new doctor who would listen to me and partner with me. In addition to this, I also began to delve into research on hypothyroidism—causes, treatments, and tests.
What I found was surprising. No, shocking. The beloved TSH test that doctors rely upon so heavily for screening and treatment of thyroid disorders is a faulty test. In many individuals, it’s useless.
Wondering what tests your doctor should order? Be sure to check out my guest post over at Whole New Mom:
“Why Your Thyroid Test is Wrong–And What to Do About It“
You may also want to check these out:
“3 Steps to Finding an AWESOME Doctor to Treat Hypothyroidism”
“Could Wheat Be Destroying Your Thyroid?”
I believe I had hypothyroidism for years before my tests came back positive. In fact, due to test results, my doctor treated me for menopause with disastrous results. The hormones made me crazy or just didn’t work, so he put me on anti-depressants for the side effects. Not only was the dose was way too high, making me a zombie and impulsive, but they were extremely bad to get off of. Now YEARS later, I am “clean” of Efexxor, on the right medication and working on a healthy diet. I will never get those years with my family back, but I am trying to be positive on staying healthy for the future.
I’m so sorry you went through all of that before your doctor figured out what was wrong. That must be terribly frustrating. Hopefully you’ll be feeling much, much better soon!
Hi cpuld you tell me the tests names? I am sure my daughter whom is 13 has thyroid issues and the doctors keep telling me nothings wrong,im so fristrated. Im running out of money fpr wasted doctors appointments!
You’ll want to be sure that in addition to TSH, the doctors also run Free T3, Free T4, reverse T3, and anti-thyroid antibodies. Hope that helps!
Hi, I’m only in my 20s, but I’m pretty sure I have hypothyroid based on symptoms I’ve been having. I was recently tested and my TSH eas ‘slightly’ elevated but according to the doctor it’s fine because my free T4 was normal. She refused to check free T3 because she said it’s not useful. She is checking TPO antibodies though. Would you recommend getting a second opinion?