Feeling the symptom but lab work disagrees
Hi all. First up, I’m definitely not looking for a diagnosis here or any medical advice but I am at my wits end and wondering if anyone has been through something similar.
TLDR: I have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism but labs come back “normal”. Frustrated & trying to find answers.
For at least the last 20 years, I (42F) have felt off. To be plain I have nearly every single symptom of hypothyroidism. I am always cold. I am always tired. I struggle to lose weight. I lose handfuls of hair. I have very dry skin. That’s just what comes to mind now. I didn’t have a family history of anyone with thyroid issues until recently. My mom’s doctor put her on a small dose of synthroid (don’t know the dosage or which med in particular) because she was complaining of similar symptoms and it’s been a huge help for her! Her labs also don’t show that’s she’s low but the doctor just believed she wasn’t in the right range for herself.
I have had to basically beg for lab work. Just started with a new insurance and a new pcp so I explained everything I’ve felt and we agreed that a full thyroid panel was a good place to start.
All my lab work has come back and I guess he only actually ordered TSH, thyroperoxidase antibody, and thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin. Am I correct that this is not a complete panel?
My numbers all came back in the “normal” range for those three: tsh was 1.6, tpo Ab was <3.0, and tsi was <89.
I’m not trying to get treatment for something I don’t have. But I am absolutely sick and tired of feeling the way I feel and being told it’s okay.
So has anyone else been in the same boat? Is it worth it to push for more testing and/or to see a specialist? If anyone else has experience like this, is there something else that could be producing all these symptoms that isn’t related to the thyroid?
I feel like I need to be an advocate for myself but I don’t know where to go from here.