Is it my thyroid?

Doctors consider a TSH level between .3 and 3.0 ​to be normal. This has been a controversial subject over the years. At one point, the high end of normal was thought to be 5.0. It’s been lowered in the last decade or so.

Not all thryoid sufferers will have an abnormal TSH. Some doctors recognize this and will treat a patient based on symptoms alone. If the patient improves, the doctor concludes that there is indeed a thyroid problem. Most doctors seem to follow the lab standards, though. Make sure you see the results of your test. There’s a chance your doctor might not know what the current standards are, or use a lab that has different “normal” standards than others.

I think my first test was around 5 or so. After 90 days on medication, it went down to around 2.7 - a normal reading that led my endo to keep me on a low dose of Levoxyl. I have an appointment coming up, and I am really hoping he will consider raising the level, because I feel awful! Worse than I did before I was diagnosed, or probably at any other time that I can think of. In addition to general exhaustion, my legs feel heavy and tired a lot and there’s a lot of joint and muscle pain. To be honest, I hope it is just thyroid! It also could be my poor sleep habits and having two preschoolers climb into my bed in the middle of the night, leaving me to sleep in a space about 8 inches wide.

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