Do you have symptoms like:
unexplained weight gain
extreme fatigue
mood swings
anxiety
depression
insomnia
dry skin
dry eyes
dry mouth
cold hands and feet
brain fog
chronic constipation
BUT YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD YOUR BLOODWORK IS NORMAL OR IN RANGE and you look like the Joker here?
(I want you to learn some basic info to empower you to be able to advocate for your health with your doctor OR to learn what you can do on your own to reverse your symptoms so learning key basic information is super important! READ ON…)
It is very common for thyroid issues to go undiagnosed and missed for years on end.
Why you may ask?
Because most conventional doctors use a range that they deem to be “normal” which does not look at your symptoms.
Crazy right?
For example, TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone is deemed normal if your range in between 0.4-4.0. That’s a BIG RANGE!! So regardless of your obvious symptoms, you will be told your “normal”. (I was sick with tons of symptoms and my TSH as only at a 1.91!)
In reality you want OPTIMAL LEVELS and you want more than just your TSH looked at too. TSH is merely the measurement of your pituitary gland signaling your thyroid to make hormones! It’s not even a measurement of your thyroid hormones.
There is a big difference between “normal” levels and optimal ones. Optimal is based on symptom relief from patients!!! They are levels that mean you will actually feel good.
Scroll down to read more…
Wanna Hear Me
Explain This?
Check out this video where I tell you why this is very common and what your next steps are if you think this has happened to you!
So how do you know what your levels are and what they SHOULD BE?
First of all, ANY time you ever get a blood test ALWAYS request a copy of your results. Your doctor works for you and that information is yours so don’t be hesitant to ask for it.
Most conventional medicine doctors only check your Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels. If you are lucky, they will test your Free T4 levels to see if you are low on the storage form of thyroid hormones too. Again, IF YOU’RE LUCKY. However, there are many factors involved in optimal thyroid function, so those two levels alone won’t give you the big picture. To get a complete picture of a patient’s thyroid health and medication needs (if you choose to go that route), it is recommended that you order all of the thyroid tests listed below.
The Optimal Thyroid Lab Ranges Your Doctor Should Use But Won’t
Even if your doctor does order a complete thyroid panel, they’re usually relying on “normal” reference ranges. Unfortunately, these are too broad and very often inaccurate. When they created the lab reference ranges for a healthy thyroid they later discovered that they had included people who already had thyroid dysfunction! And because of this, in 2003 the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommended that the lab reference ranges become more narrow. Yet still today, most doctors and labs haven’t updated their practices.
They will tell you the information I am giving you is wrong. One of the 5 doctors I went through to get diagnosed said I was reading “crazy stuff on the googles” (insert eye roll emoji here). If you believe a doctor can never be wrong you WILL stay sick. I prefer to learn from other patients. It is how I learned what to do to reverse my symptoms.
These should ALL be tested:
- TSH
- Free T4
- Free T3
- Reverse T3
- Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb)
- Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb)
As far as what optimal ranges are, here is what most thyroid patients (not doctors BUT ACTUAL PATIENTS WHO HAVE REVERSED SYMPTOMS) have said are OPTIMAL thyroid levels for your blood tests.
I will warn you again most conventional doctors don’t test all of these levels so you will need to insist and advocate for yourself or if you truly wanna know if you’re hypo, order them online and go to a local draw center to have them done on your own. Yes you can do that!
Feel free to screen shot this or save this blog post to your phone or computer.
Each lab will have different ranges so use these and look at what ranges they give you. These will also vary depending on if you’re on thryoid medications as well.
For now lets chat about where your levels should be if you’re not on medication.
Free T3
- Should be above mid-range. The exception: if the free T3 is above mid-range, and the free T4 is low in the range–the latter can possibly point to a thyroid problem.
Free T4
- Should be very slightly above mid-range. This will go with a free T3 also above mid-range for most. There can be slight exceptions
RT3 (reverse T3)
RT3 should be in the bottom two numbers of any range or slightly below. NO HIGHER THAN THE 3RD NUMBER FROM THE BOTTOM EVER.
If you’re RT3 is high this can cause hypothyroid symptoms even if your TSH and T4 levels are optimal! It usually indicates inflammation in the body. That’s what happened to me!
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
TbAb (Anti-thyroglobulin):
If the result is below the “less than” mark, or in the range they provided you, you may be ok, but you need to do the anti-TPO shown below, as well. If it is above range, then you have Hashimotos.
Anti-Tpo (anti thyroid peroxidase):
In the range is ok. If this is above the range, you’ve got the autoimmune thyroid disease Hashimoto’s.
You can join my group coaching program HERE if it is open when you read this or schedule a one on one session with me if it is closed HERE. There are some testimonials on both of those pages from the women I have helped and that can be YOU too! Be sure to look at those.
So tell me in the comments, have you ever been told your blood work is fine or normal when you have all of those symptoms? Share with us!
Helping you go from feeling fat, fatigued and frustrated to fabulous again,
Melodye
I have every single
Symptom you list and always get normal blood work results but am still feeling miserable and getting worse each year.
I am going to sign up for your emails and hope I can get some help!! Thankyou!!!
I just emailed out a video tonight about this!!
I have been dealing with most of these symptoms for about two years. Finally got a full thyroid panel about a month ago. My only thing out of their ranges was the reverse t3. I was told I don’t have hypothyroidism because everything else was was within the range. Just signed up for you emails any other advice?!
I have every symptom. On Levothyroxine 50mcg for about 6 years. No changes. Gaining weight. Never losing. Workout 5 days a week. I want to give up.
Don’t give up! There is so much you can do to help yourself like I did. I was able to reverse my symptoms and lost 40lbs by making simple diet and lifestyle changes. Get on my email list. Join my group coaching program or schedule a one on one session with me. Let’s get you feeling better!
Good day
A few months ago I had some blood work and they came out great, but I feel horrible. I have symptoms that you mentioned but also hair loss and it’s increasing day by day it’s terrible.
Sounds like you need to get in my group coaching program! It can help!
In the very beginning my labs were always normal. They would say it doesn’t make sense because you have all the symptoms! It wasn’t until a pediatrician thought my daughter might have a thyroid condition and asked me to get my antibodies tested. Come to find out I have Hoshimotos.
So glad it was caught for you! That’s crazy!!
Just came across your video on tiktok. I recently had my t4 and t3 tested on everlywell because my labs were “normal”. Neither were above mid-range. I will be reading more info asap.
Hi Hillary. Everlywell is not as accurate as the testing I have linked on my site. Keep that in mind. I would do the testing I recommend to be sure.
Hi can you tell me if mine are optimal? My TSH is 1.85 my Free T4 is 0.84 and my T3 is 2.37. I had my TSH looked at back in December and at that tone it was 2.4. I have gained some weight and I’m always so tired. In December I was taking my 50mg of levothyroxine and my 37.5 phentermine but stopped because the phentermine was dropping my sugar way to much 69 even after I would eat. Im not diabetic my Mom is and I just like to check mine.
Hi Chrystal. I teach people how to read their own tests inside my group coaching program and I have the optimal levels listed here for you. I can’t read them for you legally but you can learn how! 🙂
Yes, for 15 years now. Always dismissed even though I’ve had severe hair loss and low energy levels.
How are you doing now?
Hi , I want to thank you so much for all these great videos and so much great information. So I was diagnosed at 18 with hypothyroidism and I’m currently 53, been on Synthroid first 20 years then Levothyroxine. i was lucky my symptoms never got too unbearable and just dealt with, In the last 4 years all went down hill, my doctor says my numbers are all good and welcome to menopause, I’ve gained 50 pounds, I’m so tired, any new symptom I bring up is all blamed on menopause now. I have my 3 month med’s check tomorrow morning 10am and now I have 4 pages of (power) information we’ll be discussing. Thank you again!
You’re very welcome. How did things go?
I have many of these symptoms, along with major hair loss. It has been a frustrating battle, for sure. My 3rd Endocrinologist, who I happened to come across when my 2nd wasnt available in the office, was the one who finally told me I was Hashimoto’s. My first Endo told me, “Your TSH looks fine but we’ll start you on a low does of meds to see how it works.” AND THEN, when I told her I was having issues losing weight, she told me, “Well, your body is comfortable with the extra weight so you just may not be able to lose it.” WTH! Um, NO!! Needless to say, that is when I left her office!
My GP had most of these tests done for me this time around and I go see the Endo with my new numbers at the end of the month. I’ve already gone Gluten Free and have noticed I may have to start making a few more diet changes because I am not losing weight for anything.
THANKS for this place and I will keeping up with your information!!
Hi Kristen! SO glad you walked out!!!! Because that is total BS! Sometimes gluten free isn’t enough. It wasn’t for me.
I had the Anti-Tpo test done 2014 and my level was OVER 1,000! Yes, you read that right…over 1,000. It’s been 7 years and I have had zero treatment. All of my other thyroid levels are in the normal range so my doctor keeps telling me that my thyroid is still working fine. For 7 plus years I had suffered with weight gain, unable to loose weight, exhaustion, and foggy “mom” brain.
I had TSH W/FT4 REFLEX done yesterday and my level is 1.188 which is still in the standard range (it was 2.308 a year ago).
It is very common for them to miss a thyroid issue due to improper testing and not going by optimal ranges.It is time for you to make diet and lifestyle changes to get control of your health and ditch your symptoms. There is so much you can do on your own!
My Thyroid was removed 18 years ago I was in my 30’s and over the years still have many symptoms of hypo thyroid now in my 50’s that with Menopause I fill defeated. The weight gain is the worst .
Hi Tina! How are you doing now?
Yes ! With my latest bloodwork my T4 and T3 are in “normal” range yet my TSH is 14.15. I tested myself based on how I was feeling. When I mentioned to my DR he just brushed it off. Which is why I’m ordering my own antibody test to check my antibodies. It’s so hard when you are simply looking for help and ways to navigate this and DR’s themselves seem to have no clue! I’ve had a past endo tell me No, diet has nothing to do with it!! after researching for myself I mentioned to her and she then gave me attitude so I never went back.