Am I hypothyroid? Test results are confusing...

My doctor has diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. After doing some research I've become a little confused and before I take my very first dose of Armour, was hoping for some insight from those of you who have been dealing with a hypothyroid and are savvy to how the numbers pertain to hypothyroidism.

The following are the results of my one blood test and thyroid uptake scan:

TSH: 8.060

T4 FREE: 0.87

(I-123) Uptake of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland was 7.2% at 6 hours and 10.3% at 24 hours

Conclusion:

1. Low-normal radioactive iodine uptake by the thyroid gland.

2. Possible mild thyromegaly without identifiable nodules.

Ok, I understand that the TSH is elevated but the T4 is within normal range and according to the Journal of Nuclear Medicine the normal 6 hour uptake values have a range of 7-15% (percentages less than 7% indicate  hypothyroidism) and the normal 24 hour uptake values have a range of 10-30% (percentages less than 10 indicate hypothyroidism).

I guess my question is; how can I be diagnosed with hypothyroidism if all levels are within normal range with the exception of the TSH?  I've asked my doctor these questions and the only answer I am given is, "All of your symptoms and test results indicate hypothyroidism". (Yes, I AM looking for a different doctor!)

I'm worried that if I'm not hypothyroid I will be once I start taking the medication and I don't want to take the medication if I'm not hypothyroid. Does that make sense?

I'm not asking for a diagnosis but rather your thoughts on the matter. Thanks in advance!

Post Edited (NonToxic) : 3/29/2013 3:23:23 PM (GMT-6)

Hi S,

The normal ranges listed on my test results for the TSH are 0.340-5.600 (uU/ML) and the FT4 are 0.61-1.81 (NG/DL).

I was prescribed the Armour because my doctor explained that the dessicated thyroid seems to work better for most of his patients - much better than synthetic T4 alone. He also mentioned something about some clinical trial in Maryland which is comparing the natural to the synthetic. It's believed that the natural may better decrease the symptoms over the synthetic. I'm thinking part of the reason he may have also chosen the natural is because he's a DO. Personally, I don't care either way, I just want the symptoms to subside as quickly as possible or I fear losing my job - this weird pressure/squeezing on the top of my head and in my temples is driving me batty and the fatigue, difficulty focusing, heart palpitations, memory loss, vertigo/dizziness and the feeling of doom makes me want to curl up in a corner and die. I feel like I'm losing my mind!! Anyway, thanks to your explaination, I feel much better about taking my first dose of the thyroid medication.

I will definitely take your advice in asking for those additional tests.

Thanks for everything,
Lisa

P.S. The I-123 (thyroid scan) is a type of nuclear medicine imaging used to measure the thyroid function.

First they have you swallow radioactive iodine (in pill form), then 6 hours later they use a machine to scan your throat which, measures the amount (percentage) of iodine absorbed by the thyroid (the uptake) in a 6 hour period of time. After that they scan your neck from different angles with another machine (similar to an open MRI) to check for inflammation and nodules. 24 hours later, they do the uptake scan again to measure the amount of iodine that was absorbed by the thyroid in a 24 hour period of time.

Post Edited (NonToxic) : 3/30/2013 7:32:56 AM (GMT-6)