Hypothyroidism

I went to the doctor last week for a check-up. I typically only go when I run out of blood pressure & cholesterol medications and need refills. The week prior to my appointment, I visited the lab to give endless viles of blood for my annual complete blood work-up. My numbers were all good, with the exception of one thing. My thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) result was way out of range. Normally the number should be between .4 and 4.50. Mine was a whopping 57.20! Oddly, the high number indicates an under active thyroid, or hypothyroidism. Allegedly I am supposed to feel tired & sluggish, have unexpected weight gain, experience an increased sensitivity to cold, notice muscle aches, and be suffering from a myriad of other symptoms. With the exception of being cold, I feel pretty much the same as always. The doctor decided to error on the side of caution and redo the TSH test, plus check my T3 and T4 levels as well. (I still need to research what these T things are!) The redone blood work came back wacky, so on Saturday I began taking a small dose of Synthroid to try to regulate my numbers. I will have my blood checked again in six weeks to see if the meds will need to be increased. In the meantime, the doctor has told me that even though I feel fine, the symptoms have probably come on so gradually that I haven't noticed them. He promised that I will feel "a lot better" when the Synthroid kicks in. A friend who has hypothyroidism has told me the same thing. In addition, my friend told me that the meds helped her easily lose 10 pounds. So far, I feel exactly the same, but I am expecting a burst of energy and a shapely, toned body any day now. (Big ha-ha!) We'll see how all that works out!