So, I got home from work, then called the doctor's office yesterday. Went to voice mail. Hung up. Noted the messages blinking, and found one from the nurse that the doc wasn't happy with my numbers, and was reducing my dose. The way she put it, though, was incredibly unclear, so I called back, left a message asking for a call for clarification, then went about fixing the first food that had passed my lips that day (by that time, it was damn near 1:30).
Halfway through my lunch, I got the call back, the clarification, and made her read my blood test results to me over the phone. My TSH is low by the old classification, but my T4 within acceptable levels.
Yes, I said by the old classification. When I got my first diagnosis when I caught pregnant with the pixie, I went into research mode to figure out what things meant. Before 2003, the normal scale was .5 to 5 for TSH. After December 2003, the scale was SUPPOSED to have changed. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists have been pushing since then to have the "normal" range for TSH lowered to .3 to 3.0.
Most labs have not changed what they define as "normal." I do not know why.
Nor do I care.
My TSH is within the new recommendations, if below the old ones. I am NOT willing to reduce my dosage when I only barely feel human, and still have most of the nastier hypo-thyroid symptoms no matter what the fucking numbers said.
I found the article written, and am planning on taking it to my doctor. I will highlight the relevant section before I put it in her hand, and direct her attention to that section.
I cannot function at a lower level than I am and keep up even as well (that is to say, poorly) as I have been.
I am going to be transferring back to my old doctor, costs be damned, if the new one is not willing to update her fucking knowledge.
17 minutes ago
I hate to pass on a cliche, but sometimes you have to be your own advocate. If the doctor or the lab isn't using the new standard for some reason, it's right to question it.
ReplyDeleteI did, and the doc said she simply isn't comfortable with ignoring the lab's range, given the potential heart failure issues with too high a level of thyroid hormones.
DeleteBesides. Come to find out, most of the symptoms are an overlap of the chronic fatigue syndrome.