Getting my Thyroid checked - what to be aware of?

[PJsAndProsecco]

Hi, I'm new to mumsnet and hope I can get some advice here.
I have coeliac disease and next week I'm going to get my first ever thyroid check, and I've been having some symptoms on and off that I suspect could be an underactive thyroid.

I've read that testing can be difficult to get right and some people are told they are in "normal" ranges when they're actually not...?

My question really is what should I actually know before I go to the Dr? We are also planning on starting to ttc our second baby soon. If I do have an underactive thyroid does this complicate things? Any advice or information that would be useful to know before a test would be much appreciated.

No advice but watching with interest as I'm having bloods done tomorrow to check my thyroid and I also have coeliac disease. Hope you're ok.

I have hashimotos which is the autoimmune version of an under active thyroid. They will most likely test TSH, T4 and T3 and also antibodies to see if you have the autoimmune version. The range for normal is very big (TSH 0.8-4.8 or thereabouts) and actually should be a lot smaller. They say people with an underactive thyroid feel much better when their TSH is below 1 and this has definitely been true for me. If you want to ask anything else then please go ahead. Also check out health unlocked, there is a page called Thyroid Uk with lots of info on there. Re TTC, if you do have an underactive thyroid then you'll need to increase your medication straight away by upto 25% and they'll want you to be under control with your levels before you conceive.

@RedPanda25 what were your symptoms before you were diagnosed? My main ones have been tiredness and weight gain I can't seem to shift, even though it's not a major amount. I've also had muscle aches and pains all over my body, like I'm coming down with flu but then never get ill.

Also is bloating linked to thyroid issues? Been so bloated last couple of days yet I've not had gluten or been cross contaminated, so can't put it down to that!

I've had my thyroid tested recently. As my TSH was in range they don't test T4 and T3 which is frustrating so I'm going private for those. I was tested for Thyroid antibodies which came back as positive. When I posted about it on here, a reply I got said the presence of thyroid antibodies can cause issues with TTC - not applicable to me but something to keep in mind. I did also come out as slightly anaemic and low vitamin D, and the GP said that would account for most of my symptoms.

Good luck, hope you get some answers.

@PJsAndProsecco your symptoms sound like mine before I was diagnosed. I felt so exhausted, like to my bones if that makes sense. I'm not sure about bloating as I've since gone gluten free too so I'm not sure which it was linked to. Did you say your tests were yesterday? I hope you get the results soon xx

@RedPanda25 mine are next Friday - earliest I could get. Weird thing is my symptoms are not constant. I just seem to go through a couple of days where I'm exhausted and have achey muscles and then I'm back to feeling okay. Is that usual? Could it mean I might be borderline under active? I also just think my system in general is delicate, e.g. When I eat a lot of rich food, even though its gluten free my stomach still goes wwaaahhh and I feel yuck. Probably because I'm normally a salad-type person. When I went to a wedding last week and had lots of richer food I felt terrible! I've no idea, which is why I thought I may as well get tested to at least rule my thyroid out!

pj's I wondered about bloating too. I'm struggling with that at the moment and am 100% sure it's not a gluten contamination. My belly is rigid after eating then I spend all evening burping (princess).
Hope you find an answer soon.