Possible underactive thyroid - but within normal range?

[DorisShutt]

Is it possible for a thyroid to be within normal range, but not actually normal for the person being tested?

For the last six months to a year, I have had a variety of "unrelated" symptoms. Itchy skin & scalp, hair loss (which is now depressing me slightly), heavy periods, feeling the cold, fatigue (never want to get up, in bed by 9), and inability to lose weight despite a recent exercise fetish - I've been either running or shredding for almost a month, watching my food and I'm not losing anything.

When I google these symptoms (I know, I know!) it matches almost perfectly the symptoms for an underactive thyroid; and there is a family history, both my mum and my gran (her mum) had this.

However, I had my thyroid checked about 6 months ago as part of a variety of tests, and it was "within the normal range".

I'm going back to the GP when I can get an appointment - would I be looked at askance if I said that I don't think it is normal despite the tests? I mean, purely mathematically, the range must take a lot of people into account - and therefore anomalies must occur?

What are your T3 and T4 levels? Personally I feel like crap if my T4 drops below 18...

Can't remember my thyroid levels, but slap bang in the middle of normal - although the GP did say they were lower than last time.

Iron levels were shockingly low, can't remember the figure but he was umming and ahhing about an iron transfusion - but we're going to see how I do on slow release tablets (fine so far thank heavens!)

doris how's your hair loss and itchy scalp?

Yes it is a pretty big scandal in the thyroid patient world that drs diagnose on a useless tsh test rather than symptoms. There is a petition in the Scottish parliament about that just now.

I self medicate with natural thyroxine and my GP doesn't know. I am about to start that fight.

Doris is it pernicious anaemia? Just wondering as under active thyroid can be autoimmune and there is a group of diseases such as coeliac, hypothyroid, diabetes type 1 and pernicious anaemia which are all related so if family member has one, likely another family member will have one too but not necessarily someone e.g. I have coeliac and hypothyroidism but sis has diabetes type 1. Coeliac and low iron also related so may be worth further tests.

PrimalLass - offer to pay for it yourself (Pharmarama is the cheapest supplier I've yet found) as it makes the fight easier. Plan is to then approach the NHS to take over the bill after I've been on it a few years successfully...

Don't talk to me about TSH. I have a knackered pituitary, which took ages to diagnose as they kept testing my TSH and telling me that at 1.5 all was dandy, despite extreme thyroid symptoms. When they finally tested, my T4 was 7.1.

I don't mind paying. I buy Thyroid-S direct from the Thai supplier. But I have to go and explain to my GP (someone I was at school with) that my tsh is suppressed because I take T3 they don't know about.