Thyroid issues - advice re: doctors appointment

[Bet01]

Hi all,
About 6 months ago I had my thyroid checked by the GP because the outer thirds of my eyebrows just disappeared one day (nice) and I had constipation that I couldn't sort out with diet, exercise and drinking more water. Bloods came back with TSH of 3.72 which technically is normal although I've read here and other places online that TSH levels in this range can definitely still impact people. I then got a text from the surgery saying thyroid antibodies had been detected (178 iu/ml) but that since my TSH was OK I didn't have hypothyroidism and nothing needed to be done at that point. Fast forward six months and I have an appointment on Monday to talk to the doc again - constipation still ongoing, except when I do reformer pilates (a weird but useful solution!) Eyebrows still non-existent but now the hair on my head seems to be thinning which I'm really sad about. I also realised I'm really feeling the cold at the moment and usually I run fairly hot. So it does seem like it's a thyroid issue that's progressively getting worse. I don't really want to waste time with bloods because if my TSH comes back normal again it's not really that relevant - I'm still experiencing these symptoms and they still need resolving.
I guess my main question is, can anyone advise on what the GP is likely to do next, and whether I can just say 'please just give me the meds?!'

Hi there. You should go and read around in the thyroid forum on Health Unlocked, as that's a source of real expertise (though there are many people here that know a lot about it too. They pointed me to HU).

I'm going through this myself ATM, and have a GP appointment next week. My reading around (and also the GP I saw most recently) suggested that TSH should really be in the region of 1, although yours is 'normal' according to the guidelines applied in this country.

FWIW what I'm going to do is get a private panel of bloods done to take along to my GP appointment, and take it from there. I saw how/where to do that on HU. The GP has ordered bloods for before our appointment, but they're unlikely to cover all the relevant things.

Again, have a good read around on HU and best of luck :)

I would ask for your TSH doing again-it can vary day to day and across the course of the day. My TSH has varied between 2.3 and 4.5 depending on the day but I'm consistently 'high normal' so I'm kind of watching and waiting (also got anti-bodies). So it would take a few blood tests to establish that you're consistently on the high side with TSH. Around 10-15% of women have the anti-bodies with absolutely no thyroid issues so they don't mean anything alone. I have sub clinical hypothyroidism meaning I have normal thyroid hormones but slightly elevated TSH. Endocrinologist said no treatment required until TSH is at 10, so I guess it depends what your other thyroid hormones are doing x it's a funny one though as from reading posts on here it seems TSH levels affect people differently. I remember one person saying she felt shocking if her TSH was ever above 2.5, but mine offer hovers around 4 but I don't have any symptoms. I guess you could always push for a second opinion but I would deffo ask for blood re doing. TSH levels highest on a morning so it's advised to have a blood test done first thing so any elevations aren't missed x

Thanks for the advice - I'll have a look at that forum @Shiveringinthecountry. Sounds like I'm best to get bloods checked again, which I will do. Whatever the result though, I have symptoms that are progressively getting worse so I'd hope that the doctor listens and doesn't just push back if my TSH levels are still normal. Otherwise the whole thing will be a waste of time.

I would have them checked again mine where borderline for about a year and they where monitoring then out of no where my tsh went sky high it was 100 and something can't remember exact number was a few years ago I just remember them being that high the gp didn't believe the result and I had to have the test again which confirmed it