1. One Tired Pituitary Gland
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland located just below the Adam's apple and works transform iodine from your food into the thyroid hormones T3 and FT4. T3 and FT4 move through your body, regulating the metabolism of each and every cell with the help of the pituitary gland, which produces TSH, or the thyroid stimulating hormone. The pituitary recognizes when the thyroid is producing too little or too much T3 and FT4 and sends out more or less TSH to compensate. When the pituitary can't keep up and there is too little T3 and FT4, the condition is called hypothyroidism. When there is too much, it is known as hyperthyroidism.
2. Testing is Easy
If your doctor suspects thyroid imbalance, he will send you for a TSH test, which monitors the levels of TSH, T3 and FT4 in your bloodstream. Follow up tests may include a radioactive iodine uptake scan, which will help your doctor determine whether your condition is caused by Grave's disease, goiter or thyroiditis. Your doctor may also recommend CT scans, ultrasounds or MRI's to detect and evaluate the size and shape of your thyroid, and the cause of enlargement, if present.
3. The Truth About TSH
For those who are not familiar with the workings of the thyroid, TSH levels can be quite confusing. If you have high levels of TSH, you may automatically think that you have hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid; however, the opposite is true. Remember that when T3 and FT4 are low, your pituitary gland is working overtime to secrete TSH in order to correct the low levels of T3 and FT4. So, high levels of TSH indicate hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, while low levels of TSH indicate an overactive thyroid. Normal TSH levels should be between .30 and 3.0.
4. Know the Score
Because your pituitary gland is working hard to balance the levels of T3 and FT4--made apparent through changes in TSH levels--sometimes your ranges of the T3 and FT4 hormones will appear normal, particularly in the early stages of a thyroid condition. However, your doctor may also find that with hyperthyroidism, T3 and FT4 levels are high, while they are low with hypothyroidism. Typical ranges for T3 are 80 to180 while the normal ranges for FT4 are 0.7 to 1.9.
5. Balancing Thyroid Levels One Pill at a Time
Treatment of most thyroid conditions is easy, and simply requires daily medication. One little pill made up from synthetic thyroid hormones will help your body to keep your thyroid levels balanced. Your doctor will start your medication slowly, monitoring your TSH levels with regular blood tests and decreasing or increasing the dose as necessary. While you will have to take your medication and have regular testing for the rest of your life, you will feel like a new person after just a few short months of treatment.
