Thyroid test, what does it mean?
I was having NO symptoms of high or low thyroid. I went to dr. for my usual once-a-year blood work. I asked him to test thyroid because a distant family member recently started taking meds for a low thyroid. I am 51 yr. old male in excellent health.
The piece of paper he handed me says:
TSH 6.38 H Refer. Range 0.40-4.50 mIU/L
Doc gave me a prescription for Levothyroxine 0.025MG (25mcg) tablets and told me to take it for "your thyroid condition", and we’ll do another blood test in 6 weeks.
What does this mean ? Do I have low or high thyroid ?
Any websites where I can find info ?
( A med. school student told me the "H" indicates a high thyroid…..was she correct ? )
Thyroid tests can be confusing, you have to remember that it’s the opposite. When a number is high >4.5 that means your HypOthyroid, when your number is low <.4 you are HypERthyroid… it’s confusing if your not used to dealing with it.
So, you have a high thyroid, but you are HypOthyoid in medical terms.
Here’s some sites:
http://www.thyroid.org/patients/patient_brochures/hypothyroidism.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothyroidism/DS00353
http://www.medicinenet.com/hypothyroidism/article.htm
P.S., the medical student was correct!
The thyroid gland is a bilobed organ of the endocrine system located in the front of the neck. It secretes hormones that are involved in human development, growth, and metabolism.