I am providing a very useful chart below in order to help those of you suffering from thyroid imbalance to better understand your thyroid tests.
First of all...there are many different tests used to determine thyroid function. Standard care usually orders a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test and sometimes a T4 and TSH together. Typically I like to see a thyroid panel run on anyone who is experiencing symptoms that could be related to thyroid imbalance. This panel includes but is not exclusive to: T3, T4, TSH, and TPO. A complete thyroid panel might look like this: T3 uptake, T4 total, Free Thyroxine Index, TSH, T3 total triiodothyronine, Reverse T3, Free T3, Free T4, TPO, and TAA.
Symptoms that could be related to thyroid imbalance are as follows: tremor, low energy, achy muscles and joints, feeling cold, dry skin, depression, trouble concentrating, hair loss, weight gain or loss, insomnia, irregular menses, goiter, irritability, and difficulty in swallowing. If you or anyone you know are experiencing any of these symptoms its a good idea to run a complete thyroid panel. Just a simple blood test can give you more information.
