Blood tests my arse and Medal of Honour.

I just don't see the point of them. Rang the doc's this morning for my latest results. I may as well have not bothered, on two counts. Firstly, despite the endo specifying ANd my asking, they only tested for TSH and t$, and completely didn't bother with antibodies or T3. the leaving out of antibody testing is a nice touch considering i'm Hashi's. Then they say i'm in "normal " range for T4. At 10.9. My TSH has actually risen again to 18.

This "normal range" stuff bugs me. My TSH is still clearly "out" (the range here is 10+ is abnormal), but my T4 only just "in"(range 10.5+). The normal ranges are variable, they differ from Health trust to Health trust. So I could be "well" here and "ill" in Bedfordhsire or the next county along. If I lived in New Zealand or the USA i'd be very ill until my TSH was 3.0 or below. Here it's 5.0 or below where I live. HOW CAN THIS BE? if I step from one county to another, am I better? My thinking is that it's down to money and how much they can save. We don't pay for thyroxine, and thus cost the NHS money. That's why my "borderline" levels were ignored for so long until I was practically dead. That's why they say so many people are normal when they're ill. If thyroid sufferers had hideous facial disfigurements or lumps everywhere, they'd be forced to mend us quicker and more effectively, but because we look well they can stuff us over.
(Well, this is relative. I look pale, balding and weird, but not obviosuly ill).

And will my GP and Endo decide when I am "well" on this seemingly random basis? I bloody hope not. Surely the basic medical aim is to treat the PATIENT. If the patient says "I'm ill" then a decent GP should look at the symptoms. Most seem to look at the bloods. I'm seeing my endo on Thursday, and i'm going to ask them when and at what level i'm "well". I don't want to be slave to the numbers. I'm pretty certain they'll up my thyroxine on the basis of a low T4 and high TSH this time, but it's already annoying me that something as simple as a blood test can be so ridden with meaning and laden with possible trouble for the future.

There's some very good analysis of the blood test debate at many thyroid websites listed by me. This website has a useful board where you can discuss results and get the ranges of many different areas. A bit of an eye opener.
http://thyroid-disease.org.uk.

A mini Play-for-today.

me: "Can you watch energy baby for a min so I can have a shower?"
DP: "yes"
I enter shower.
me: (thinking) "Ah, a ashower at the weekend, my only chance to beautify myself and shower for more than 3 mins without energybaby yelling and pulling on the shower curtain"
energybaby (outside door): "Mamamamamamamama! WAAAAAAAA!" (keeps up for 5 mins)
me: (emerging from shower to noises of gunfire and shouts in German) "Are you minding him or what?"
DP"Yes"
I enter room, dripping. Dp is playing bloody Medal of Honour.

Playing Medal of Honour is NOT watching energybaby. One shower alone at the weekends is all I ask, a small haven of peace for a stressed thyroid mum. If I could kill the makers of that damn game I would.