Blood Drug Testing

How do doctors give thyroid tests?

You see...I've been to the hospital about my heart because its irregular and I have palpitations? Or something. Well... I've had an ultrasound done and the chinese people told me that its hypo... I had blood taken at the hospital and no results came back to me. Is there a test that is strictly for thyroid? Will the blood test they gave me...show that I have it or is there a certain test they have to give me?

Public Comments

1. (Miku!) When I got tested for something wrong with my thyroid gland, I just got bloodwork done (which was negative) and an ultrasound on my neck, which actually did show that I do have some abnormality about it. It's nothing major yet.
2. Blood test will tell if you theres something wrong with the thyroid. Takes a week or so!
3. It's just a blood test to start with. It will specifically test the amount of hormone your thyroid is releasing. If it comes back abnormal then your doctor may want to do further testing as far as MRI's or Ultrasounds to see if there may be an abnormality. I myself suffered with occasional "heart flutters" and palpitations. Thats the first thing the doctor checked and it was fine. Occasional "skipped beats", although terrifying, can be normal in most people. I found that stress and caffeine really aggravated them. I quit caffeine all together and they damn near stopped. It's hard not to worry, when you wonder if your heart is going to stop at any second but try to relax. It makes them worse!!!
4. I have my blood drawn at least once a year to be checked for the amount of thyroid hormone my thyroid is producing. I think the particular test is for T1. There are several tests and your doctor will tell you which one is preferred for your situation. The levothyroxine I take to replace what my body is not producing helped with heart beat irregularities. It takes about six weeks after you start taking the replacement hormone to really start feeling normal again.
5. There are three blood tests usually used for checking thyroid function, Free T-3, Free T-4, and TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). They each tell you something different about the thyroid and the rest of the body in relation to the thyroid.
6. my test always came back borderline or normal. i knew something was very wrong. then they did an antibody test for Graves disease, and it came back positive. they also checked for Hashimotos, and it came back positive also. it almost killed me cuz it went untreated for years. now i have a lot of problems, and don't function very well. maybe they can do an antibody test to be sure.