Written by Lynn Rester, NBC-HWC, AIPCC. Lynn Rester is a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Autoimmune Paleo Certified Coach, and founder of Healthy Eating and Life Plans. Drawing on both professional training and her own experience living with Hashimoto’s, she helps women better understand autoimmune health through evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle coaching.
If you’ve sat across from a doctor, listened to them say “your labs look normal,” and then driven home wondering if you’re losing your mind, you’re not. And you’re not alone. This is one of the most common conversations I have with women, and it’s usually the moment they start looking for someone like me.
Here’s what’s actually happening.
Initial thyroid testing commonly starts with TSH, sometimes alongside Free T4 depending on the clinical context. When autoimmune thyroid disease such as Hashimoto’s is suspected, thyroid antibodies, including TPO and TgAb, may also provide important information.
You can have “normal” thyroid hormone levels and still have elevated thyroid antibodies associated with Hashimoto’s. The standard panel isn’t wrong, exactly. It simply may not answer every question when symptoms persist or autoimmune thyroid disease is suspected.
This is where the phrase “medical gaslighting” gets thrown around a lot online, and I want to be careful here, because that’s not quite what’s happening. Most doctors aren’t dismissing you on purpose. They’re following standard testing pathways designed to identify thyroid dysfunction based on the clinical picture in front of them.
Sometimes, though, symptoms or medical history may warrant a fuller evaluation.
So what do you do with that information?
Start by talking to your healthcare provider about your symptoms and whether additional thyroid testing is appropriate for you. If Hashimoto’s is a concern, ask whether thyroid antibodies, including TPO and TgAb, and additional thyroid function testing should be considered.
Write your questions down. Bring them with you. You are allowed to ask for what you need.
And if the labs come back and something’s still not adding up, if you’re doing everything “right” and still exhausted, still foggy, still gaining weight you can’t explain, that’s not a sign you need to try harder.
It’s a reason to keep looking at the fuller picture with your healthcare provider, including whether something other than your thyroid could be contributing to how you feel.
That’s exactly the gap I work in with my clients: not replacing your doctor but making sure nothing important is getting missed between appointments.
Genetics can influence risk, and lifestyle and environmental factors can also play a role. Understanding your individual picture can help you make more informed choices about your health.
You don’t have to suffer. And you have way more control than you think.
Lynn Rester, NBC-HWC, AIPCC
H.E.L.P. | Healthy Eating and Life Plans, LLC
healthyeatingandlifeplans.com
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice from your physician.
