Thanks Baxter and Angel for the responses. I've done a ton of research, but thyroid mechanisms are still something I'm constantly having to review because I can't seem to keep it all straight. I believe the endo's assertion was that if something was abnormal with free T3/T4, then TSH would be elevated in response. He also believed I exhibited no outward symptoms of hypothyroid (beyond fatigue). Looking online, I seem to have just one foot in that field: occasional puffy face, poor memory, and exhaustion, but no muscle ache, dry skin, or slowed heart rate.
I may just order the tests privately to put it all to rest. The problem is, to acquire a real-world DX of hypothyroid, most endos would just look at TSH and probably not even regard private lab results. Still, since he was amenable to looking at my own labs, maybe this guy would reconsider. I'll at least get prolactin done this week, but since TSH is thought to be more of a pituitary marker, I don't think it'll be an issue. I guess I'll know more soon.
EDIT: Just so I'm clear, I want to order/request free T3, free T4, and reverse T3, correct? I already have TSH and T4. Do I need to search out a T3 (not free) value, or will those first three tests be sufficient?
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