Eh? I might not have Hashis??

[infomaniac]

I've read this a few times but still don't really get it. Is it really possible I might not have Hashis??

"Mistake 7: Believing You Have Hashimoto’s Based On Antibody Testing Alone

Today, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is typically diagnosed by lab testing to look for the presence of certain anti-thyroid antibodies.

If these anti-thyroid antibodies are detected at a significant level then you’re given little hope and told that your immune system is attacking your thyroid gland.

Well… that’s not entirely true.

Studies such as the one below have shown that the presence of these anti-thyroid antibodies doesn’t mean that they are infiltrating your thyroid gland or that your thyroid gland is being damaged.

These anti-thyroid antibodies are found more commonly and to a greater degree in other autoimmune conditions like Sjögren syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis than in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Thyroid hormone autoantibodies in primary Sjögren syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis are more prevalent than in autoimmune thyroid disease, becoming progressively more frequent in these diseases.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/120...

“We conclude that prevalence of THAb [thyroid hormone autoantibodies] in the 2 non-thyroid autoimmune diseases [Sjögren and Rheumatoid Arthritis] is greater than in the 2 thyroid autoimmune diseases [Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease].”

So the presence of these anti-thyroid antibodies is not an accurate way to test and diagnose Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Simply the presence of these antibodies does not mean that they are attacking your thyroid gland.

The only way to accurately diagnose true Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is to biopsy the thyroid tissue and look for signs of infiltration and damage"

[Moggie]

I have never heard of someone with a high TPO level not having thyroid trouble and I dont agree that biopsying the thyroid is the only way to get a true diagnoses. Maybe if your TPO is borderline then yes question it but if your TPO is sky high then I would say that there is little doubt that you have Hashi's. I suppose you could always get your GP to do what mine did, test for antibodies for quite a few autoimmune illnesses and see what shows up. Mine showed that I am susceptible to RA - which I kind of guessed as I was getting hip and elbow pain - so I cut out dairy and am a lot better now.

Moggie x

[infomaniac in reply to Moggie]

Hi Moggie, my antibody levels are huge and it worries me greatly I doubt there is any chance that my GP would test me for any other Autoimmune conditions...and to be honest I think I'd rather live in blissful ignorance!

[Moggie in reply to infomaniac]

I would say it is food that is driving your antibodies, find out what foods you are reacting to (gluten and dairy are the main culprits), eliminate these from your diet and your antibodies will calm down - mine went from >1,000 down to 150 because I took gluten, dairy and a few other things out of my diet. I suspect my TPO was even higher than the 1,000 mark but they stopped counting at a 1,000. Calm your antibodies down, through diet, and your thyroid condition will also get a lot better. It really is as simple as that. If you want any more info then message me re diet changes and I will be only to pleased to help.

Moggie x

[infomaniac in reply to Moggie]

Hi again I've been GF for about 4 years now and keep dairy to a minimum. I've also cut out soya, some goitrogens, and limit fruit. I eat protein with every meal and try, as much as poss, to eat low GI. My diet is 100% better than it's ever been and I take boat loads of supplements...I should be bouncing with health!!

My antibodies have decreased but are still v. high. If I could get rid of the autoimmune part of this horrendous condition I'd be a lot happier but it's so difficult. I read yesterday about a Dr who suggests that MEGA amounts of Vit D and cutting out dairy will "cure" most AI conditions so I'm keeping an eye on that one!

[Moggie in reply to infomaniac]

With every supplement you are taking you are probably taking lactose (dairy) as well. With every T4 pill you are taking you are probably taking lactose as well. If your TPO is still high then there is something that you have not found yet that is causing this. I cant eat broccoli, peanuts, legumes (peas, beans, lentils, chick peas ect make me very unwell), certain GF flours will make me very ill and watch I every single pill I put in my mouth in case it contains lactose. I buy a lactose free levo and never shop down the free from isles in supermarkets. I cook my own food, from scratch, and never eat out. In other words I know for definite that I am 100% gluten free as well as dairy free. Yes diary can be as harmful as gluten when you have an autoimmune illness so you need to cut out both 100% to see any changes in your TPO.

Taking high doses of vitd can be very dangerous as the more vitd in your body the more calcium your body makes and if you have an overload of calcium you could end up with stones that go to your kidneys, or even worse to your heart. Your vitd needs to be near the top end of the range but no more and vitd has nothing whatsoever to do with your TPO levels. You will never "get rid of" the autoimmune part of your illness as it is your illness, it is why you have thyroid troubles, it is why people on here have PA and others have RA. All these illness's stem from the gut so fix your gut and you will feel lots better but, and please prove me wrong, you will never cure your autoimmune illness.

Moggie x

[infomaniac in reply to Moggie]

Wow if anyone deserves to be free of this it's you...I am in awe! There is no way I could ever be as strict as that. I feel I'm restricted enough as it is and haven't got the willpower to refuse to eat out etc. I have turned my eating habits around and feel better for it but at my age I would rather not be 100% strict, with the unfortunate trade off that I may never be rid of this monkey on my back!

The high Vit D protocol I mentioned cuts out dairy totally presumably to avoid the Calcium build up. This is the website if you're (or anyone else is) interested.

healthrising.org/forums/thr...

[Moggie in reply to infomaniac]

My diet may sound drastic but if you look on it as a lifestyle change then it is not so bad. It is now second nature to me to buy only fresh foods and, as you say, that is my trade off. I no longer worry about my thyroid illness as it hardly ever bothers me, I now concentrate on the gut more than the thyroid because, get the gut healthier and the thyroid illness will settle down.

Thanks for the link but I dont think I will be giving it a try. I had a two week course of 50,000iu vitd daily prescribed by my GP and, once my levels were up, I now top up with 3,000iu liquid daily and find that this keeps me at a stable level. I dont take supplements unless I have had them checked by my GP and I am known to be deficient in them as taking supplements when they are not needed, in my book, can be as bad, if not worse, than being deficient.

Wishing you well on your journey.

Moggie x

[infomaniac in reply to Moggie]

Wishing you continued good health too xx