I don't understand antibodies.

[beaton]

I was tested in Sept.09 TTG neg. TPO antibodies >600 . Is this good or bad?? Thank you.x

[HarryE]

I've only ever seen ranges of up to 40, or up to 115, depending on the test method. So it looks like they are too high and you have autoimmune thyroiditis to me

[beaton in reply to HarryE]

Thanks Harry.x

[Marz]

...I would suggest Hashimotos thyroiditis - did you not know ? It seems lots of Docs forget to tell their patients about the anti-bodies. Could it be because they don't quite know what to do ?

[beaton in reply to Marz]

I suspected hashimotos but have never been told. I am on meds. and under an endo. (not a good turn of phrase.)

[Rhiannon5]

Your antibodies are very high (mine are too). It means your immune system is on high alert and is attacking your thyroid tissue.

Has anyone mentioned gluten intolerence to you or coeliac disease? When someone has antibodies present it is usually recommended to eliminate all gluten from your diet, especially as the gluten protein is similar to the thyroid. This isn't something that is usually mentioned by the GP as they don't have any nutrition training so only treat thyroid issues according to their medical guidelines.

If you want to discuss further I will be happy to provide you with further information.

[beaton in reply to Rhiannon5]

Hi Rhianon5, Thank you for replying.No one mentioned my antibody result or what was "normal" so I didn't know it was such a problem. I mentioned gluten to my GP as I have had problems with bread for years. I told him how bloated I was. I had sp.K for breakfast and could not eat for the rest of the day and looked 10 months pregnant. He didn't seem to understand,so I took it into my head to go G/F myself. I am a vegetarian so food has become limited. I have just changed endo. as my previous one was condescending,so hopefully the new one will be more agreeable and I will be able to discuss antibodies with him,but that won't be for six months. Is there anything I can do in the mean time??

[crimple]

I had to ask my GP for an antibody test after feeling generally unwell for the last 2 years whilst on varying levels of levo. (they were only interested in my TSH level) The test showed very raised antibodies and the GP got in touch with local hospital Endo. The treatment was to slightly increase my levo, nothing more!! I then started to read about Hashimotos and came to the conclusion I would have to "sort myself out". So I am going to start the Paleo diet, which excludes gluten. Hashi's is an auto immune disease where your body attacks your thyroid. I have just paid £120 for a private ultra sound scan which showed my thyroid was severely atrophied (shrunken) I always did say there was no point going to GP until I had diagnosed the problem!! The surgery seems suddenly to be very interested in my kidney function and I have to go and see the nurse to "discuss" When will they learn that hypo affects all your systems, kidney, liver, digestion, brain etc etc and they all function at a much lower level if your thyroid isn't working properly. Also hypos with hashi's often suffer from other auto immune disease such as Crohn's. Hypo is rampant in my Dad's family and he also suffers from Crohn's. Both my daughters are on gluten free diet and grand daughter is coeliac. So there is a steep learning curve with hypo thyroid because the doctors know very very little. If I was you I would get your thyroid scanned and read about paleo diet as well as getting vitamin and mineral levels correct. good luck

[beaton in reply to crimple]

Thank you Crimple, some good points. I do have a problem with my digestive system. I had my gallbladder out a couple of years ago,there was no follow up and after complaining to my GP all this time I am finally going to get a liver scan in April. As I said to Rhiannon,I have gone G/F of my own accord. I'm a vegetarian but would love to adapt the paleo diet. I shall use this info. to discuss with my new endo. when I see him. Thanks again,more power to my elbow.xx

[HarryE in reply to beaton]

Anything that supports your immune system will also help. Not sure what does, but someone will know. Vitamin c helps I think

[beaton in reply to HarryE]

Thanks Harry.x

[puncturedbicycle in reply to beaton]

beaton have you had a look here? paleovegetarians.com/

[beaton in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Thank you I've book marked it.xx

[Rhiannon5]

Beaton, it's brilliant that you have removed the gluten already, keep that up for good, it will make a difference.

There is such a lot that you can do to approach better health and I would suggest looking at a multi pronged approach to heal body, mind and spirit.

Now that you are gluten free, the next stage would to be to heal your gut to prevent any other pathogens getting into your blood stream and causing havoc. Leaky gut has been associated with many autoimmune conditions and healing should start there. This will help with absorption of the vital nutrients needed for good health.

In addition, try to reduce your stress levels, stress will put strain on your adrenal glands which in turn will affect your thyroid function. There are some wonderful adaptogenic herbs that help with calming adrenals and the nervous system, such as Ashwagandha, an Ayurvedic remedy.

Then I would say to take up yoga and meditation as they are very calming activities.

There are a number of nutrients that can help to re-balance the immune system such as Echinacea and Mushroom Formula.

I've given you a lot of information, however I would recommend going to see a good Nutritionist who can support you through these stages to good health, it's very unlikely that your GP or Endo will even suggest this (that's my experience). It's really hard coping without expert help and it reduces the temptation to self medicate with various supplements without knowing what they are doing for you.

I'm very lucky that I'm training to be a Naturopathic Nutritionist so have a wealth of information and experts on my doorstep.

Do you have a good independent health shop near to you? That's a good place to find out information and names of any local nutritionists. I also work in a health shop so know first hand how useful they can be.

Also, the college I train with hold student clinics where clients can receive a consultation (for a small fee) and get some really good advice. I train with The College of Naturopathic Medicine who may have a training facility near you, give them a call.

Let me know if I can help you with anything else