Hashi/Graves? What next?

[Silverpony]

Am being treated at St Mary's by Prof. R for past three months after urgent rerferral for hyperthyriod. On carbimazole 20mg daily & 40mg propranolol x 3 daily, on month 3 now. Was advised that I would feel "a lot worse before feeling better" & he was completely right, feeling worse every day! Will see him again next week & am trying to formulate what questions to ask ...Got a copy of last months blood tests today which show:

TSH @ L0.01 (not surprising),

Free T3 H @ 5.9,

Free T4 @ 18.4

Thyroid peroxidase Ab H @ 134

TSH Receptor Ab H @ 4.0

So, I think, the presence of these antibodies indicate some kind of autoimmune disorder. Hashi? Graves? The results look contradictory: but slightly misleading as the thyroid function (TSH) is blocked by the carbimazole.

Can anyone suggest useful questions to ask Prof R at my next appointment? Any further tests? And then what happens? The research I've done doesn't suggest any clear way forward. Am changing my diet from today (whole foods, gluten free), eliminating as much stress (bad relationships, work & housing) and start exercising again (which I was told to stop 3 months ago when I was passing out & was hyperthyriod ) it is hard since I get very short of breath very quickly & the heart, muscle & joint pain come on very quickly & lingers. Have gained a lot of weight in a short time, despite eating less & miss the daily discipline of my yoga practice.

I accept now the changes going on in my body & am grateful that the hyper stuff was sorted before anything more serious developed but is there light at the end of the tunnel? Feel like I'm too young to feel this old, will my strength return, will I be able to climb stairs, carry shopping without having to stop to breathe? Worse of all tho is how this has affected my fertility. We have tried for years, struggled, miscarried & grieved & now am too old. Can't help but feel if I were diagnosed earlier things may have turned out differently ......

Any advice would be most gratefully received.

Many thanks

Andrea

[gabkad]

Do you know what your blood pressure is now? Heart rate?

Maybe when you go to your next appointment, the propranolol dose can be lowered. This stuff can make a person feel super tired too.

You didn't post ranges for the blood tests but generally range for fT3 goes up to something like 6.8. Yours has a H beside a 5.9. ???

[Silverpony in reply to gabkad]

Thanks for replying, just checked the print out & FT3 is maked as H (high) at 5.9. Is that ok then? So much conflicting ranges & advice.. Whole thyroid thing is tremendously difficult to understand. Heart rate goes up & down all day, bp v low: these are just my observations. The above results are from July's blood test, gave more blood today for results on then 9th Sept. The nurse didn't measure bp & heart rate, they never do, really busy clinic.

Have a great evening, hope your're in good health yourself. Thanks again, Andrea

[gabkad in reply to Silverpony]

What is top of range for the fT3 on your results?

If your blood pressure is now low, then make sure this specialist takes your blood pressure and checks your heart rate as well.

[Brightsea2014]

I have graves ( 20 odd years) and have been on and off carbimizole. I'm seeing good results from the paleo auto immune protocal diet. Check out the paleo mom. It's an auto immune corrector plan.

[Silverpony]

Thank for your kind replies, am trying to do the paelo diet. Hopefully get 'proper diagnosis' at next visit this coming Tuesday & will ask for copy if the ranges they use at St Mary's. This website's amazing; don't consider myself the sharpest tool in the box but can't make sense of all this. Is the 'problem' the antibodies attacking the thyroid & causing all these symptoms & does blocking TSH production, whilst protecting ones heart & preventing thyroid storm make you hypo & give you more symtoms?

Dr P reckons 18 months on the medz & this will kill off the antibodies. Any other ideas?

Many thanks,

Andrea