Do I have Hashi's

[Wellesley94]

I've had very good advice from you all in the past. I was on Levo 75mg since Jan and feeling awful. Have resigned from work as I could not go on in this way. Decided to go to a specialist and use my savings to figure out what was going on. He was one of the ones from your list and he is very good. He immediately put me on Armour and I have started to feel better, not 100% by any means, but improved. I've been on it 2 weeks and already my palpitations have decreased. I was starting to rely on sleeping tablets to put me to sleep and that was really worrying me.

He told me it was my auto immune system that was attacking my thyroid. Bad news I guess? Here are my results now. I would appreciate comments and I forgot to ask him if I had Hashis or not?

TSH: 0.93

Free T4: 19.0

Free T3: 4.1

So all looks good eh? But what does this mean?

Thyroglobulin Antibody 365.4

Thyroid Peroxidase: 207

Is this bad?

[Clutter]

Wellesley94, I'm glad you found a helpful endo via TUK. If your thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase antibodies are above the lab ref range then they are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's). A gluten-free diet helps many Hashi members reduce autoimmune attacks and antibodies.

It's not really possible to interpret results without lab ref ranges but TSH 0.93 is comfortable for most people. FT4 19 is usually good but I think FT3 4.1 is probably low. 2 weeks into Armour isn't sufficient time to test. It takes 4-6 weeks for the full impact of the dose to be felt and to change levels. If those results were prior to starting Armour, expect to see TSH and FT4 drop but FT3 should rise.

[Wellesley94 in reply to Clutter]

Thank you for your reply. I'm in a shocked phase at the moment. Not sure what to think. I'm so glad that you are out there to help.

Many thanks

[Hidden]

Hello Wellesley94,

A high thyroid antibody count indicates Hashimotos which is prevalent in people with thyroid issues. It is useful to know if you have this disease in order to take measures to avoid further Hashi attacks.

It is a progressive disease which if left unchecked may cause IBS, acid reflux, diarrhoea, leaky gut and bloating amongst many other symptoms as the intestines control the immune system.

It was believed that once the immune response was activated, it became self sustaining and independent of the original environmental trigger. However, the good news is it has now been shown that when triggers are eliminated, the auto immune process can be slowed, stopped and in some people even reversed.

There are loads of books recalling accounts of this although I believe only a very few people would be able to actually reverse the effects.

Only the most severe cases are recognised by conventional medicine which treat with steroids and immune modulating drugs. Alternatives practitioners will treat with herbs, inflammation reducing supplements, acupuncture and yoga/meditation. However to address the root cause it is vital to reduce or eliminate antigen (perhaps gluten?) which will help to reduce inflammation, detoxify gut and provide nutrients to regenerate (probiotics), and nourish with healthy foods to heal intestinal permeability.

A healthy nutrient dense diet is essential as sugar highs (insulin highs) can encourage a further Hashi attack and disrupt thyroid hormones, giving you both hyper and hypo symptoms.

I found a book called The Root Cause by Izabella Wentz to be very informative but there is absolutely loads of free advice on the Internet websites (for example Hashimoto Healing by Marc Ryan).

Hope you feel better soon,

flower007

[Wellesley94]

Many thanks. This is very helpful.