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Test: Anti Thyroid Proxidase Results: 1674.9 U/ml Normal Range (0 - 50)
Comment from Consultant Immunologist: Thyroid peroxidase antibodies is consistent with autoimmune thyroid disease
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TSH 0.2 - 4.5 mU/L On 15/02/16 4.5 On 21/03/16 3.5
Free T4 9 - 21 pmo1/L On 15/02/16 10 On 21/03/16 11
Hope this makes sense to you all as it's complete gobbledy gook to me. I hadn't realized that the blood test taken in February was for my thyroid.
The antibodies are attacking your thyroid ,this is known as Hashimotos disease but doctors rarely use the name. You should be treated on Levothyroxine but again doctors prefer to wait until your TSH is around 10 by which time you will have more symptoms or your symptoms may be worse.Try to get your GP to trial levothyroxine but be aware that a small starting dose can make things worse as the thyroid senses the extra meds and produces less itself.
Hello Treepie, I think I'll wait to see a different GP at the practice, one who was a good listener in the past and always had common sense suggestions. I would like to try a natural course of action if this is at all possible. If my symptoms get any worse I will certainly follow your suggestion, thank you for it.
Silverannie,I also suggest you look at the Thyroid uk, and Thyroid Patient Advocacy sites to start learning about the issues. The first endo i saw said it was " simple" ,the clot.
I have been looking at the first you mentioned, now to tackle the 2nd. Thanks. Ax
There are a number of US sites you may want to look at in due course : Stop The Thyroid Madness ,Hypothyroid Mum, Isabella Wentz .
Thank you for the links Treepie.
Hi Silverannie,
I'm new too (just diagnosed with Hashimotos three months ago). I started taking levothyroxine at 50 mcg for one month, then 75 mcg for another month, now been taking 100 mcg for the last five days. For the last few days I've been feeling my old self and it's just wonderful so stick with it, as the members keep saying it takes a while for the hormones to rebalance.
I also started the sublingual B12 supplements three days ago as my B12 was mid range only and this is also helped, I'm sure. I have also been gluten free for the last three months and I think this is VERY important with Hashimotos. Just working up the courage to go dairy free too.
Have you been having other symptoms such as brain fog, feeling cold, acid reflux, weak nails, etc. etc.?
Keep reading this website and eventually it will all sink in and you'll be on the way to recovery.
Don't let the Doctors fob you off with every things in the 'normal' range. Good luck!
Hi Bluemaxx, Not sure if it is actually Hashimoto that I have, I thought I read somewhere that it's autoimmune & goitre, perhaps I've got it wrong. So far not taking anything apart from Vit D. I don't eat very much dairy but notice when I indulge in dessert with cream or the cheese board, both seldom, I get a very heavy feeling in my stomach. I drink herbal teas, no cow's milk, I use almond milk. My other symptoms? feeling very tired after a little housework or 20 minute walk, headaches, nausea, lifeless hair also very thin in last few years, I had very thick hair in the past. Dry skin which I've always had but now much worse. I'm thinking perhaps I've had the condition mildly since childhood but never been diagnosed. My mother had Alzheimer since her early sixties and it's always been my worry that I would also suffer from it but I've got to 69 and am pretty ok, although I find it more challenging to remember new information; I understand what I'm reading but would find it difficult to impart to another person. I get very frustrated with myself when I forget things. I don't know if that is the same thing as "brain fog". Although I do feel the cold it's nothing new for me but I now have sudden bouts of what I can only call hot flushes. I get quite anxious and emotional at times & can get quite weepy over small things.
Having the support and information others share here is wonderful and will give me the confidence to demand, if required, the treatment needed when the time comes.
The best of luck to you too Bluemamaxx and thank you.
Hi again Silverannie,
Yes I'm sorry to say you do have Hashimotos because of the very high "Anti Thyroid Proxidase Results: 1674.9 U/ml Normal Range (0 - 50)"
But 90 per cent of people with hypothyroidism have Hashimotos. It means that antibodies (anti thyroid peroxidase) are attacking the thyroid and are slowly destroying it. That's why we are prescribed Levothyroxine (start low and build up) to replace the missing hormones. I don't want to completely blind you with science but, in the most simple terms (as I am no genius) it goes like this: High TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is released by your body so that you produce more T4 (levothyroxine is a synthetic form of this) which turns into T3 (the active hormone) which we need in our body.
What you describe IS classic brain fog which I have/had in abundance. It is now, after three months on the levothyroxine, so much better. All my other symptoms are better too.
Hashimotos is an auto-immune condition which means that the body is attacking itself. Some people have had a lot success in getting the anti-bodies down by following special diets (i.e. gluten free & or dairy free). Sounds like you have dairy intolerances already. People with hypothyroidism often start to have food intolerances. I certainly did and was mis-diagnosed for several years!
Just stick around here for a while and it will all become clear!
Thank you for explaining the anti thyroid proxidase results, I didn't understand it, partly as I couldn't believe it was so high over the normal range. Its all a lot to take in and makes my head spin but a little reading on this site each day and hopefully I will get to grips with it. Consoling to know that my muddled brain is the brain fog associated with the condition and that it can be managed in the long run. Very grateful for your help.
Hi again. Don't be too alarmed by all of this. I think that now you know what the problem is (i.e. have a diagnosis) you can start to sort it out. You will feel so much better in about three months time after the levothyroxine has started to work.
Important: Don't let the doctor tell you that your TSH isn't high enough to get treatment. (The NHS guidelines say that the TSH level needs to be over 10 unless you have hypothyroidism symptoms before they start treatment - but most people are very ill and feel terrible by that time.)
Point out that you have the high antibodies so you definitely have Hashimotos Thyroiditis/Hypothyroidism and then point out all the symptoms you have.
I bought a thermometer and took my temperature first thing in the morning for a few days and it was way below normal which helped the GP in referring me to an endocrinologist. I'll bet your temperature is low too.
I started off taking 50mcg of levothyroxine, then after one month - 6 weeks (sorry forgot already!), I upped it to 75, and then just last week I started taking 100. You need to get your blood tested every 4 - 6 weeks to check the levels.
Wishing you the best of luck and please keep us all informed. There is a lot of good advice on this site and if you have any problems with your doctors, the kind people here will give you tips and pointers!
Silverannie an autoimmune disorder is one wherein the body is attacking itself. Given the toxic environment we live in today it should come as no surprise that incidence is on the increase. In some cases one autoimmune disorder will give rise to another in a debilitating cascade. BUT it doesn't have to be the end of the world, rather than give in and go with the flow, there is a lot we can do for ourselves to try to control or even reverse the situation. For a start, do a google search on 'curing autoimmune thyroid disease with diet'. There are many success stories.
Good luck 
Very encouraging Linlow, Thank you, I shall certainly do that. Ax
It is a sad fact that general medicine is all too keen to hand over a prescription (not necessarily for the right condition) rather than point us down the self-help route to well-being. I do feel for the doctors, having to hold so much in their heads as science learns more and more, but they took the job on. Proactive rather than reactive advice would be so much more healthful.
Looking through your other symptoms, it might also benefit you to use something like coconut oil on your dry skin rather than the usual chemically based creams. You only need a tiny bit, especially to start with, as it spreads an awful long way. The more your skin gets used to it the more it will absorb. It can also be used to improve hair volume/growth. Consuming coconut oil (as part of a healthy diet) might also help your clarity of thought as its high levels of lauric acid help improve brain function. Adding omega 3 (or reducing consumption of omega 6) might also help. There is also a suggestion that either/both can help with thyroid function too.
If you come unstuck (unsure) in your search or want more suggestions do give me a knock. I'd be only too glad to help if I can.
I have a big tub of coconut oil, use it on my scalp and my hair, it gets gobbled up (absorbed) so fast I can hardly believe it. I have tried it on my skin after showering but it has not been so successful, gone back to Eucerin intensive lotion, with urea which seems to be the best for me. I will give it another go on my skin. I haven't cooked with it, always liked our locally produced linseed oil,, some infused and I like to support our neighbours, but i can always alternate so I will give that a go too, soon I'll smell like a coconut! A BIG THANK YOU. Ax
Linseed is good. Really good. Linseed has lots of omega 3 (coconut has none) but better used as a dressing rather than for cooking. Coconut oil is fine to cook with but ghee (grass-fed) is better, thhe.austusmediallc.netdna-... it can take higher temperatures and is another omega 3 source - better in every way except it doesn't have any lauric acid. And it is the lauric acid that helps the brain. Try it (cold pressed organic) on your toast, blended into smoothies, stirred through a hot chocolate or...... By the by 85% chocolate is good for you too 
Try beating your coconut oil (electric whisk not by hand) that will make it much easier to apply as it takes on a creamier texture. You could also whip a little linseed or olive oil in with it and gain even more benefits as a skin cream. Whilst whipping you can also add your favourite essential oil - then you could smell like a geranium
Thanks for advice, I like the idea of mixing the oils. Smell like a geranium: haha, no, think I prefer the coconut! a little calypso music, close my eyes and pretend I'm in the Caribbean, in reality I'm in Scotland!
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