Thanks to all those who kindly responded to my low TSH concerns. I have a further concern.
My daughter's grandmothers both suffered from thyroid problems as do I. She is now 42 and is showing symptoms of hypothyroidism in that she is exhausted most evenings and goes to bed as early as possible and has bouts of mild arthritis in her fingers and toes which flares up then subsides which has been diagnosed as early stage rheumatoid arthritis. She has just had a thyroid blood test with the following results which her GP has interpreted as being normal. She has now embarked on the Barnes temperature programme.
Blood test results:-
Serum free T3 4.4pmol/L (3.5-6.5)----normal
Serum free T4 10pmol/L (9-23)-----normal
Serum TSH level 4.8 mu/L (0.55-4.8)--normal
Serum B12 503 ng/L (211-911)---normal
Se thyroid peroxidase Ab conc (LMB3917)>1300ku/L---abnormal--thyroid antibodies screen is positive
Pop back and shoot the GP. She has Hashi's, just as you deduced, well done. Her t4 is at the bottom of the range, the TSH is clearly showing a failing thyroid by their own range... she has clear symptoms an an associated auto immune condition. She needs treatment.
This is not normal.
Just been looking at this, there seems to be an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with RA and Hashis. consider writing pointing this out to your GP, asking for a referral to a specialist.
Still waiting for my daughter to come back from university and teach me how. So no. Easily searched though.
• in reply to
Bateman et al, 2012 in arthritis - study in Netherlands. big study found 6.5 per cent in Netherlands with RA were hypo, the rate varies across the world. 27 per cent in Slovakia. "coexistence hypo with inflamm arthritis assoc with cardiovascular risk in women."
Your daughter's antibodies antibodies are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) which causes 90% of hypothyroidism in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada. 100% gluten-free diet may improve symptoms and reduce antibodies.
Her TSH is top of range, and FT4 low in range. Her thyroid gland is being destroyed by lymphocytes and thyroid levels will be abnormal within a few months. It would be pragmatic for her GP to commence Levothyroxine replacement now rather than wait for symptoms to worsen as thyroid fails.
However, before gluten free do a blood test for celiac .. available on the internet. This is because i. if you have a third autoimmune disease you really want to know, and it is common in hypo, ii if you find you react to gluten you will not want to go back on it for weeks to have the celiac test.
celiacs who go g free find antibodies reduce, the picture is anecdotal in g sensitivity, but worth trying once celiac has been ruled out.
Thank you Clutter. My daughter is minded to self medicate with NDT. Is this a sensible course of action and if so how should she progress with the dosage? I have your list of contacts to obtain NDT but do you have a preference? Your advice is so very valuable.
If your daughter starts self-medicating she won't get a diagnosis. Her TSH is at the top of range so it can't be long before it rises and she gets a diagnosis.
I don't use NDT but if I started I would try the Thai brand's first, and if they didn't suit, Naturethroid.
As your daughter hasn't been taking replacment she should start low, at a half a grain (30mg) by halving a one grain (60mg) tablet. She can increase dose in half grain increments at 2 week intervals until symptoms resolve or she is taking 2 grains. She should hold at 2 grains for 6 weeks and have a thyroid test including FT3 before increasing further.
I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.
My daughters have inherited, my thyroid conditon, they are both hypothyroid. My youngest has Hashimoto's too. My male parent, developed hyperthyroid so the links is there that the condition can be passed on. My Mum had underactive.
Others can read the results but to me looking at the T4 your daughter is only just in the normal range and the TSH is in the upper. Roughly I think that indicates she has a thyroid condition and the antibody test says positive Most people with chronic thyroiditis display a positive TPO test. The test is also positive in lesser numbers of people with other thyroid diseases. Other autoimmune disorders that may cause a positive TPOAb test include:
Sjogren's syndrome,
lupus,
rheumatoid arthritis, and
pernicious anemia.
As it says Rheumatoid arthritis is also positive does she have arthritis?
Again unsure but I thought the normal result are the ones below, others can do this more properly. Think my last one was TSH 0.5 and T4 was 14 and I do have underactive/overactive thyroid I bounce and until last few years was also positive for antibodies and had Hashimotos Disease. Then my antibodies went awol and have remained so. My body tears up the medical books and does its weirdness with all things medical.
Thru Functional medicine, this can be put into remission permanently. Google Mark Hyman md or izabella wentz on reversing hashimotos or reversing autoimmune disease. Hereditary is only 1/3 of the issue, we can change the rest.
A person would need to go entirely grain free and dairy free to stop most celiacs.
Since 2/3 of the immune response is controllable, i think genetics takes a back seat. The odds are good that a person can break the cycle of autoimmune disease that run in the family. We do not hear about this kind of medicine often, because it is not profitable to the pharmaceutical industry . Mainstream meds have offered me nothing, by way of healing my immune system..functional medicine has.
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thyroid blood test results
6 year old daughter Thyroid testing 
Thyroid problems?
Thyroid Function test
Can I get some thoughts on these blood test results?
