BBT Temperatures??

[Paolatello]

Hi all

I have hashimoto's. My TPO antibodies are elevated and have fluctuated between 1150 to 80 (at the moment). I feel hypo and hyper with symptoms like exhaustion, pain in hands and fingers, nodule and goitre, pain in thyroid, on off anxiety and occasional middle of the night panic attack type things. Sadly I am not currently being treated as my bloods aren't too bad. My last result was

TSH 0.79 (0.3-3.0

Free T4 16 (12-22)

Free T3 5.8 (3.8-5.6)

TPO 80 (less than 35)

So my free T3 was slightly over range also my ANA was positive although no one told me what that means.

Anyway, I've started tracking my BBT and it fluctuates throughout the month. I take it orally and it ranges from 36.0 to 36.6.

When I had a panic attack during the night I took it and it was 35.6

Any words of wisdom?

[greygoose]

Positive ANA just means that you have an autoimmune disease/diseases, but doesn't specify which one(s). And you obviously have Hashi's. At the moment, you seem to be just going into a hyper swing - or coming out of one. That's why you have symptoms, your FT3 is slightly elevated.

There's not very much you can do about it, I'm afraid, except keep an eye on it. No doctor is going to do anything with labs like that - they don't know how to treat autoimmune, anyway.

You could try a few life-style changes. Experiment with gluten/sugar/dairy-free diets - but one at a time, or you won't know what works! Try taking selenium, too. We all have to find what works for us by trial and error.

Eventually, this will pass, and you will become hypo. Then, perhaps, your doctor might start thyroid hormone replacement, which also helps keep the antibodies in check.

[Paolatello in reply to greygoose]

Thank you Greygoose. I was diagnosed with hashimoto's 6 years ago and I was very hyper at the time and my bloods reflected this. Then it went into remission for 4 years and I felt OK. For 18 months now my antibodies have been elevated again and I've had these awful symptoms continuously. How long will it take to burn out and go hypo for good? I'm really struggling. I see an Endo and an ENT specialist due to my nodule and he has offered to remove one side of my thyroid to remove the 3cm nodule, but I don't want the operation of it won't solve the symptoms. What do you think?

[greygoose in reply to Paolatello]

Removing half the thyroid will cause it's own problems. It's all very well them wanting to whip glands out but they don't know how to treat the patient afterwards! I would hang on to your whole gland as long as you can, if the nodule isn't bothering you. Have you had an FNA on it?

How long it takes the thyroid to be completely destroyed is anybody's guess. It's different for everyone. What you need to do is calm the antibodies down. The dietary changes I mentioned, and the selenium can do this. It would also be a good idea to have your TSH at zero. But it's difficult to get most doctors on-side with that one!

Try and avoid excess iodine, as that can trigger the antibodies, because it stimulates the gland - but no need to avoid it completely. Just cut out the oysters! lol (Joke.)

[Paolatello in reply to greygoose]

Haha! Thanks. I've had two FNAs but both times they got an inconclusive result as the nodule bled and ruined the sample. I don't have breathing or dealing issues with the nodule but I wonder whether it's the nodule causing my symptoms rather than the hashimoto's. I've had hashimoto's for at least 6 years and I'm still nowhere near hypo on my bloods so it's strange!

Also, the nodule is painful sometimes. I get stabbing pains on that side of my gland and also sometimes during the night I wake up and it's burning like I've put Deep Heat cream on my neck! So bizarre

[greygoose in reply to Paolatello]

OK, so you think it might be a hot nodule, producing its own hormone. There are tests for that, it's not just guess-work. But, I'm not sure nodules cause symptoms. Antibodies, on the other hand, most certainly do.

You are probably not yet hypo because not enough of your gland has been damaged. But the FT3 is the most important one to watch. With some people, the TSH never gets high enough for doctors to diagnose hypo. Doctors are dumb! lol

Only you - with in-put from your doctors - can decide whether you want to go for the hemi-thyroidectomy. But, if you do go for it, have a long chat with your doctors about treatment after the op. Don't just go into it blindly. You need a guarantee that if you feel hypo, they will treat you with thyroid hormone replacement, and not just say - as they often do - well, the remaining half should be taking up the slack. As you have Hashi's, the remaining half will not be able to do so for long.

[Paolatello in reply to greygoose]

It's so strange you say that because that's exactly what they tell me, that half my thyroid will cope fine! That's worrying!!

Do you believe antibodies cause symptoms? Because I've been told they absolutely don't and all I've been offered is anti-anxiety pills. The problem is I don't have actual anxiety! When I have the panic type attacks in not panicking, it's just a physical reaction where my body shakes and my blood pressure goes up a bit and I just feel horrible inside. I'm not having anxious thoughts or worries. I haven't taken the offer of anxiety meds because these attacks happen every so often, maybe every couple of weeks and normally always during the night. I'm sure that's not true anxiety! It must be a symptom!

[greygoose in reply to Paolatello]

What you always have to remember is that doctors know nothing about thyroid. They have all sorts of un-proven theories, but as they don't have the disease themselves, and they don't learn about it in med school, they have no real knowledge of how it works.

Also remember that your doctor gets extra points for prescribing things like antidepressants, and antianxiety drugs. He gets nothing for prescribing thyroid hormone. Financially, it's not good business to treat the root cause. And, believe me, it has nothing to do with the patients best interests! The patient has to look after himself! Buyer beware, and all that!

But anybody that actually has antibodies will tell you that they do cause symptoms. Doctors know nothing about symptoms. There has been little research into symptoms. And, basically, they just don't care. They've learnt in med school that all patients are idiots and liars - it would have been more helpful if they'd actually learnt something about the most common diseases - such as thyroid disease - but that's the way of the world these days. It's far easier and less taxing on their tiny brains to blame the patient for everything.

Do I sound like a cynic? Well, actually, I am one. From bitter experience. We're on our own with this one, and we just can't trust our doctors to look after our best interests, or to know anything about our disease. We have to educate ourselves, and be our own advocats. Even if our doctors have the best intentions possible - and my last doctor was like that - they are just too undereducated to be able to help. He didn't even know that women have testosterone!!!

So, check out all the possibilities, know exactly what could go wrong, and what the advantages might be. Learn to read your body. Learn about nutrition - they know nothing about that, either. And do what you have to do to feel well.

Sorry for the rant. lol Just once I got started, I couldn't stop!

[Paolatello]

I don't blame you for having a rant! This is all just so hard isn't it! It's not fair that we have to feel so ill and no one helps. As I am at the moment I struggle at times but I still manage a normal life and work full time, but I worry whether it'll get worse and I'll become unable to function normally. I'm hoping to have children at some point but I'm terrified I'll not cope being a mum on top of feeling ill all the time. Someone should help us!