Seeking closure for results/symptoms please

[FayeT]

Hi I have just joined, I am 27 years old and diagnosed with under active in 2014.

I went onto a different thyroid forum and was told I have thyroid cancer due to high antibodies. Ultrasound showed thyroid was vascular; a member of this forum said vascular means cancer.

Endo and GP have said high antibodies means Hashimotos.

Please could someone advise. I am desperately seeking closure as to what I really have!!

Current dosage is 75mcg levo/10mcg T3. List of symptoms below:

Hard stools

Absent periods - I have deranged sex hormones and period has not come 2 months in a row and I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome in 2015.

Weight gain

Puffy feet

Dry skin

Tiredness

Inability to retain information

Deafness

Weak muscles

Aches and pains

Dry eyes

Feet and toes going cold/numb/tingly easily in cold weather - diagnosed with Reynauds syndrome in 2013 and have nerve damage to toes from prolonged cold exposure in 2008

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Bone pain

Pins and needles

Hot flushes

Goitre

Pale skin

Dark rings under eyes

Feeling the cold

Low body temperature about 33 - 35.9 degrees

October 2016

TSH - 2.37 (0.2 - 4.2)

Free T4 - 15.4 (12 - 22)

Free T3 - 4.6 (3.1 - 6.8)

TPO antibodies - 385 (<34)

TG antibodies - 277.3 (<115)

Thank you

[helvella]

So far as I am aware, it is not possible to diagnose cancer from an ultrasound scan.

Certainly, the results of a scan might push the investigation in one direction rather than another.

This is a link to a fairly brief overview of ultrasound scans:

endocrineweb.com/conditions...

And this is to a heavyweight chapter which will not be easy to follow:

thyroidmanager.org/chapter/...

I'll quote from the second link:

The important thing is that single or even a few US [ultrasound] features are inadequate to select nodules for FNA or to reliably assess the risk of thyroid cancer.

I certainly hope you do not have a cancer but although it is useless to suggest you don't worry, do at least remember that there are many, many who have come through thyroid cancer successfully. I'll guess one or two might respond here.

As for the symptoms, you certainly sound under-medicated.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

FayeT You are the second person in the last few days who has said another thyroid forum has told them they have thyroid cancer due to high antibodies! Which forum is this? It must be terribly worrying for you, there is no need for this scaremongering, and from what I understand antibodies have to be exceptionally high, like in the thousands, for cancer to be a possibility.

Both types of antibodies are elevated so you are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's. Read about them here:

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Many members have helped themselves to reduce the antibody attacks by adopting a strict gluten free diet. Read about gluten/thyroid connection here:

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

Supplementing with selenium L-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help, as does keeping TSH very low or suppressed, and some people find they need to be dairy free.

You are under medicated with your current doses. The aim of a hypo patient is for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges if that is where you feel best.

Some of your symptoms could be attributed to low vitamin and mineral levels. Have you had the following tested:

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

If so please post the results with reference ranges. If not, ask your GP to confirm or get them done privately (we can suggest a couple of places).

[FayeT in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks. Silly question but am I allowed to put the forum's name on here?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to FayeT]

Possibly a bit unethical, PM me if you like, I might pop along and have a look

[EllenFrances]

Its highly suspect for anyone to diagnose absolute cancer over a forum . I'm glad you moved on from there....to here.

[ThyroidThora]

Hi, I've never heard thyroid cancer being vascular, vascular describes the nerves and veins in the body. I've had thyroid cancer and it was never described as vascular. The blood results you've posted relate more to hashimotos and hypothyroidism. Have you been told by a specialist you've got a suspicion of cancer? If so you need an ultrasound scan, fine needle aspiration whereby cells are removed from the thyroid to look for abnormalities and then removal for biopsy. It's difficult to not worry but unless a specialist has told you otherwise you need to take some advice with a pinch of salt. If you're still worried see your gp for a referral to a specialist.

All the best.

TT xx.