Hashi girl

[Aelvis]

Hi, I'm new to the hashimotos world! Looking for all the advice I can get. I am dairy, gluten, sugar free and feeling way better. I'm still trying elearn more

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our form and those members who have Hashi's will respond. In the meantime I'll give you a couple of links:-

Are you taking levothyroxine? Blood tests should be the earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and if taking hormones allow 24 hours between last dose and the test and take afterwards.

This allows TSH to be at its highest as doctors seem to only take notice of the TSH and adjust up/down according to its whereabouts, which doesn't do much for us at all.

Always get a print out of your results with the ranges as labs differ, for your own records and you can post if you have a query.

If GP hasn't tested B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate ask for these too.

[Congirl]

Hi Aelvis

I am hashi I have had 2 BH tests on the second test my antibodies had decreased significantly. I think it may be due to me supplementing selenium along with a gluten free diet.

[dang in reply to Congirl]

Please make sure you're getting your selenium levels tested when supplementing selenium. It is fairly easy to end up in the toxic range of selenium, as western diets are already incredibly high in selenium. It happened to me after only 2 months on 200mcg a day. Symptoms are very similar to hypothyroidism. So be careful.

All the best!

Dan

[Congirl]

Thanks for the information, I will look for a test.

[dang]

By going gluten, dairy and sugar free you're already doing a great job! Congrats many people in this forum have trouble with that one. You may also want to look at the AIP diet (auto immune protocol) it can help determine which specific foods cause you problems, the idea is to repair your gut and lower your antibodies, you start with a restrictive diet and then re-introduce foods while taking note of symptoms, helped me a lot!

I would also recommend avoiding soy as much as you can, avoiding "junk" food in general, eating as much fresh veggies as possible. It sounds hard, but when you're already sick you have to sometimes hit extremes to really get your health.

These are general "health tips" if you mention your dosage, medication, a little more of the medical history then some members may be more capable of giving you specific advice.

My best advice keep researching and posting your questions here, take what everyone says here with a grain of salt and learn it for yourself (keep in mind we're not doctors but patients).

Good luck and all the best, keep up the good work!

Dan

[Aelvis]

Thank you for all the information. I was on Levothyroxine (sp) but my Endo switched me to Synthroid 88 mg. She then ordered a untrasound, which is where she discovered the Hashimotos. I have an appointment coming up soon. Should I ask for a Referal to an Autoimmune specialist? Or stick with my Endo.