Newly diagnosed Type 2

[JacqBr]

Hi I have had a thyroid problem on and off since 1999, diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and also the same year with Thyroid Peroxidase positive. Since then my thyroid has swung between under active, over active and normal, it has been normal for about 5 years until now. My recent blood test show TSH 5.9 Free T4 11.3 but GP will not give me Thyroxine, also recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I know if I lost weight this would change but with my thyroid showing signs of being underactive I find losing weight a virtual impossibility. Feeling rather frustrated with it all. I was also diagnosed with a slow growing Non Hodgkins Lymphoma last November so all just a bit too much at present

[Marz]

So sorry to read of your problems - and how mad I am with your Docs. You have Hashimotos - so have always had a thyroid issue and should have been treated long ago. Type 2 diabetes - like thyroid - is an endocrine issue - and can be caused by un-treated thyroid.

Both my husband and I have Hashimotos and both our Mothers had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Your TSH is far too high and your FT4 too low. Nothing normal about those results either. Normal is an opinion and not a result.

Please have your B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD tested ASAP.

Your Docs are a disgrace - thank goodness you have found this forum. Please keep asking questions .... happy to help ☺

[JacqBr in reply to Marz]

Hi thank you for your reply and support. This is exactly how I feel re GP's. Can I asked what may seem a really stupid question, if you have been diagnosed with Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies, are they a permanent thing or do they ever go way, why I ask is again two Dr's one said they can disappear the other said No once you have them you have them for life, not the GP practice I am with now,

[annaleigh37 in reply to JacqBr]

I was diagnosed with them just over a year ago and was told that the levels can fluctuate in some people or go completely. I was on a clinical trial.

[Marz in reply to JacqBr]

JacqBr - wen you have TPO anti-bodies it confirms you have Hashimotos - an auto-immune condition. I have it as do most people who have an under active thyroid. Yes they can fluctuate but you need to be on thyroid medication to support your thyroid whilst under attack from antibodies that will eventually destroy your thyroid.

You should ask for copies of all your test results so you can keep a record of your prgress - they are legally yours.

Going gluten free can help to reduce anti-bodies ....

Are you om Metformin ?

[JacqBr in reply to Marz]

No Metformin, recently diagnosed awaiting appointment with the diabetic team at GP's

[Treepie in reply to JacqBr]

Try to keep off Metformin by a low carb high fat diet ,the exact opposite of what the diabetes nurses will tell you.I cut out all cakes ,deserts, scones etc and was free of diabetes three months after it was diagnosed.

[JacqBr in reply to Treepie]

Thanks for the reply and advice, I do not want to start Metformin, really would prefer to diet first

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to JacqBr]

I've got mine right down, they started off at 167 when I was first diagnosed with Graves. They were 9.5 when I last testes but they have been <5 so I'm wondering if they never quite go away but you can reduce them. Mine started gong down when I went totally gluten free. My antithyroglobulin had come down from the 500s to 41. So from my experience they haven't disappeared (yet?) but they are an awful lot lower than they were. It could be gong GF or it could be time that's done it. I don't know but I'm sticking with GF.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum,

Yes, sometimes when we get one thing after another we wonder when we will get back to normal health.

When you say:-

"Since then my thyroid has swung between under active, over active and normal, it has been normal for about 5 years until now."

Does that mean you have not been taking any thyroid hormone replacements since then? i.e. levothyroxine.

[JacqBr in reply to shaws]

Hi I have not taken levothyroxine for about 5 years, was told years back that my thyroid would eventually pack up altogether, that was at hospital appointment with endocrinologist in September 2000

[Marz in reply to JacqBr]

Why have you not been taking the levo ? - any reason ?

[JacqBr]

Because my blood test have been within normal range for 5 year, when I was seen at hospital was told the consultant only ever had 3 patients with similar blood, under, then over and then back to normal, he said it was my thyroid trying without much success to correct itself, I struggle to understand it

[Marz in reply to JacqBr]

When you have Hashimotos you can swing from hyper to hypo and the test results reflect this. What a shame the Endo did not understand. Do you have copies of results from that time ? Could you obtain them ??

[Fruitandnutcase]

Buy yourself Dr David Cavan's wonderful book Reverse your T2 Diabetes, get a blood glucose meter if you haven't already got one. Read the book and do exactly what it tells you. I ate my way out of T2 in the three months I was given to try diet and exercise as a 'cure' and doing that I lost a ton of weight without ever counting calories.

I made myself a mini spreadsheet and tested my blood just before and two hours after every meal, I jotted down everything I ate and if my blood sugar was spiked I cut out the food that did it - in my case any grain based carbs, a nice healthy jacket potato and salad did it - it was the potato, yet I could eat three or four small boiled new potatoes , parsnip soup, all sorts of unlikely things.

I had just gone gluten free to try and reduce my thyroid antibodies (it worked!) so I was a bit worried about how things would work out but it was fine.

Look at the Diet Doctor.co.uk website and also read up about Low Carb, High Fat which was basically what I was doing - and still do. You can also sign up for a very good free 8 week online course in LCHF eating. I just get my carbs from sources that are better for me than bread, rice and loads of potatoes. Good luck it's definitely worth giving it a try. The Michael Mosley Blood Sugar Diet is similar and worth reading but I discovered Dr Cavan first.

[JacqBr in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Hi thanks for the reply I will look into this especially the book thank you again

[humanbean]

If you were to have your thyroid removed - every single cell of it - then TPO and Tg antibodies would disappear completely I think.

But Graves' antibodies never disappear, even if the thyroid is removed. Instead they go on to attack other tissues and organs, the eyes being an obvious one, causing Thyroid Eye Disease.

---

An excellent source of information for diabetes is this site :

diabetes.co.uk/

It is a patient-run site with over half a million members, it has a forum :

diabetes.co.uk/forum/

and it has loads of information on healthy eating for diabetes :

diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/

You have to register to see their low carb diet info in the above link (and you don't have to have diabetes to join), but its free. It also includes loads of free recipe books (PDF files to download).