New Hashimoto Diagnosis w/labs and Progress

[Nicole1027]

Hello All, nice to meet you!

I am new a member asked me to post my results. I replied to her post but I am posting this again on the main page for everyone else just in case. If you have seen the post already then please for give me. Im just finding my way around the site.

I have been symptomatic for about 12yrs with every single symptom of hypo but not treated because of "normal labs" . This year I switched doctors and he recently diagnosed me with Hashimotos. I posted my results at diagnosis and after 3 months on Synthroid 25 mcg (not much change at all, values only increased by 1/10). TSH didn't change at all.

TPO antibodies: 5 ( lab range <9 Iu/mL)

Thyroglobulin : <1 (lab range < or = 1 Iu/mL)

Free T4 : 1.2 (lab range 0.8 -1.8 ng/mL) AFTER 3 mo 25 mcg Synthroid 1.3

Free T3: 2.7 (lab range 2.3 -4.2 ng/mL) AFTER 3 mo 25 mcg Synthroid 2.8

TSH: 0.82 (lab range > 20yrs 0.40 -4.50) AFTER 3 mo NO CHANGE

Ferritin: 24 (lab range 10-154 ng/mL)

Vitamin D: 20 (lab range 30-100 ng/mL)

I was diagnosed with mild Hashimoto's based on my TPO antibodies. Doctor says I am at the beginning stages. He claims my TSH, FT4 and FT3 are considered normal BUT...most people who DO NOT have Hashimotos will have numbers in the negative values for the TPO antibody test. He feels that any positive number indicates Hashimotos if the patient is symptomatic. Oddly enough when my TPO antibodies were tested 2yrs ago they were in the negative but I was very much symptomatic even then. Also, I have 2 thyroid nodules, one of them is hypodense and 1 cm and the other is subcentimeter. In my follow-up ultrasound the nodules have shrunk a teeny bit and my overall gland has shrunk a little. But the technitian stated there was no significant change.

At this time the Dr. put me on 25mcg of Synthroid. I stayed on this dosage for 3 months and here's what happened...

Month 1 - noted some improvement (no brain fog, foot and back pain better, able to sleep most days, chilly spells on 4/7 days rather than daily). Still have severe constipation and no digestion. Upon starting synthroid my stomach was severely bloated but this calmed down after 2 weeks

Month 2 - still some improvement (eye lashes growing, hair shedding improved) but old symptoms are creeping in again plus some new issues! Stomach bloating, severe breast pain to the point where I couldn't move and need bandages for support. Breast pain was enough to make me quit but I still stuck in there.

Month 3 - Dr. decides to add T3. For two weeks all symptoms came back times 100! Breast pain becomes deadly and breast size is noticeably increased . For one week I stopped all medication. Breast pain completely disappears and size returns to normal.

Currently - I had my own ideas about treatment based on what happened above just because I know my own body. I felt like the T3 was NOT making me feel worse. I think the Synthroid was too low or either just not a good fit for me. So this week I have taken just the T3 and feel Waaayyy better not perfect though! I told the Dr about this discovery but he says to take 25mcg synthroid plus 1/2 pill of synthriod....IM SO NOT DOING THAT Im sticking with my remaining T3 pills.

I'm debating on trying a T4/T3 combo (synthetic or natural) or just stay with T3. Any advice? After the bloating and breast pain/enlargement and slight weight gain I'm scared to try any T4 at all, but maybe another brand of synthetic T4 would be ok. I don't know what will happen if I continue on T3 and never include any T4 ?

Please comment anytime

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum,

The problem with your 25mcg dose is that it was too small giving you unpleasant symptoms. A starting dose is 50mcg with 25mcg increments every six weeks after you have a blood test.

So you've not really been given a chance to try out levothyroxine at an optimum dose.

Levothyroxine is inactive and has to convert to T3. T3 is the only active thyroid hormone and is needed in all of our T3 receptor cells.

Some people have to take T3 only but they come to no harm if they exclude T4 if on the right dose.

Blood tests have to be at the earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between your last dose of thyroid hormones and the test and take afterwards.

Your GP should also B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate if you've not had them tested.

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges and it is always better to put them on a new post as you will get more responses.

[Nicole1027 in reply to shaws]

Thank you for your advice! I will definitely be a regular on the site and will post future labs

[shaws Administrator in reply to Nicole1027]

If you wish you can also become a member of Thyroiduk.org.uk and it makes us stronger the more members we have. I shall give you a link, just in case. It is only £20 per annum.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/member...

I think it sounds better when you say to GP, I'm a member of Thyroiduk.

[Nicole1027 in reply to shaws]

Great thanks!