My Dr has just gotten back to me with a diagnosis. Previously tested positive for antibodies. Latest round of blood tests :
TSH - 0.02 (0.5 - 5)
T4 - 15(11-20)
T3 - 5.4 (3-6)
I have a lot of symptoms and generally feel very unwell. Hospital consultant says GP can put me on carbimazole if I want, because of all the symptoms I am experiencing. GP says my symptoms are consistent with hypothyroidism however test results show hyper.
I have declined the carbimazole and prefer to wait it out. I have another blood test booked for the end of December.
What should I do. ? I feel very ill and just want some improvement and not feel so horrendous.
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Hellobarfi
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Errr... Could you tell us which antibodies were positive? If they weren't Grave's antibodies - TRAB or TSI - then no way are you hyper, sub-clinical or otherwise. Good job you refused the carbimazole because that would have made you worse! Good lord! What do they teach these endos these days?!?
Your TSH is suppressed, true, but your FT4 is just slightly under mid-range. If you were hyper, it would be over-range. And your FT3 looks just fine. Your labs aren't hyper at all. It's my guess that you're just coming down from a Hashi's 'hyper' swing, and your TSH hasn't yet caught up with your Frees. I'm with your GP on this one!
When were these labs done? Is it really necessary to wait until the end of December? Or, perhaps, could you get your GP to test your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin? These could all be low, and that will make you feel ill.
But, there's no very much more I can suggest without knowing which antibodies you had tested. However, if they were TPO antibodies, you could try going gluten-free. And, you could try taking some selenium.
What should you do? Stay well away from this hospital consultant's advice and stay away from the carbimazole.
From your post a few months ago healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... you were diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 2015. You don't suddenly become hyperthyroid and require carbimazole!
GP says my symptoms are consistent with hypothyroidism however test results show hyper.
TSH - 0.02 (0.5 - 5)
T4 - 15(11-20)
T3 - 5.4 (3-6)
Your test results definitely do not show hyper. Your FT4 is low in range and your FT3 is well within range. Your TSH is suppressed but that's not a problem. You're not even overmedicated if you werer on Levo, you'd have to have FT3 over range for that.
What has happened with these results
FERRITIN- 7 (range above 11-200 approx) LOW
VITAMIN D- 25 - LOW
Any treatment? Any improvement? That ferritin level is suggesting there could be iron deficiency anaemia, did you have an iron panel and full blood count to find out? Did you get loading doses of D3 and what's your current level?
With Hashimoto's, until it's under control, our gut can be badly affected. Low stomach acid can lead to poor absorption of vitamins. Low vitamin levels stop thyroid hormones working.
Bloods can look hyper as result, but you feel hypo
(Sound familiar?)
As SeasideSusie says - what has happened about your extremely low ferritin and vitamin D
Been treated? Been retested?
If these are still low you can't use your thyroid hormones
Also check B12 and folate
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
As a matter of interest, what symptoms have you got ? While some things (eg weight loss, feeling overheated) are more commonly associated with being hyper and others (eg weight gain, feeling cold) with being hypo, there are plenty of people on this forum who experienced the opposite symptoms.
Some of the symptoms - eg anxiety, palpitations, tremor- are present in conditions other than thyroid disease, and even in clear cases of hyperthyroidism, can often be relieved without Carbimazole.
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