Your endo is wrong. Many members have felt symptomatic with TSH levels similar to yours and elevated thyroid antibodies. Unfortunately, NHS will not diagnose hypothyroidism and prescribe Levothyroxine until either TSH is over range or FT4 below range.
Supplementing 100-200mcg selenium will help support your thyroid until then and may help reduce thyroid antibodies.
Thyroid antibodies >1,000 are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's). There is no cure for Hashimoto's which causes 90% of hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine treatment is for the low thyroid levels it causes. Many people have found that 100% gluten-free diet is helpful in reducing Hashi flares, symptoms and eventually antibodies.
You should check the packaging to see whether the Brazil nut is grown in selenium rich soil. If it is you will need 3-5 daily. If not, you should buy selenium supplement.
It's a shame doctors don't accept that most patients become symptomatic before TSH is abnormal. Make sure future thyroid blood tests are done early in the morning when TSH is highest and fast (water only), as TSH drops after eating and drinking.
Hi Adam, yes it is possible that your TSH level of 3.5 could be making you feel terrible especially with high antibodies which means that you have Hashimotos - or hypothyroidism.
You can tell your doctor that you want to be started immediately on levothyroxine - start with 50mcg daily and re-test after 6 weeks and then raise the dose by 25mcg so that you are taking 75mcg if the blood test shows your TSH is still above 1.
Print out a list of your symptoms - you can get a copy of typical symptoms of hypothyroidism and tick off which symptoms you have. There is a list somewhere on this website - sorry don't have it. You could also take your temperature everyday - usually it will be lower than normal for people with hypothyroidism. Show all this to the doctor.
Are you in England? If yes, tell your doctor that according to the NICE guidelines (which they have to follow) you should be treated if you are symptomatic even if your TSH level is below 10.
I would also get tested for Vitamins B12, D, folate and ferritin as these can be really low and these are just as important as the levothyroxine.
Your doctor should NOT laugh at you - that is terrible. Maybe you should change your doctor? You definitely have hashimotos so it's only a matter of time before you have to take levothyoxine so why is your doctor making you wait while you feel unwell? Your body needs thyroid hormone in every cell to function and you will be slowly getting more and more ill if you aren't getting enough. Your doctor is sadistic!
I take 200 mcg selenium per day and I don't have any problems so you should be o.k.
I'm not sure about your other vitamins levels as you didn't put the lab ranges. Can you put the number in brackets in i.e. B12 320 (range 140-740) - that's the range Medichecks uses but yours may be different.
I'm not an expert but your B12 seems a bit low. Could you do a new post with your vitamin levels and some of the other members will comment as they know more about that. Also your folate seems low too but its hard to tell without the ranges (numbers in brackets).
Hypothyroidism can cause stomach problems so that you don't absorb vitamins properly which is why a lot of members have low levels of B12, D, folate and ferritin so making sure that your levels are optimal (not just in the lower part of the range) can make a dramatic improvement of your health.
I have Hashimoto’s and experienced muscle stiffness terribly, especially my neck, brain fog, etc.
I take 200 mg selenium a day (make sure it hasn’t got iodine in as it will make u worse) I brought mine off amazon.
I have vitamin C, 1000, vitamin D capsules ( I have a high does 20,000 IU)
Iron, B12 and calcium, magnesium and Eskimo 3 brain sharp pure omega 3 fish oil capsules, this helped brain fog
I’ve also gone gluten free since September 2017 as I was experiencing horrendous tummy pains that I couldn’t move for the pain, even after a few days my tummy felt bruised.
Going gluten free has helped me no end and also helped with my brain fog and reduced my antibodies and reduced my TSH.
I’ve now tested positive for gluten intolerance and milk intolerance as I’m seeing a nutritionist.
She been more help than my private Endocrinologist, this forum has also been a god send. If you take people’s advice and make the changes you will feel better.
I’ve made a connection that when I drank milk or even anything with milk in, I developed joint pain in my fingers and toes.
My nutritionist is helping with my leaky gut as with Hashimoto’s this is a symptom and anything sugary it’s thrives on it.
I’m starting to feel so much better.
I’ve knocked fizzy drinks on the head too, hard at first but, I feel so much better.
When I first went gluten free I went mad buying everything gluten free, bread, cakes you name it.
Best bread is Schar can be found in all supermarkets under the free from range. Crisps sea brook or Pom bears.
There are lots of things in the normal shelves that are gluten free you just have to study the labels.
Now I tend to eat healthy fresh foods and not manufactured foods.
It’s a case of you making changes yourself. Unfortunately, there is no pill that will fix everything.
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