Hashimoto's?

[ShelleyWinnie2]

Hi everyone. After years of feeling rubbish (the usual side effects of hypothyroidism) I finally managed to persuade a doctor to take me seriously in 2012. It was confirmed that I was hypo with a high level of antibodies going on. Put on Levothyroxine and that was that. I discovered, by chance, that going gluten free made most of my symptoms disappear!!!! No more sore hips, heavy periods, shivering with cold, trying to nap at 3pm etc etc. The problem is that the Doc's won't take me seriously. They tell me going gluten free has nothing to do with it and won't acknowledge that Hashimoto's could be at play. I've given up and try and control my symptoms with diet. I've found that dairy brings back my sore hips so I am now gluten and dairy free.

Is anyone else also experiencing this and am I right in thinking Hashimoto's?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Shelley

Yes, raised antibodies confirm Hashi's.

Most doctors dismiss antibodies as being of no importance and know little or nothing about Hashi's and how it affects the patient, test results and symptoms. So rather than open their minds and try to learn, they prefer to ridicule the patient.

Best thing is to do what you are doing, just don't discuss it with your doctors. You know it helps, carry on improving!

By the way, supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.

[ShelleyWinnie2 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you. It has been so frustrating. You are the first person to confirm I'm not making it up. I'll take on board the selenium tip too. Thanks again

[Fruitandnutcase]

I totally agree, antibodies = Hashimoto’s or in my case Graves Disease. Like you I’ve reduced my antibodies massively - still got a few but we’re talking single figures as opposed to in the hundreds.

So like SSS says - keep doing what you’re doing and ignore the doctors and anyone else who can’t see the light. You want your vitaminsD and B12, ferrit8n and folates to be high in their ranges to help your thyroid.

[ShelleyWinnie2 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you. Ive had my iron levels checked but not the others. Apparently I have zero iron stores. Been given iron tablets to take three times daily. I hadn't heard of increasing these levels to help, so thanks for the info.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

100's, if not 1000's on here find strictly gluten free diet essential with Hashimoto's

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)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

Unfortunately current Medics only acknowledge coeliac, not gluten intolerance

amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

A slightly lower percentage find dairy or casein in cows milk is also problematic

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/240...

Many on here also follow grain free or AIP diet

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

[ShelleyWinnie2 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you so much. Very interesting reading ahead. So frustrating that Doctors refuse to acknowledge the information and patients own experience. Ridiculous if, as you say, 1000's agree it helps.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to ShelleyWinnie2]

If there's no easy straightforward yes/no test.....it's easier to say it doesn't exist

Coeliac test is notoriously unreliable

Gluten intolerance has no test available at all on NHS

Same is true of low stomach acid, so very often ignored or misdiagnosed as high acid.