Im a 34 year old female with a TSH of 3.59 (blood test done in May 2018 by GP) Both my mother and brother have hypothyroidism and were diagnosed in their early thirties.
I have symptoms that strongly affect my daily life, the top 4 being the most problematic, which is making me miserable....
* Tired all the time
* Terrible anxiety
* I gain weight just by looking at food
* Brain fog
* Thinning hair
* Swallowing is sometimes uncomfortable
* Pins and needles
* Feel the cold
My GP wouldn't run any additional bloods as I don't meet the reference range of the labs, which he said was now 5? So no medication can be tried to see if I improve at all, as again, I'm not within the ranges.
I had private bloods done this week which showed normal TSH, T3 and T4.....but my thyoglobulin antibodies were elevated at 385 (should be 0-115)
What does this mean exactly? Is this why I have symptoms?
Any help would be much appreciated
Other results-
Free thyroxine - 16
Free T3: 4.03
Peroxidase antibodies: 19.3
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Kate_1984
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I am not an expert on here but those elevated antibodies mean that you have Hashimotos/ auto immune thyroid disease. Your thyroid is being attacked and so is struggling to produce sufficient thyroid hormone.
The advice given on here is to get your tsh below 1 to feel well and get your vitamins optimal, as well as ensuring your t3 is in the upper quarter of the range and your t4 half way. (I’m on he journey myself!)
You can always self treat with meds which again is something that people suggest on here using natural desiccated thyroid. See how you feel and monitor symptoms and pulse to ensure you’re not ivermediating yourself.
I hope that helps. I’m sure one of the wiser ones will respond shortly! X
Kate, we need the ranges for those results. Ranges vary from lab to lab, so you should always give them. Those antibodies actually don't look high at all. And your Frees look euthyroid. But without the ranges, we can't say for sure. Did you not have a TSH result?
OK, so yes, you do have Hashi's. However, you're not likely to get any sort of diagnosis until your TSH goes at least over-range. Doctors know so little about thyroid that they are incapable of thinking outside the box, and putting two and two together - high antibodies + symptoms = need for thyroid hormone replacement! They know nothing about symptoms, either.
Your FT4 isn't too bad, although your FT3 is on the low side, but not low enough to alert a doctor to a problem. But, they are going to get worse as the disease progresses. So, you must keep an eye on levels and test regularly.
How much do you know about Hashi's? Have you tried taking selenium and adopting a gluten-free diet to see if they help you feel better?
When you had the Medichecks tests done, did you include nutrients : vit D, vit B12, folate, ferritin? If so, what were the results? You could very well have low nutrients, which would cause symptoms and make you feel bad.
Well, they look good. But, it would be a good idea to get vit D tested. GPs often don't do it - or the lab refuses to do it on the grounds that everyone in the UK is low in vit D!
So, all I can suggest apart from that, is keeping an eye on your levels, try gluten-free to see if it helps (Hashi's people are often gluten-sensitive, even if they don't have Coeliac) and try taking the following nutrients :
selenium
vit C
zinc
magnesium
You could easily be deficient in any of those, especially magnesium. And vit C is good for so many things, and is water soluble, so you can take quite high doses without over-dosing.
This happened to me for about 15 years ..the reference range went up to 10 then so even with a tsh of nearly 9 and private tests showing antibodies my gp refused medication. In the end I paid for a private endo from Salford Hospital. She was brilliant and was very annoyed that I hadn’t had medication as you should have it with Hashimotos. She said she hoped it hadn’t affected my heart which unfortunately it looks like it has. I’m with Healthshield and get 80% back of what I pay so my private endo cost £72 in the end.
I wished I’d gone to see a private endo right at the beginning. It would have saved years of feeling dreadful. Even now I’ll have to see her again as GP doesn’t even test for everything they should. She said there’s no point testing T3 as she can’t prescribe it. When I went to private endo I took the results of private tests with me so only needed one consultation. She wrote to my GP and advised treatment (which the GP has ignored). You’re wasting your time seeing GP’s ..they haven’t got a clue
Hiya kate, your in the same boat as me, very similar test results but still no help whatsoever! Have you had your cholesterol checked too? Mine was just over the high range but still docs wont link everything together with hashimotos
Just wondered if you've gotten any help or diagnosis yet? I'm in same shoes as you, with mostly normal thyroid levels but elevated thyroglobulin antibody. Completely at a loss as to how to proceed. Fatigue has gotten so bad I can't get through the day without a good bit of lying down. Feeling desperate to figure something out.
Wow, it's great to hear that! I've had iodine supplement in my cart online ready to order for awhile but I couldn't decide if I should try it or not. Definitely going to go ahead and get some!
I'm curious about your next test results as well, and if your antibodies will be lower or not. Keep us posted.
Have you had your next bloodwork yet? Are you still getting along alright? I ordered the iodine pills but then several folks on here spoke strongly against taking iodine, saying that if you have Hashimotos, iodine will possibly accelerate the disease. I obviously do not want to make it worse (if Hashi's is what I have). I don't have any official diagnosis. So. I am not taking the iodine pills.
However, along with my other supplements, I started taking selenium and methylated B vitamins (I'm compound heterozygous MTHFR). A few weeks after I started those two I began to feel much better. I think I will retest my thyroid levels & antibodies in 6 months - 1 year because I would like to keep an eye on what is happening. But for the moment I'm extremely grateful to be feeling much better.
Unfortunately, you will. Youll hear a lot of negative information regarding Iodine (crazy world). And if i had listened, id be in a right mess by now. Every single cell in your body contains Iodine, in order to function to its full capacity. Yet fear is put into us to not take a tiny dose?!
Read the book 'The Iodine Crisis' if you can, and as soon as possible. You will learn the truth. This is a must! And it explains everything about Iodine. Everything!
Then you can make your decision
Yes im still amazing! I never looked back. Just a small dose (just 1 x 12.5mg now...maybe 2 some days). Its changed my life as you know.
I will probably get my blood work done in January (been sooooo busy).... i will keep you posted
“In conclusion, the prevalence of TgAb was higher than that of TPOAb in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and painless thyroiditis using commercially available kits. We suggest that TgAb immunoassay is the first choice of screening test for thyroid autoimmune abnormalities in Japan.”
Both my mother and brother have been on thyroxine (mom for nearly 40 years) she still has symptoms. And its a synthetic drug at the end of the day. It never fixes anything.
Yet natural Iodine has given me my life back. In a matter of just 2 weeks after taking it.
I cant stress enough that you really need to dig deep to get to the truth about Iodine. Dont let what you read frighten you. Knowledge is power.....and this book will give you that. Google doesnt!
Read the book.....you can then make your decision.
I never listen to my husband haha.....but im so glad i did when it came to this book.
As gloomy as this sounds.....things got so bad that i just couldn't cope. Long term i just would have wanted out. Thats the reality.
And i had no help.......zero!
After a long time suffering....i would have eventually met the labs requirements blood wise....and put on meds. Yep.....synthetic drugs that are a band aid! And dont always help.
Read about Iodine.....it will amaze you!
Ill never look back!!!
Hi kate.I am glad to here of your experience with iodine. I have been on the fence re this for a while wanting to here some personal experience. I personally take books and scientific study write ups with a pinch of salt but I value hearing from others and seeing for myself.I have been told that iodine can lead to thyroid storm but thought it unlikely.I shall have some before bed.
Yes its definitely worth hearing peoples experiences on it. I just feel so blessed. I cant even put into words what it has done for me.
I got a few spots when i started taking it, and i couldn't sleep well for about a week. That was it. But other than that..... im just enjoying being the person i used to be again.
It took around 2 maybe 3 weeks....then boom....all symptoms gone. (Even my metabolism kicked back into gear....BONUS!) And im sorry, but all of the fear that is drummed into us about Iodine.....well......a 12.5mg tablet doesnt hurt anybody!!!! And thats what i take each day.
Learning the truth about Iodine is the way forward.....to stay off drugs.....and to naturally take care of yourself.
Iodoral is the best one.....you can buy it on Amazon.
Hi JaneyJaney, have you had any success? Im similar to you - normal TSH, F4 and F3 but TGAB at 600 and TPO at 35. Feel very lethargic and sleeping a lot more than I used to, exercising and dieting alot but weight isn't shifting at all and feeling quite down. I've suffered depression in the past but usually caused by stress but this time round it seems to have come from nowhere. I don't feel my results will get taken seriously by a Dr so just currently gathering as much evidence as possible including Basal Temperature (not hugely low but consistently around 36.6) but really would like to work out how to manage this without medication.
I've been thinking gluten free too, I generally follow a lower carb diet anyway as my body responds better to weight loss on lower carbs (I don't eat bread or pasta and most of my carbs come from veg and fruit, but I don't follow Keto or Atkins) which is why it's hugely frustrating that it's no longer working! I think I read somewhere about the gluten free diet is because anti-bodies can mimic gluten proteins so its the gluten in the diet raising anti-bodies rather than a thyroid problem. I may look into the selenium suggestion too and Vit C, my vitamins are generally pretty good (D is a bit on the low side of the normal range but it is a UK winter). So sorry you're not feeling much better, especially after going through surgery too. I quite agree with what you say, even if you do get a diagnosis how actually is it treated? I'm far happier managing it through diet anyway, but very disheartening when you think you've got a pretty good balance of diet and exercise and you still feel crappy.
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High thyroid antibodies 
TPO antibodies
Taken off thyroxine
High antibodies for years but on no treatment
High TPO antibodies.
