Hyperthyroid? Hashimoto's? Thyroiditis?

[kab27054]

Hello everyone. I am new to this site. I recently went to the doctor complaining on extreme fatigue (I have been very tired for years and years but the last 8 or so months have been so bad I quit my job and sleep most of the time) The doctor did some tests which showed these results;

TSH-.370 (LOW)

T4- 15 (HIGH)

T3- 281(HIGH)

Free T3- 9.6 (HIGH)

Free T4- 4.39 (HIGH)

Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) Ab- 138 (HIGH)

So I was sent to get a thyroid uptake scan which after 6 hours was 15% and after 24 hours it was 25% which are both normal.

so more blood work was done since the scan didn't match my blood test results.

the latest blood work showed my TSH slightly go ups to .610 and free t3 and free t4 slightly go down but still well above normal range. the antibody test, the same one that resulted in a 138 reading the first time around, was negative, so graves and hashimoto's was ruled out.

The doctor then called me and said she decided I had temporary thyroiditis and it would go away on its own. I don't agree with this, I'm 28 and I've had palpitations, fast heart rate, high cholesterol, constipation and fatigue for at least 10 years! and my thyroid feels inflamed and large (her words). Now, can someone shed some light on this for me? The research I've done says the antibody results can go from negative to positive week to week and they should always be redone, and I just can't understand why the doctor would decide this was temporary after my uptake scan was normal. also, I'm on medications (not for thyroid) and supplements (for thyroid) and I have been during and before that scan, maybe that messed with it? they didn't want to know what medication I was on! I even asked if they wanted me to list my meds! so...is the doctor right? is she wrong?

any advice is greatly appreciated! I just want to feel better.

thank you

*also, My vision is blurry and I can barely drive at night because the headlights are so bright to me, I have to turn all my mirrors down so I can't see any lights.

[greygoose]

I think she's wrong. If your TPO antibodies are high once, then you have Hashi's - Autoimmune Thyroiditis. And, although antibodies fluctuate, Hashi's doesn't go away.

You haven't put the ranges for those blood test results - please, always put the actual ranges, just saying 'high' doesn't tell us much - but they are probably saying that you've just had a Hashi's 'hyper' swing. The levels will go down by themselves, but that doesn't mean your thyroiditis was temporary. You could have a spell of 'normality', but then go hypo and stay hypo until the next 'hyper' swing.

So, keep on testing.

[kab27054 in reply to greygoose]

thank you so much for your input! It made me more sure of myself in what I was thinking. I took a picture of the test results with the ranges, how do I share that on here?

[kab27054 in reply to kab27054]

okay I added the picture into my original post!

[greygoose in reply to kab27054]

Ah, all those pointless tests! All that really interests us for diagnosis if hypo/Hashi's is TSH, FT4, FT3 and antibodies. All the rest just seem like an excuse to avoid diagnosing.

Looks like you were in a 'hyper' swing of Hashi's - results not high enough to be Grave's, and TSH not even suppressed. So, as I said, keep testing.

[Rsturner3641]

Keep pushing her to check further because at age 20 I was diagnosed with Graves disease after a year of complaining to my doctor to no avail and it wasnt until I just happened to go in one day for something else and they checked my heart rate and it was over 250 and It almost caused me to have a heart attack that they finally realized what was going on. I had the driving at night thing too and it felt like I was in a tunnel that was closing in on me

it wasnt until my thyroid was killed with radio active Iodine and put on levothyroxine that I felt any better. I am now 52 and something is up again and I know something is off and My doctor now will not listen either so here we go again

[Hidden]

I was a bit muddles by your combined symtoms of hypo and hyper thyroidism at the same time.I think what might be happening is that your hyper symptoms are exhausting you. So have a really fast heart beat is draining you of energy. I think you might need to get some private bloods done via bluehorizen to re check antibodies.I also wonder about your ferritin levels and if low ferritin could be driving some of the symptoms.You need to get your B12, folate and ferretin checked asap.

[Valarian]

Firstly, however horrible it feels at the moment, thyroiditis can be temporary and resolve itself - and your levels have come down without treatment, although you don’t say by how much.

btf-thyroid.org/information...

They could potentially prescribe beta blockers to help with some of the symptoms, and if your thyroid levels are still very high, antithyroids would bring them down faster (since your TSH suggests there is some production), but there can be serious side effects from anti- thyroids, and if your condition is resolving itself, it may be a risk not worth taking. If this is a Hashi’s ‘flare’, treatment would be the same at this point. Whatever the cause, they should offer some level of ongoing monitoring once symptoms resolve.

As for the scan, I guess your doctor might have known about prescribed medicine, but they should have asked about any supplements etc. If your thyroid supplements include iodine, they could have interfered with the test. Here are a couple of examples of patient info for thyroid uptake tests, but most are along the same lines.

uclahealth.org/endocrine-ce...

cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/P...

uwmedicine.org/health-libra...

I suppose this could be Graves’, an autoimmune hyper disease, especially as they didn’t test the antibodies, and the uptake test results may have been impacted by your supplements - however, although it can resolve itself, and in any case has periods of relapse and remission, this seems to be happening pretty quickly for Graves’. The concern there would be your vision problems, since there is an associated eye disease. If you’re worried about this, as a start, you could get your eyes tested by a good optician, and mention that you are undergoing tests for thyroid problems.

[Beverleyb]

Hi , I am sorry I haven't got any answers to your questions , but one bit of advice I can give you is to never give up fighting for your health , when I look back I had symptoms for ten years , I always knew there was something wrong but hadn't got a clue and the doctors just fobbed me off all the time..I came upon Thyroid Uk by chance and so pleased I did they are a God send to many Thyroid sufferers.