Temporary Hashimoto’s

[Nigelnoonoo6]

Hi, I have just been to my GP due to abnormal thyroid results, and have been told I have Hashimoto’s

November results

TSH 7.6 (0.4-5.5)

FT4 14 (10-22)

Anti-tpo 831 (0-24.9)

September results

TSH 8.5 (0.4-5.5)

FT4 12 (10-22)

My GP has said that my thyroid levels could be temporary.

Can elevated Anti-TPO be temporary or is it normally a life long condition?

I’m just really confused as my sister has Hashimoto’s and now my GP has convinced me it’s not a permanent issue so I will not be treated

I feel tired a lot, cold all the time and brain fog.

I know it’s not possible to say definitely but could anyone give me advice on whether Hashimoto’s is permanent or not?

Thanks for reading

[greygoose]

TSH 7.6 (0.4-5.5)

FT4 14 (10-22)

The above are your 'thyroid levels'. The TPOab result is not a thyroid level. He probably meant that your TSH and FT4 will jump around a little because you have Hashi's. That's the way I would have interpreted it, anyway - unless he actually said the Hashi's was temporary.

[MaisieGray in reply to greygoose]

That's exactly how I read it, sounds to me like the Dr might be a keeper

[Nigelnoonoo6 in reply to greygoose]

My GP said that Hashimotos can be temporary, so now I’m just a bit confused, as I always believed that Hashimotos was a permanent condition. She also said that because my TSH has dropped from the last blood test and my FT4 had increased, that I am more likely to have temporary hypothyroidism. I’m just so confused

[greygoose in reply to Nigelnoonoo6]

In that case, she's the one that's confused. Because, unless you've just given birth, Hashi's is not likely to be temporary. But, you have to understand that the majority of doctors - endos included - know very little about thyroid, and tend to make it up as they go along. We've heard some amazing, illogical and totally unscientific tales told by doctors to our members, on here. They just don't 'do' it in med school.

[MaisieGray in reply to Nigelnoonoo6]

Ah, that's entirely different from your thyroid levels being temporary, as you wrote in your initial post. No, there is no medical treatment nor a cure, for Hashimoto's. However, the level of TPO antibodies can certainly rise and fall.

[MaisieGray in reply to MaisieGray]

I wonder if he is confusing Hashimoto's thyroiditis (immune system attacking the thyroid with no cure) with any of the other forms of thyroiditis that are short-term: De Quervain's (subacute) thyroiditis (triggered by a viral infection such as mumps) which resolves over time; infectious thyroiditis which can be temporary, reccuring, or permanent: silent thyroiditis (like post-partum but without the pregnancy) which is temporary over a slightly longer time period; drug-induced thyroiditis (resulting from taking meds such as amiodarone or lithium) which is also temporary resolving over time, post-cessation of drugs. Perhaps you could check his understanding of there being more than one form .......

[Nigelnoonoo6 in reply to MaisieGray]

It’s a bit confusing, so I went to my GP who said Hashimotos has the potential to be temporary, and also that the high TSH could also be temporary. She then felt my neck and said she would send me for an ultrasound to check for nodules or any abnormality. She also said I needed to come back in February for another TSH and FT4 blood test, to see if they had gone back to normal. As the previous two had been abnormal. She then said if the results were abnormal then, I could be prescribed thyroxine.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Nigelnoonoo6]

Have you perhaps recently given up smoking?

This can be a trigger, as often Hashimoto's is there but being suppressed by smoking

verywellhealth.com/cigarett...

But Hashimoto's can just slowly creep up

[Nigelnoonoo6 in reply to MaisieGray]

Sorry I’m new to this that’s all haha, does Hashimoto’s always cause hypothyroidism?

[MaisieGray in reply to Nigelnoonoo6]

Have you read this article about Hashimoto's: thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

[Nigelnoonoo6 in reply to MaisieGray]

Thanks I will definitely have a look

[SlowDragon Administrator]

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also extremely important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised

Ask GP to test vitamin levels and to do coeliac blood test too

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels. Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

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, sometimes 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

Ideally always get coeliac blood test first, just to rule it out

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

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

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

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

[Angel_of_the_North]

Well, if you have Hashis, your thyroid hormone and TSH levels will fluctuate, so yes, the hypo results could be temporary, until the next time. When you have an attack, the dying tissue dumps hormones into the blood stream so you'd show up as overactive for a short time and then hypo again. You'll always have Hashis, but your results may fluctuate until the thyroid is completely destroyed when you'll be very hypo. You need treatment to help prevent damage to your heart from low thyroid hormones - I would give GP a copy of the Dr Toft article.