I keep seeing posts saying that Hashimotos is an auto-immune disease and implying Graves is not. From what I have read both are auto-immune diseases. Just saying!!
Also I think I was diagnosed with Graves simply because that is the phase of whatever I was in was when I was diagnosed. I had previously had two phases of being hypo but dismissed by the doc.
Oooo I haven’t read that here, implied or otherwise. Yes both are auto immune. I have Hashimotos and my sister Graves. Did you have the TSI test aswell as the TPO done?
So long since I was diagnosed I can’t say what tests I had but probably assumed as Graves as hyper when diagnosed.
So how you doing now? After many years my sister is now Hypo, she’s piled on over 2stone in weight and looks like death warmed up but I can’t for the life of me get her to take her condition seriously. I don’t know how she even gets herself up on the morning never mind running a NHS physio department 😱 I think she’s a heart attack waiting to happen if she doesn’t start Levothyroxine or combo (can’t get her to acknowledge my DI02 test either - she’s a typical arrogant Health professional (disclaimer :- I know not all are and that’s wildly generalising but my own experience) who thinks I’m talking out my a**e)
My Nan died early at age 65 and I think years of under medication might have been a contributing factor.
That is a shame though I would have thought that if someone is truly hypo (has she had tests? I’m not clear on that) as I was, they’d have trouble running a bath let alone a department. I really could hardly get out of bed, eat, talk or even sleep despite overwhelming tiredness when at my lowest. And the brain doesnt function too well either. Does her voice sound lower, does she feel the cold more and hair falling out? Weight gain could be many things but usually diet as we all and that includes me know too well especially post menopause.
This is what I can’t figure out either with my sister. My numbers were in range many times over the years and I still found life difficult. I’ve just gone through an extremely difficult 6mths and still my numbers are ‘in range’ And there she is running a whole department! I find her intriguing but i darent talk to her now about thyroid issues cause she’s so dismissive it’s hurtful.
Difficult. You don't say what your symptoms are. Sometimes we put everything down to thyroid Shan could be other factors?
What her symptoms are? Mine are Hashi’s and it’s only come light through lots of research and tests that I don’t convert well, so on T3 now too. I only started talking to my family about it as I’m intrigued to know who passed on the faulty gene! Lol probably my mum I know but they’ve never actually told my mum she has Hashi’s, just hypothyroid and she’s never question a Dr AND I don’t live in the same country so I can’t go with her and my Dad supposedly has Alzheimer’s but 10yrs on they’re saying he’s ‘too well’ the decline hasn’t been as predicted so ten I found a link between low FT3 and Alzheimer like symptoms causing a misdiagnosis.
Anyway it’s all very complicated. My sister defiantly had Graves (all the blood tests) and now all the meds have all but killed of her thyriod. She used to be very slim and sporty even completed an Ironman in Barcelona but now she’s fat tired and has the darkest eyes. She hasn’t been on medication for years but I can’t ‘make’ her go to the GP, she’s too busy and won’t do what her little sister tells her to! Lol
I used to be super fit and skinny but a combo of getting older, getting a car for a while so no longer cycling and less excercise as was studying followed by early menopause and recently bad knees means I am no longer the woman I was!
😂 Amen to that. I turned 45 this year and no I’m not my usual svelte self but I’ve always eaten a great diet and I’m ‘active’ so now I’m a 12/14, 5ft 8, 4 kids,battling Hashi’s (actually scrap that I’m not battling my own condition only the Dr’s who don’t know how to treat it effectively 😩) When o hear the stories on this forum of how low everyone is, how challenging their everyday life is I could just weep fir them. My suffering is nothing compared to theirs 🙁 I’ve only just started T3 and I know for a fact that this combo treatment is my honey jar 😀 I feel so positive, it’s amazing 🥳
You sound positively svelte compared to me at 5’2” and going from size 6-8 to 16-18 though all round the tum. Tall people are so lucky as the weight spreads about. Mind you I used to see my middle aged ballet examiners - little barrels - with good legs and think I’d be like that one day! It’s like the better the stomach muscles (I kept up excercise push ups and sit ups into forties) the more the six pack becomes 12 pack sponge cake when you stop. But then I’m heading towards three score years and ten!
Well yes, I am slimmer looking than most Hashi’s people but I was nearly 13 stone last month but I carry it well. I’ve always had a good diet, like tonight my appetite was poor because I’d had a butternut squash lasagna for lunch so I had a big bowl of salted prawns in butter. That’s my diet, I don’t really eat badly. But still 2stone overnight is 2stone. My cousin was a highland dancer and had the fabulous legs but then the sponge cake tummy in her late 40’s.
My good weight and fabulous hair have always gone against me! Medical people don’t believe I feel so horrid because I’m not fat enough of thinking hair! 😩 it’s so tedious! My mind was melted! Now I’m on T3 I just smile a lot 😀
I was hoping to add a bit of T3 but NHS won’t due to ridiculous pricing of company that took it over. Maybe if I could prove I actually had Hashis I might swing it anyway. It was difficult to persuade doctors that I was putting on weight (fluid) from a size 8 base! Strangely the same doctor was happy to prescribe something called Navidrex K for water retention. (Just remembered that!) must say that after thyroid function was stabilised the only Prius I had was with menopause after v regular periods all my life. I had just started a degree in my forties and felt such hideous overwhelming tiredness plus 3 week periods so went on HRT and never looked back. Onwards and upwards ...all I need is new knees like my sister!
Which could actually have been Hashimoto's, but an incorrect assumption of Graves' disease. Especially as you had hypothyroid phases first.
TSI or TRab antibodies should always be tested, and frequently are not
We see this far too much
Mind you I haven’t had much of a problem after 30 years on levo. Still will discuss next time I see my doc as need another blood test firm as lost last one.
If you have Hashimoto's then Levothyroxine is the correct choice. If you had Graves and it's been treated with RAI or thyroidectomy you also obviously need Levothyroxine
If you feel you have residual issues that aren't resolved on Levothyroxine ask GP to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 levels at next Thyroid test
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw). This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results.
GP almost certainly wouldn't test TPO and TG Thyroid antibodies for Hashimoto's/Graves
GP can't test TSI or TRab antibodies for Graves, these are only done by an endocrinologist
If someone has early Hashimoto's and medics assume temporary hyper type Thyroid blood results are due to Graves and prescribe carbimazole, that can be a problem
They are both autoimmune, but diagnosed by different antibody tests
Frequently early stage Hashimoto's is misdiagnosed as Graves, because they don't run test for TSI or TRab antibodies to confirm Graves' disease
Often assumed, that high FT4/FT3 and low TSH is Graves, but this can be due to Hashimoto's temporary "hyper" swing
Both Hashimoto's and Graves can cause high TPO and/or high TG antibodies
Both also tend to cause low vitamin levels, leaky gut and food intolerance are common with both
No, I think you've misunderstood. Those that advise here are very clear that both Graves' Disease and Hashimoto's Disease are autoimmune conditions; and also that most, but not all cases of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are autoimmune in origin. So that means that someone being either hyperthyroid or hypothyroid does not necessarily mean they have autoimmune conditions. For instance, my own hypothyroidism is non-autoimmune. But if you were diagnosed as having Graves' Disease, there had to be evidence that you had that autoimmune condition and not non-autoimmune hyperthyroidism of some other cause, such as toxic multinodular goitre, or solitary toxic thyroid adenoma, or temporary Thyroiditis for instance.
Auto immune gastritis
Another auto immune 
Auto-Immune Hypothyroidism and university
Anyone got Graves Hypothriod and Addisons disease
