Some help understanding recent blood tests?

[g0courtney]

Hi,

I think I mentioned in my previous post that at my last hospital checkup blood results showed my thyroid as underactive, despite being on just 2.5mg of carbimazole daily.

My results from that test were as follows:

T4 13

TSH 9.3

From this, I was advised to come off medication immediately and have a test in 3 weeks to see if it stabilises?

My results from the 3 week check up were as follows:

T4 17

TSH 0.62

Please could someone tell me what this means? Is my condition improving or am I still underactive? I've been told to stay off meds and have ANOTHER blood test in 3 weeks

[Gingernut44]

Hi g0courtney, I'm no expert but I don't understand why you were given Carbimazole if you were under active, that's what I was given when hypERactive. It does seem that you are OK with your last blood test but at least they are monitoring you. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will come along and give you better advice

[ling]

Dear courtney, it was both sad and frustrating reading through your previous posts.

12 months ago, you had positive TPO and TG antibodies tested, which confirmed your high risk for developing Hashimoto's.

In any case, you are now off the carbimazole, so no point rehashing the past. Hopefully, you might now get a correct blood-test verified diagnosis and be treated accordingly.

Best wishes.

[pennyannie]

Hello G0courtney

From what I can see you were diagnosed with Graves Disease about one year ago.

Graves is an auto immune disease and as such it's for life, it's in your blood, your DNA.

Graves can be triggered by a sudden shock to the system, like a car crash or unexpected death. The thyroid is the victim in all this, and not the cause, the cause is your own immune system attacking your thyroid. The thyroid is a major gland and when it goes hay wire it can be very frightening and some symptoms said to be life threatening.

Carbimazole, is an anti thyroid drug which restricts your own production of thyroid hormones and is given to block your own thyroid production. Your current levels show that this treatment has bought your blood tests back into range, and the suggestion is that maybe, now, your thyroid is stable and able to function normally without drugs. So the plan is to closely monitor you whilst the remaining Carbimazole leaves your body to see if you might have found remission, and your thyroid has come back to normal all by itself. If this is the case, this short course of anti thyroid medication has worked for you and the treatment deemed a success. If you stay on anti thyroid medication when you don't need to you will become hypothyroid. It's a balancing act, and it seems to me that at this point in time, you are looking pretty good. I read of people finding remission after a course of anti thyroid drugs and am just hoping that you maybe in this group of patients.

How do you feel ? Your body clock and metabolism have been in overdrive and possibly reverse, and would suggest you ask for your ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D to be tested, It's common that these essential core building blocks can have been " trashed " as your body wasn't able to fully utilise any nutrients from your food during this time.

There is a website run by a lady with the disease, Elaine Moore, who has been in the forefront of ongoing research into Graves Disease. It is a well respected and researched platform, but is Stateside so medical protocol might be somewhat different but it's definitely worth dipping into a further, more rounded perspective and opinion of what this disease is all about.

I'm with Graves Disease and following RAI treatment in 2005 am now managing Graves, thyroid eye disease and hypothyroidism. Thanks mostly to this amazing site I've managed to equip myself and now take an active role in my health issues.

P.S. Having just read Lings comments, I'm sorry, I thought you had Graves Disease and were positive for the TSI and or TRab antibodies. Have you had Graves confirmed with the correct blood tests ?

[g0courtney in reply to pennyannie]

Hi pennyannie,

I was taken off medication when I was hyper very early on into treatment and it relapsed during that time, so I'm not sure if it will recover fully this time.

Honestly at the moment I just feel a bit tired, heart rate feels a bit erratic at times but that could just be a bit of stress.

The oddest symptom I've had throughout is weight gain. Pre-diagnosis and during treatment while I was overactive, I have steadily gained weight and continue to now (but that probably makes sense if I'm underactive at the moment)

[Greekchick in reply to g0courtney]

Hi Courtney,

Have you been checked for AFib? An erratic heartbeat (I’m not talking about palpitations) is something that can happen with Graves patients. I have read comments of others and hope your MDs tested you for Graves antibodies. Wishing you all the best and feel better soon.

[pennyannie in reply to g0courtney]

I think the first thing you need to do is know what you have been diagnosed with. Originally you were thought to have Graves Disease, have you had a blood test for Graves and tested positive with either the TSI and or TRab antibody ?

If you have Hashimotos, you should not be on Carbimazole.

You need to know this information - the medication is different for each issue -

[vocalEK in reply to pennyannie]

The first thing they need to do is confirm the diagnosis. That could be accomplished by testing antibodies. It is possible that she was misdiagnosed with Graves and treated for that, when what she really had was the UNDERactive autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto's. It's true that carbimazole brings down your thyroid gland output, regardless of the cause of the swing. But since Hashis bounces around from under to over-active, in the future she should just be treated for the hypothyroidism, skipping doses of levothyroxine when she enters an upward switch.

[yerhol53]

Hi Courtney

I live in Australia. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism e.g. late 2017 with overactive and put on carbimazole only for 2 and a half months . The reading came down until i went under and so went off medication. I certainly started feeling better and was monitored regularly and not been on it since. Fresh basil leaves eaten or put in a tea will help. Look up on Google. A site verywellhealth.com explains things. Just type in what you want to know.regards Vicki