Sister SOS

[Trying-hard]

Hey everyone

Going to try not to get anything wrong today.

My sister (the one who is basically following my ‘poor’ health pattern. She’s still having the same joint flare ups brain fog and I want to stay in bed days. Anyway I wondered if this request for bloods seems weird to anyone?

Thank you 😊

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Is this a test to see if she has thyroid problem?

Looks a pretty through screeen

Thyroid screen is likely just TSH and Ft4

If there’s autoimmune thyroid disease in family, ideally might include Thyroid antibodies

Also has some more unusual but relevant tests

EBV - glandular fever

Lyme disease screen too

[Trying-hard in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks SlowDragon

Yes we are both hypothyroid and on 150 Levo daily. But it seems that they saw a liver problem too. However it’s the joint inflammation (both of us) that’s a real problem sometimes I can hardly move and others I’m absolutely fine.

Also mood although we are depressed as you would expect we lost a sister last week too, it’s a very sad time and I’m even more worried than usual, I guess that’s normal everyone is the same at the moment.

Thanks again and everyone please take care out there.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Trying-hard]

So very sorry for your loss.

Grief is likely to cause some upset to thyroid results

Essential to not just have TSH and Ft4, but need Ft3 tested too

Low Ft3 causes joint pain

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 you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

Thriva Thyroid plus vitamins

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Joint pain can be low vitamin D

Presumably you both have autoimmune thyroid disease (hashimoto’s)

Are you both on strictly gluten free diet?

Gluten can be cause of bad joint pain

Blood test Form should have “on levothyroxine “ box ticked

[Trying-hard]

Thank you I have no idea why no ones said that about the joint pain.

And yes we both. have Hashimotos xx

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Trying-hard]

Have you had vitamin D tested at all, or recently?

Hashimoto's frequently 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. Dairy is second most common.

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

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

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

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

The obtained results suggest that the gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

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

[KCsunshine9]

My doctor order a bunch of virus tests, which I thought would be a waste of time! But my Epstein-Barr results were through the roof and I am now starting antiviral therapy in addition to my T3. EPV symptoms can really exacerbate low thyroid symptoms. (My T3-conversion issue was only "proven" by a reverse T3 test (rT3), since my other thyroid tests were in the low normal ranges).

[Trying-hard]

Hey Scrumbler I don’t believe that it’s Lyme desease I’m almost convinced that it is something genetic we have exactly The same symptoms but Bev is in Torquay and I’m in Newcatle so different doctors etc. We are both hypo x

[Batty1]

You don't believe fibromyalgia exists, why?