Test results

[Freyabo]

Hi following my previous post this is my antibody test results ! Are these ok ? Is it a sign of Hashimoto ? I’m literally clueless

[Lalatoot]

Your level is 492. Normal levels are less than 60.

So it is a sign.

[Freyabo in reply to Lalatoot]

How would I know for sure ?

[greygoose in reply to Freyabo]

If your TPO antibody level is over-range, then you have Hashi's. That's how you know for sure. And, you have it, no doubt.

[Freyabo in reply to greygoose]

Thankyou for replying ! My GP says it’s not and just confirms it’s hypothyroidism? What’s the difference? Sorry if I sound clueless

[greygoose in reply to Freyabo]

Don't apologise. We all have to learn at some point. And we're not going to learn from our doctors because they're clueless!

And, I'm afraid your doctor is wrong. It confirms Hashi's. It's your TSH/FT4/FT3 results that confirm hypothyroidism. But, doctors just don't learn about Hashi's - or Autoimmune Thyroiditis as they call it in the UK - in med school, and really don't understand what it is or does.

Hashi's is the cause of most cases of hypothyroidism in the Western world. As the name suggests, it's a disease where the immune system slowly destroys the thyroid, mistaking it for the enemy. So, you slowly become more and more hypo.

There is no cure or treatment for Hashi's, all we can do is take thyroid hormone replacement for the resulting hypothyroidism.

[Freyabo in reply to greygoose]

Thankyou ! Could this be the reason I’ve been feeling more awful lately ? Is it different to just having hypothyroidism? I was diagnosed 3 years ago . I also have a lot of gut issues could that be due to Hashimotos ?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Freyabo]

UK medics only call autoimmune thyroid disease Hashimoto’s if you have a goitre

Autoimmune without goitre is called Ord’s thyroiditis (which GP is highly unlikely to have heard of )

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ord%2...

About 90% of primary hypothyroidism in U.K. is autoimmune thyroid disease

Rest of world calls all autoimmune thyroid disease Hashimoto’s

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking

What were most recent blood results and ranges

Essential to regularly test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common with Hashimoto’s due to poor gut function

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

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)

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/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus vitamins including folate (private blood draw required)

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Thriva also offer just vitamin testing

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking?

[greygoose in reply to Freyabo]

No, it would be down your thyroid hormones. When did you last have them tested? I would imagine, quite honestly, that you had Hashi's before you became hypo, and that was the reason for you becoming hypo.

No, it's no different to hypothyroidism from any other cause. Hashi's just destroys the thyroid. There's no proof that it does anything else.

Gut issues would probably be due to low stomach acid - which most hypos have. So, you really need to get that checked out.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

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

healthcheckshop.co.uk/store...?

Assuming Coeliac 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.

Why gluten intolerance can upset cortisol levels

kalishinstitute.com/blog/gl...