afraid I could have pituitary tumour

[Mommy_of_2]

hi all,

just looking for advice. my T4 was very low, but TSH is in the normal range. I DO have hashi antibodies present. Does this sound worrisome?

[greygoose]

It would be helpful if you could give us the exact numbers - results and ranges.

With Hashi's, levels do tend to jump around a lot. And, it always takes the TSH a while to catch up with FT4/3 levels. But, even if you do have a pituitary tumour, they are - I believe - 99.9% of the time benign. And, the treatment would be more or less the same, anyway.

Do you have any other reason to think you have a pituitary tumour? Like low cortisol, or something?

[Mommy_of_2 in reply to greygoose]

I forgot to mention this as well! I was on 75 mcg of levothyroxine but then stopped my meds on my endos advice as we wanted to test my levels and see if I could possibly get off the meds. I do believe that while I was on meds all my levels were "normal".

[greygoose in reply to Mommy_of_2]

And, what exactly is 'normal'? There's actually no such thing because we're all different. But, if you mean within the so-called 'normal' range, that doesn't mean that you aren't hypo, because the ranges are usually so wide they can encompass both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

But, again, if you have Hashi's, that does mean that sometimes your results will appear to be euthyroid - i.e. levels that do not suggest either hypo or hyper - as you transition from one to the other. Call it a sort of remission. But, if you have Hashi's, the onslaught on your thyroid is continual, slowly destroying it. So, you will eventually go hypo again. I have never heard of anyone ever completely coming off thyroid hormone replacement for life - unless it's a very short life.

What's more, if your levels were good - as opposed to the meaningless 'normal' - it was because you were taking the 'meds'. It doesn't not mean you can come off them. Levo, and other forms of thyroid hormone replacement are not a cure, or even a treatment. They do not stop the destruction of your thyroid, nor do they restore your thyroid to working order. So, if you needed them in the beginning, the odds are you always will, except during periods of false 'hyper' when the dying cells dump their stock of thyroid hormone into the blood, after an immune system attack. Your endo should no all that, and not be giving you false hope.

But again, saying results are 'normal', is not a substitute for seeing the actual numbers - results and ranges - because it is just an opinion, not a fact.

[Hidden]

Hi "Pituitary Tumour" is a whole mixed bag in effect it's some what like saying i'll meet you at the shop? Which one? Reason i say is the Pituitary is the master gland and if remember right it's six areas you can have a tumour on which effects so many different parts of the body!

I have one myself which is the most common one Prolactinoma which effects the reproductive circuit ie breast-Ovaries/Testes/Pituitary which i think your referring to?

Signs are in females Lack of fertility/Libido-Discharge on nipples/tenderness(check to see if tiny flakes)Period lessens and other things some which are person dependant like many illnesses etc.

It also depends on the size to how much effect it has on you.

one of the signs they say is if getting tenderness/discharge and not expecting is to seek help.

But good news now is they can deal with most with medication rather than surgery if caught early enough.

If you like more info there is the Pituitary foundation.Very good and helpful

[Fizzyinch]

Hi, I have a pituitary tumour and it is likely there will be other hormones that are affected such as high prolactin levels for example (as described above) so probably best to speak to your endo if you are concerned. As with most things, every case is very different and the tumour affects everyone differently so there is no one size fits all approach.

Thyroid levels can be affected but if you have Hashi antibodies then i would suspect you have primary hypothyroidism and not to do with the Pituitary gland? Perhaps if there are any details of your levels or symptoms you can share then that might help.

I agree the Pituitary Foundation are really good!

[Mommy_of_2]

I was able to make a patient portal and get exact numbers. Just waiting on my T4 retake test in the next couple days. Any interpretations welcome! TSH 3.38 [.450 - 4.500]

T4, Direct <.10 [.82 - 1.77]

TPO 441 [High]