Hashimotos or not?

[Kitty153]

I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2018, had thyroidectomy in Feb 2019. I think that I was hypothyroid for many years prior to the thyca diagnosis, but I asked my surgeon at the time if I had a thyroid issue and his answer was “no, you’re not being treated for one, are you?”….he wouldn’t have gotten away with that answer now!

Anyway, it always feels a bit of an unanswered question for me… I am really struggling now with hypo symptoms and always want to understand more what I’m dealing with - do I just assume I had Hashimotos as it’s most common form of thyroid disease? I have all my blood results from pre-op onwards and TPO has never been tested, I’m not sure testing that now would tell me anything? I guess it maybe doesn’t matter much overall now I’ve had my thyroid out, just really more for my own understanding of how to get better.

Thanks

[Titaniumfox]

Well it does matter, because if you had either or both of TPO or TG antibodies then that would not only mean you had Hashimoto's, but more importantly, that you have autoimmunity. That means you are predisposed to get other autoimmune diseases and you need to look into preventing leaky gut from dietary sources such as gluten.

[pennyannie]

Hello Kitty and welcome to the forum :

It is my understanding that Hashimoto's is an auto immune disease that attacks the thyroid and dies when it has systematically destroyed this gland and as patient you will experience erratic thyroid hormone production. possibly for a number of years, and ultimately become hypothyroid and require thyroid hormone replacement medication.

I presume your surgery was a success and you have an ' all clear ' and now prescribed T4 - Levothyroxine, thyroid hormone replacement.

A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin plus a measure of T3 at around 10 mg plus a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg.

T4 - Levothyroxine - is a storage hormone and needs to be converted by the body into T3 the active hormone that runs the body and said to be around 4 times more powerful than T4.

We generally feel at our best with a T4 in the top quadrant of the range as this should in theory to convert to a good level of T3 at around a 1/4 ratio T3/T4.

Your ability to convert the T4 into T3 can be compromised by non optimal levels of vitamins and minerals, especially those of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D.

The thyroid is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation including your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.

Do you have any current thyroid blood tests to share with forum members - we need to see a TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 blood test and range to offer any sort of opinion as to your health, well being and ability to utilise and convert the T4 into T3 as it is low T3 that causes the symptoms of hypothyroidism.