three months ago i went to the doctors with symptoms such as minor weight gain, extreme fatigue (i could sleep 17+ hours and still be exhausted) muscle/joint pain and swelling, breathlessness, chest pain, minor hair loss and chronic severe urticaria. it was taking over everyday life as my eyes feet and hands would swell making it hard to walk up/down stairs, lift/peel/chop things.
my doctor conducted a full blood test including immunology. my ANA was 2560 speckled pattern STRONG POSITIVE, abs to RO ssa was POSITIVE and TSH was 5.8. he suggested doing another blood test in three months time to check up on TSH later because t4 was normal.
i had another blood test via a rheumatologist in the hospital who suspected ANA could be due to thyroid issues and he also added a TPO test. my TSH had increased slightly to 6.0 and TPO antibodies were >1300 which was stated as SIGNIFICANTLY high and he recommended my gp deal with it.
i had another gp appointment and he stated that i have no symptoms of hypothyroidism as my t4 is normal. he told me i've definitely not gained any weight, ive always been extremely slim as it runs in my family and thus am still slim but i know for a fact i am gaining weight as my clothes no longer fit and my writs no longer fit my watches. he refused to weigh me and said there was no point as he could see i was slim.
i was concerned about my TPO being so high and with the symptoms i initially went to the doctors with and still have I'd liked like some advice with how to cope. he stated there's nothing he can do until my t3 and t4 are affected and i should stop using google to scare myself and assuming i know better than a medical professional as all it suggests is my thyroid isn't working as efficiently but its fine he deals with this all the time.
i study biomedical science at university and have a somewhat basic understanding of the thyroid and autoimmune issues and id never undermine a medical professional but i am still somewhat educated. he told me that TPO at that level means my thyroid isn't working at maximum efficiency but can get better on its own. due to my limited knowledge watching others speak about TPO and hashimoto's i asked him if its not an immune system issue rather than a thyroid issue and he googled to check (ironically) and did not reply.
even though my t4 and t3 aren't affected YET i still have symptoms i'm struggling with and feel at a loss and am not sure what to do. i stated i have read about gluten free diets and asked if that would help or if there's anything i can do to reduce my TPO antibodies as what ive read its just going to continue to attack my thyroid. he said hes not an endocrinologist so he cant help me and there's no point referring me to one as I'd be waiting forever. i tried to ask him what point would i have to be at in order to discuss any type of treatment or diagnosis and if i could have a blood test for vitamins etc. he stated he has no time to talk about this and has other patients to see.
i'm also concerned because on my medical records he stated that he examined my neck to check for palpable neck lumps and that there was none. he did not check my neck at all in fact i had a turtle neck jumper so he couldn't even have viewed it. i'm not sure whether to ring and ask the gp to remove that statement from my records. i felt rather ignored and belittled the whole appointment but i'm not sure to ask for a second opinion or even go private as my TSH isn't over 10. Am i just being overly paranoid? i'm sorry for the long story but my mind is all over the place at the minute and i need some advice,
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nikkoame
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Being in range does not mean all is well....a common misconception amongst medics! It is the exact point in the ref range where you feel well that is the aim.
You are NOT paranoid! You are hypothyroid with TSH of 6. Despite all claims it should be 2 or under!
I'm afraid like many medics your GP's thyroid knowledge is very poor
And where he got the idea that a thyroid destroyed in a Hashi's attack can recover, is a mystery....he is a clown!
With Hashi's your symptoms will flare up during transient attacks on the thyroid, and during this attack the thyroid dumps hormones in the blood. Your Frees will rise...and fall back after the attack but will be increasingly low....signifying hypothyroidism!
A gluten free diet usually helps symptoms of Hashi's
I was just going off what my doctor told me when I said they were not affected but I have now checked my blood test results for both blood tests to double check. Based on my medical records on the nhs app they only tested for free T4 not T3 so im not sure what the T3 levels were. My free T4 was originally 12.8 during the first blood test and then was 14.1 during the second.
Thank you so much for the advice, I'll speak with my practice manager and I'll definitely use the sources you've provided to read and give myself some peace of mind.
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
joint pain and swelling, breathlessness, chest pain, minor hair loss
Suggests low ferritin and low vitamin D
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function with Hashimoto’s 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.
A trial of strictly gluten free diet is always worth doing
Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential
A strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential due to 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 may slowly lower TPO antibodies
While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first as per NICE Guidelines
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
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
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.
Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too. Approx 50-60% find dairy free beneficial
With loads of vegan dairy alternatives these days it’s not as difficult as in the past
he told me I had no symptoms he told me I had not gained weight ffs who is this know it all inhabiting your body unbeknown to you. He’s an idiot your TSH is too high you have symptoms you have high antibodies. Levothyroxine therapy should be commenced. Get shut of that stuffed dummy of a doctor who thinks he knows you better than yourself and see someone else who should initiate thyroid hormone therapy in line with recommendations. Do not go near that idiot again.
Sorry but the man is a dipswitch-my terminology for an arrogant 🤡! They know they don't know +by buffoonery try to get you to think they do know! Give him the elbow+look for another GP!!
These are symptoms that I had with severe iron deficiency. Ask your doctor for an iron panel to be done. If he/she won't do it and you can afford to get a private test this is the one I do :
Medichecks offer higher discounts during their sales. (Sadly the last one just finished on the 31st January)
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It is also possible to be anaemic with low Vitamin B12 and/or low folate. If you could get them tested too, it would also be helpful. Don't expect doctors to prescribe supplements for you even if you are deficient - many of them just tell patients to buy their own these days, but it is important to know the best form of supplements to buy.
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There might be cheaper iron tests from some of the other private testing companies, but I don't keep up. Doctors normally just test Ferritin, but it isn't enough to know just that. You could have low ferritin and high serum iron, and supplementing might just raise your iron even further. So it is essential to test thoroughly before supplementing iron.
If you get an iron panel done post the results and reference ranges and ask for help in interpreting them.
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Not so subclinical hypothyroidism
Subclinical hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroid disease - what to do next? Vitamins?
Should i get a second opinion?? 
Subclinical Hypothyroidism- Help
Subclinical Hypothyroidism?
