Hi, first blog

[Blossom234]

Hi there

What can I say? I'm 28yrs old and I recently changed doctors as I was unhappy with what they did for me with regards to blood tests.

I've been getting very tired, feeling the cold a lot more than I used to, being constipated every day, periods regular but coming and going whenever they please. At first I was told by my previous doctor that the irregular periods were a sign of me getting older!

With the thyroid blood tests, they've been all over the place.

This is what the breakdown of every single blood test they did looks like:

November 2011 - TSH at 5.20 with range between 0.27 and 4.20 mIU/L

FT4 at 16.48 with range between 9 and 23 p/mol

January 2012 - TSH at 2.20 with range between 0.27 and 4.20 mIU/L

No FT4

January 2013 - TSH at 1.50 with range between 0.27 and 4.20 mIU/L

No FT4

February 2013 - TSH at 1.10 with range between 0.27 and 4.30 mIU/L

Thyroid autoantibodies 84 KIU/L

The last blood test was done by my new doctor, but she has told me that I won't be put on any treatment just yet as the thyroid autoantibodies have only been tested the once and they could well go back down. So she'd like me to be retested in 6 months unless I don't feel much better. What she can say however is that my thyroid is under attack by my immune system and there's always a possibility of it getting worse in the future if it is anything thyroid-related.

The autoantibodies, I've been told, are elevated but I don't know if the result combines both TPOab or TGab or one or the other. The result was given by a receptionist and they're only given so much information on their systems, so I think I'd be better off asking my doctor.

Thing is, I don't see the thyroid autoantibodies being high for no reason. From what I've read up about on the internet if they're raised there's a problem and if they're not things are ok.

The clinic I go to has said the blood test overall was abnormal despite the TSH being so low, but I don't know why the TSH was high to start with and is going down. As stated above I do experience symptoms, even more so over the past few months so should I go back to my doctor sooner or is what I've got indicative of Hashi's?

Any advice is greatly welcomed.

Thanks!

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome - well done for blogging!

Yes Hashimotos - you can go over or underactive, the presence of antibodies usually indicate this.

The time of day of the blood test can alter your results - TSH is usually higher first thing.

Has anything else changed to lower your TSH? like supplementing from vitamin/mineral deficiency, e.g. iron, Vit D3? just a thought. Pregnancy etc?

(Untreated too as results still in normal range, I was told my raised TPOAb could be due to my PartialT op, a year before) J

[Blossom234 in reply to Hidden]

Hi there, thanks for reply. I'm not on any supplements or considering pregnancy. Previous doctors thought I had anaemia to start with as I look pale but I've always been very pale.

I'm worried that I've been getting more tired - I went out for a little over an hour and when I got back I fell asleep! Very unlike me!

I did go to my docs today and she gave me no other info. Thyroid autoantibodies are raised as noted but on her notes there was no indication that it was TRAB or TPOab. She suggested if I still have probs swallowing despite a normal MRI to maybe see a counsellor. I'm thinking about going private but at the moment I don't work and I took redundancy from my last job for health reasons. The 8 to 4 job wasn't for me!

I don't know what more I can do as I'm on the NHS.

Thanks x

[Jackie]

Hi As above, but also make sure you always have T4 and Free T3 tested for a proper evaluation.

Best wishes,

Jackie