Antibodies and low tsh?

[bernieandme]

Hi Dr,

I'm 38 and have recently done some lab work and have been diagnosed with thyroiditis.  I feel relatively fine, sometimes tired but I always thought that was because of my kids.

My TSH is really low as well which make me wonder if I should do further Pituitary tests.

-TSH                 <0.01           (0.34 - 4.00 mIU/ml)
-Sedimentation 0                 (0 - 15 mm)
-T3 Free             2.65           (2.00-3.90 pg/mL)
-T4 Free             0.79           (0.58 - 1.64 pg/mL)
-Thyroglobulin
Autoabs            88.9            (<40 IU/mL)
-Thyroid Peroxidase
Autoabs            252             (<35 IU/mL)

I seem to remember being diagnosed with some kind of thyroid condition about 8 years ago but was never treated.  

Can I get your second opinion about what my lab results suggest to you?  Should I ask for further tests?

Thanks for the great help on this forum.

[AR-10]

After reading your post again, it looks like you mean to ask a Doctor about this on this forum. You are talking to patients here, not doctors.

The board to use to address a doctor directly is around here somewhere. Look to the left toward the top of the page and you will see an option to ask a doctor. That may take you there. I know it's here somewhere, I just forget how to access it.

Good luck to you.
Hope you find the answer you seek.

[AR-10]

Your TSH is a little low, suggesting Hyperthyroidism. Your T3 and T4 look good, which is good, but I have often had T3 and T4 readings in the normal range and still been ill from either Hyper or Hypothyroidism.

I may be wrong, but it looks like you have antibodies for both Hashimoto's (hypo) and Grave's disease (hyper), which means you could develop a more serious case of either one. You have antibodies for Hashimoto's. I do not know if the Thyroglobulin is antibodies for Grave's or not.

It looks to me like you could benefit from a low dosage of Methimazole for a few weeks to bring your TSH back up to a normal range. It gets a bit complicated, because leaving you on such a drug too long would drive you to a hypothyroid state, which is the opposite of where you are now. You could end up bouncing from hyper to hypo again and again unless it is monitored very closely.

You don't want to keep jumping from one side of the fence to the other. You want to perch on the fence in a balanced state.

I don't know what I would do in your case, other than to have bloodwork done every month and if the TSH drops more, address it with meds.

If your TSH drops and stays depressed, you may end up with a diagnosis of Grave's. If your TSH jumps up and down several times over a year, you may end up with a diagnosis of Hashimoto's. With Hashimoto's, you can be either Hyper or Hypo, so it gets confusing.

Not sure what I would do, other than ask my doctor about it and ask him/her to run tests every month to see how it changes.

If you were diagnosed with Thyroiditis, why did your doctor not suggest treatment or a follow up with an Endo?

Oh, and I'm not a doctor. I'm a patient with limited knowledge and a poor memory. Take my rambling with a grain of salt. There are at least two inacurate statements up there, I am sure.