Does this make sense? thyroiditis / autoimmune ??

[kidsnchicks]

Hmmm... Does this make sense?  If test results are showing an overactive thyroid, how can the ultra sound results be read as thyroiditis?  As found online at familydoctor.org - "A low uptake of iodine indicates thyroiditis as the cause of your hyperthyroidism."  My 4 hour uptake was 16% (14% being the high side of average) and my 24 hour uptake was 51% (30% being the high side of average) so I am assuming that my uptake results were high (at least not low). I'm just not sure I understand this.  Help me understand what thyroiditis is, please.  I'm getting that this is from an attack on my thyroid due to antibodies from my immune system (autoimmune disorder??) or by an infection I've had.  Could the stomach infection (H. Pylori) I had have caused this?  I've only been on strong antibiotics for that infection followed by antacids for the ulcer left behind and of course my BP meds.  Only one lobe was noticed to be effected at the time of the test.

I think I am answering some of my own questions but I'm not sure I understand them.  TIA!

[mtkst13]

since you currently have hyperthyroidism, i would think your uptake scan indicates graves disease.

i had hyperthyroidism.  to make a diagnosis, an uptake scan was done and my uptake was about 1%-4%.  i was diagnosed with thyroiditis based on those findings.

[kidsnchicks]

If your uptakes were 1%-4%, wouldn't that be considered hyPOthyroidism rather that hyPERthyroidism?  Also, wouldn't Graves Disease encompass the ENTIRE thyroid and not just a portion of it?

[mtkst13]

i think graves effects the entire thyroid.  if it's just a region, i think that's a toxic adenoma or hot nodule.  check out this site.
http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter13/13-frame.htm



my initial symptom was hyperthyroidism...my tsh was .004 and i had high ft3.  then i went into hypothyroidism.

basically, my immune system attacked my thyroid causing all of the preformed t4 and t3 into my body, making me very hyper for a period of several months.  once the t4 and t3 were used up, i became hypo because my thyroid didn't recover (was unable to produce t4/t3).

because my initial symptom was hyperthyroidism, the doctor thought i had graves.  however, she needed to confirm her suspicion with the iodine uptake scan.  the results proved her wrong because i had no uptake anywhere in the thyroid, meaning that the thyroid is damaged.  i had "hashitoxicosis".

if i would have had higher than normal uptake, i would've been diagnosed with graves disease.

[kidsnchicks]

See, that is where I am confused.  My scan only showed that I had one lobe affected - the upper left.  No goiters were found.  The uptakes and blood tests show hyper but the one who read the ultrasound labeled it as thyroiditis.  Does this still lean towards Graves Disease?

I did some rearch on the one lobe issue with Graves and foudn some studies but I believe they were actually missing part of the thyroid itself and some had goiters.

You have given me a very interesting read.  Thanks!

[mtkst13]

did your ultrasound indicate any nodules?  what made them say thyroiditis for the ultrasound?  heterogenous echotexture?  i had one nodule, a lot of large lymph nodes, and "heterogenous echotexture".  my ultrasound diagnosis was "thyroiditis".

did you see the uptake scan results?  was your thyroid gray with a large black area in one region?  my scan was gray with no uptake.  my diagnosis was "significant hypothyroidism"...even though at the time i had significant hyperthyroidism (i hadn't crossed over yet).

what were your blood test results?  did you have any thyroid antibodies?  tpo antibodies?  antithyroglobulin?

[kidsnchicks]

The only thing I know about my ultrasound was that the results were listed as thyroiditis, possibly enflamed.  I do not remember them mentioning any nodules, only that she didnt' suspect goiters.

I saw the uptake scan.  Truthfully, I don't remember it being completely gray.  If it was, it was a light gray.  In the upper left lobe, there was a large blackish area.

These are the blood test results that I know of:

TSH = .05
T3 uptake = 39
T4 = 18.2
Free T4 = 7.1

The note on the uptake scan results was that the right had decreased function compared to the left.  

Ultrasound results were thyroiditis, (enflamed?)

I was not given any average readings to compare my results to.  No other tests have been done at this point.  I will see the Endro for the first time next week.

[mtkst13]

i'm no endocrinologist, but it sounds to me like you have a toxic adenoma.  does it sound like your condition to you?

[kidsnchicks]

I'm not sure about the adenoma.  There is little to no swelling.  There is no discomfort either.  The GP did mention possible Hashimoto or an adenoma but did not elaborate.  The Hashimoto threw me because I am hyper and not myho.  I have so much to learn!

Where did you get your reference from to consider this?