High thyroid levels

[pdowney]

I had blood tests done and I was concerned about the levels, they are very high and im not sure what it all means.
The thyroglobulin antibodies were 872, thyroid perioxidase antibodies were 517, and the TSH was 4.64. I know the thyroglobulin and perioxidase antibodies are way above the normal range, what does that mean? Could it be cancer?

[goolarra]

Hashi's is the most prevalent cause of hypo in the U.S.  So, you have a lot of company, myself included.  Some doctors do only fill you in on a "need to know" basis...sad.

Hashi's is treatable, but not curable.  There are supplements and diets that some claim to slow the progression of the disease or alleviate symptoms, but once you have antibodies, you have them for life unless your thyroid is removed, at which point they can go into remission.  

I personally feel that it's best to focus on the treatment of the disease rather than the antibodies.  Yes, control symptoms to make yourself comfortable, but don't dwell on the antibodies. The antibodies will eventually destroy thyroid function.  At that point, the disease actually becomes easier to manage since you are on 100% hormone replacement...no more rollercoaster ride as your thyroid decides to work one day and not the next.

How are your hypo symptoms now that you're on Armour?

[Madeline79]

I'll look at it  thanks hopefully I'll be able to loss some of this wieght. lol

[Madeline79]

I am being treated for Hypo I tried lev. didn't like it went to synthroid not good and now I'm on Armour thyroid thoes seem to work better but I had no Idea I have Hashi I've read up on it but didn't think any thing of it. I feel like some doctors don't explain things to you.
I'm glad I came across this website. Thanks for your help. Is there any hope for this condition?

[TamraW]

I recommend this book to ALL people with Hashi:

www.thyroidbook.com

It gets to the root of what causes our disease and how to treat and our bloated, leaky guts through the right diet.
:) Tamra

[goolarra]

Elevated antibodies, like yours, indicate Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that is the cause of your hypothyroidism.  Antibodies attack and eventually destroy your thyroid.  Are you being treated for your hypo?  

[Madeline79]

Hi, I'm not sure what my test result means my Thyroglobulin antibodies are 194 range 20
and Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies are 1,000  range 35 is that good or bad I was told I had Hypothyroidism in march of 09.

[pdowney]

Well the only symptoms I would be able to associate with would be fatigue but I figure who isn't tired. I do have a brain fog but I've had that my whole life I deal with ADHD so I wouldn't attribute that to hypothyroid symptoms. I guess that's why my doc hasn't put me on any medicines, if it was that terrible she would have had a plan of action. I told her its a 3 month wait to see the endocrinologist and she said that's fine, so it seems like its not that big of a deal. Well anyway, thank you very much for all the useful information, ill have to keep everything you've said in mind. Tricia

[TamraW]

Hashimoto's - YES! Those are some very high antibodies. Most of us Hashis have nodules. Most of the time they are not cancerous. I have four. They all shrunk on thyroid hormone. Don't fret too much about those nodules. Even if it was cancer, thyroid cancer has a VERY high cure rate.

I don't know the range for T3 uptake. Request an FT3 and a repeat FT4 test.

For a Hashi patient, your FT4 is on the low end. Do you have hypothyroid symptoms. Dry hair, skin,  and eyes, losing eyebrow hair, constipation, pain in legs and feet, heartburn, weight gain, brain fog, depression, migraines, sore muscles, gerd, fatigue...

If so, you would probably benefit to start on some low level thyroid hormone. It's better to start out small and work up to the next highest dose every four weeks. Can't your doc do this while you wait for the endo?

In the meantime, be advised that many Hashis have low D, B12 and iron.

Also, Selenium (200 dose) once a day for the thyroid swelling (choking and neck pain) and Magnesium (200 dose) three times a day for constipation and joint pain.

Sometimes foods such as gluten, yeast, caffeine, dairy, wheat, green tea and sugary foods can trigger those antibodies. Try an elimination diet each week and see if you feel better off certain foods.

For now, eat high protein meals with veggies and ease back on the sugar/carbs.

:) Tamra

[pdowney]

Well about 3 years ago I was a new patient at my Drs. office, they did routine blood work the TSH was one of the tests, never got a call when they found out my TSH was 23.50. I went back to my Drs. recently because I was told by my ultrasound instructor go see your Dr. you have thyroid cysts. Brought a picture of the cysts with me to the Dr. so she looks at my record when the TSH was last done, she said 3 years ago and it was very high someone should have called you, which no one did. So just last week I had the whole thyroid workup and I have no idea what these numbers mean. The doctor said I might have thyroiditis and she refered me to an Endocrinologist which is a 3 month wait, but in the meantime I was worried and had no clue what it all meant.  I also have the result for the T3 uptake which was 31, and the free T4 was 0.9, from what I understand they are both in the normal range. Thanks for your help and sorry about the long story. Tricia

[needie53]

I am NOT a Dr., just a thyroid pt. all my life. The high levels could be hashimotos, meaning your antibodies attack your thyroid so you have low, very low thyroid levels. same for perioxidase antibodies. TSH being high(4.64)is considered high according to new lab results which means you have low thyroid issues among other things. Again, I am not a Dr., just been through this. If you find a Dr. that is a family Dr. many times they can help you understand this better. Endos for me, in this area, were not so good about thyroid issues. I finally googled Drs. that deal with t3 and t4 and TSH issues and started there. TSH is an indicator from your brain that the thyroid is low, but they also need to test free T3 and free T4 and all your hormones and blood levels. Any Dr. that wont, I would not consider. And I really don't think it is the Drs. fault, they just don't educate themselves on all the different problems one little gland can cause and that is everything. Cancer I know nothing about and I won't comment, but I am suggesting you find a Dr. that is open minded and will run other tests to help you. My TSH was over 5, and my thyroglbulin antibodies were in the 1,000 rand with thyroid perioxidase antibodies very high too. It was treatable with t3/t4 combo and mine was not cancer. Good luck and God Bless. Happy Easter. Nancy