Hypothyroid and possible cause

[Mttnshn]

Hi I am 27 years old and after several miscarriages I was diagnosised with Hughes Syndrome (Antiphospholipid disorder) in 2002. I had been feeling very tired, gaining weight, losing hair, headches and a whole list of other symptoms. My insurance company runs regular blood work on us every year for so called "preventive medicine", trying to catch things early on and preventing them. Well this test consist of testing for a number of things. When I get my lab results in the mail my test is 40 pages long. Ok, well my TSH came back a bit abnormal. Went to doctor complaining of how I was feeling thinking it is related to my Hughes. As I started explaining how I was feeling, she said how was your lab work back in May? She pulled it up online and said shows I have hypothyroidism and it needed to be put in check.  My TSH was 5.59.  She started me on Levothyroxine 100 MCG 2 weeks ago. Now she also said since I had blood work done back in November and this going up so fast in a short time, by almost 3.00. Possibly I may have thyroid cancer. If medicine didn't work in a few months she would refer me to a specialist. Now my question is, could my Hughes Syndrome have caused this? I know it says on the Hughes syndrome website it could. Is there a test they can do to see if my hughes has caused this? I have to go back to her next Wednesday for an updated blood work. I also have somewhat gotten some energy back, but still sluggish in evenings or after 2 PM or so. I take my medicine at 8 AM. Is there a better time I should try taking it? I have been having some side effects of my medicine, hair loss is slowly subsiding. I have been suffering from mood swings, bad sweating, diahhrea, increased appetite, but after to eat because I feel nauseous. I told my doctor about this and she said it would get better in about 6 weeks. Is this normal?

Please any information would be greatly appreciated.

[kitcurious]

If Hughes Syndrome is autoimmune then there is a slight tendency for a person with one autoimmune syndrome to have another one. Try posting to the doctor . My guess is that the antibodies attacking are specific to the organ or system they attack, but that the tendency to autoimmune disease in general is inherent in the individual, due to different factors working in concert with one another.

[LawDoggy]

I will leave the advice to more knowledgeable posters here - I know absolutely nothing about Hughes Syndrome.  But if the Hughes Syndrome website says it can cause your symptoms, I'd take that information to my doctor and discuss it with him/her.

I just started on Synthroid this week and so I don't even have any "real-world" experience to share but I would want to know what the doctor based the diagnosis and prescription on.  The TSH isn't reliable by itself.  You probably should make sure that your hormones are actually low (the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone is just a signal from your pituitary for your thyroid to produce more thyroid and sometimes your thyroid hormone levels are actually OK but your pituitary is malfunctioning - that's unlikely, but needs to be checked.)  Also, should check for antibodies which attack the thyroid gland.  The most common reason for hypothyroid is Hashimoto's Disease which is an auto immune condition where the thyroid is attacked by your own body.  That does not indicate cancer.  In fact the TSH numbers can vary pretty widely.  My lab's reference range is 0.350 - 5.5 but mine was 43.7 and two weeks later it was 49.5.  My doctor started me out slow on 50 mcg. of Synthroid so I don't overshoot the desired TSH of .3-1.0

I know this is very scary because I'm right there with you.  I don't have answers but try to be proactive in your wellness by presenting what you learn to your doctor and asking for copies of your labs and asking that the correct tests be administered.  You'll find a wealth of information on the web and from the folks here on this forum.  Just take it as it comes and pray for improvement.

Keep us posted,
Mary