I would like to say that if your doctor doesn't test for T4 and T3 you need to immediatley find another doctor. Please read Mary Shomon's book entitled: Living Well With Hypothyroidism, Revised 2nd Edition, and/or visit her website at: http://thyroid.about.com/bio/Mary-Shomon-350.htm
how are your other hormones looking? you might want to have all your female hormones checked as well. I have hashimoto's and am also considered peri-menopausal. I take a ton of supplements the main ones being large doses of vitamin D in addition to a mulit vitamin, i take melatonin at night, OMega 3 fish oil, evening primrose oil, and my doctor put me on progestrone (10 days a month). I also take royal maca with DIM. I was always a skeptic of supplements, but now i'm a true believer. Good luck.
1) Did your doctor also test TGab (thyroglobulin antibodies)? if either TPOab or TGab is elevated, Hashi's can be indicated. Also, a very small percentage of people with Hashi's test negative to both antibodies. Did he order an ultrasound?
2) It has nothing to do with TSH. I have no idea why, when you tested negative for TPOab, he would suggest testing for other autoimmunes. Perhaps he has more test results that brought him to that conclusion???
3) FT3 and FT4 are never "redundant". You simply cannot diagnose and medicate on TSH alone. If I were you, I'd get a referral to someone who has a better understanding of thyroid, i.e. someone who tests more than TSH.
Thanks for your reply. I made a mistake and copied and pasted someones symptoms (I didn't have colon cancer!!!, duh) . But the other symptoms are the same. No the doc didn't test for Tgab or TPOab either. I didn't have a ultrasound but I had a CT scan of the neck for another reason but I don't know for certain they looked at the thyroid. However they have the scan and can do so. I think that he is testing for other autoimmunes because of my back problem and maybe not the TSH. He didn't explain. I'll look into getting more tests done. Thanks for your help. Why does the TSH go up at my age?
thanks,
mkh9
Thanks I'll read the book. My FSH is high but not high enough to be in menopause yet. I am taking a large dose of vitamin D as well. I am being monitored for this too as well as fish oil, mulitvitamin, magnesium and flaxseen oil, glucosamine and chondritin. But I may need a hormone adjustment too like you mentioned. I'm on several drugs for migraine because of the vertigo. My husband took melantonin but he said it isn't recommended for long term use because they don't know enough about what will occur. It did work for short term insomnia. For us it is best to force yourself not to take a nap. thanks for your help.
mkh9
Does menopause bring on hypothyroidism?
mkh9?
Thx
The thyroid and the reproductive hormones are both part of the endocrine system, which is all interrelated. A disturbance in any part of that system can cause a disturbance in another, Sometimes, that's temporary and sometimes not.
Why does TSH go up? The most prevalent cause of hypo in the developed world is Hashi's. Barring that, thyroids sometimes just go bad for indeterminate reasons.
There are a couple of "temporary" forms of thyroiditis you might look at to see if either fits your symptoms: DeQuervain's thyroiditis and silent thyroiditis.