Just for those who were curious

[redheadaussie]

I found this information as I was studying up about my own total thryoidectomy...

In a total thyroidectomy, nearly all of the thyroid tissue is removed. It’s impossible to remove every bit of tissue because some tissue is affixed to the parathyroid glands and adjacent organs. Usually, there isn’t sufficient tissue left to produce adequate thyroid hormone. Because tissue attached to other structures is removed, the risk of damaging other organs and nerves is higher.

So that may answer a question I have as to why a year post TT I still have high anti-bodies! I had read in Thyroid For Dummies that after TT you should have zero or little anti-bodies...intriguing!

found it on   http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/19330/2902/4    hopefully it will show for you after I post.

[estrelinha]

Exactly Smilerdeb, one logical reason is the presence of residual tissue left;........normal antibodies levels (less then the reference) are present in people without thyroid disease (that's why they say less then......; or the kits used in the lab don't detect the antibodies in lower dilutions of the serum (negative result, not significant).

[Smilerdeb]

As I said in a previous posting...mine were still there Post RAI but under the reference range...nowhere near what they were prior to RAI.
Also my liver enzymes fixed themselves after having RAI and they were 3 times over the limit before RAI.
In my opinion, if the antibodies are still high then there is still some tissue left from the TT and maybe that may be the reason why you cant get your levels stabilised.
Food for thought?

[estrelinha]

In my oppinion I think you should discuss this with your doctor, antibodies should be lower ( titer) not the same as before(but still there), no thyroid no antigen (talking about specific antibodies like anti-Tg that are used as a tumor marker) so there is no B-cell stimulation. When we are vaccinated, we have the antibodies (sometimes for life), but if for some reason we get the disease, if you measure the antibodies the titer is much higher  (active)..... (this is how it works, and in a simple language, so about thyroid specific antibodies you should ask your doctor the reason for it's presence (same titer) after 1 year.

[redheadaussie]

Boy, now I am confused again......think I'll go out and eat worms....

[Smilerdeb]

I second that comment Thypatient.
I totally agree with you.

[Thypatient]

Given on an except or reject basis:  I don't know if the information is true or not.  But do know the person who wrote it has a terrible reputation for making outrageous claims and anything she says needs to be verified before taken as truth.  Especially, if whether to proceed or not proceed on something is being considered.

[stella5349]

Thanks Ma'am  :)

I knew someone would comethrough on this.

[estrelinha]

The antibodies are produced by B-cells, the memory to produce specific antibodies is still there, so if you don't have antigen (thyroid) your B-cells aren't stimulated to produce antibodies, it's the same as vaccines: once the B-cells are stimulated to act, antibodies are formed and the body develops immunity to the particular pathogen (antigen). Once a person receives a vaccine and develops immunity, he or she is usually protected for life. Sometimes vaccines do not provide lifetime immunity. So antibodies get lower if no antigen is there. If antigen is present , B cells are stimulated and specific antibodies are produced, so if you stil have high antibodies you must see with your doctor what is going on.

[stella5349]

Opps rushing again..


They are present , from what I gather, regardless of a TT or RAI

They are antibodies - not cells.

[stella5349]

I don't understand.

Then where are those antibodies going to go? There are present from what I gather regardless of TT or RAI.

They are antibodies - not cells.

[redheadaussie]

I think it could be different for RAI thyroids as any thyroid tissue is absorbing the  radioactive iodine....For surgical removal as it says, they can't take it all out...which is quite interesting.
  I am finding that higher anti-bodies after TT seem to indicate the tumour (in my case a Hurthle's cell adenoma) may be recurring...or could just be the Hashimotos' with the remaining tissue...who knows! Obviously not my endo, that's for sure!

[Smilerdeb]

3 months after RAI, I still had antibodies for Graves but they were under the limit.
They were 34 and the range was under <60
Prior to RAI my antibodies were 420%.
As far as I was always told...the antibodies never go. They just dont have the thyroid to attack anymore.
Your antibodies shouldnt be high though.......interesting.