Strange thyroid problems

[bobwhitequail]

For about as long as I can remember I have been irritable, anxious, depressed, sometimes fatigued, and frequently had a hard time focusing.  Then, over the years came the diagnoses of Schizoaffective Disorder, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD, and Idiopathic Hypersomnia.  (The ADD is questionable because of the overlap of symptoms with other disorders, but I really think I have it.)

Although in the long run, I know doing without this hormone will cause serious problems of fatigue and depression.... when my thyroid went underactive and untreated for a while, I felt better able to focus and less anxious... but that extreme hypothyroidism caused some major problems; for instance, I think I vomited once or twice because of that and probably some of my sleepiness was because of it during that time.  

But these days, if I skip my Levothyroxine, I can focus better, feel less anxious/obsessive, feel less irritable, less depressed; I start to get stomach pain, muscle aches, and joint aches.  Didn't happen this morning because I didn't have the pills, but did happen this afternoon after I got the Levothyroxine from the pharmacy.   Honest.  The pattern is not going away.  My primary care doctor says it's an imagined thing caused by my anxiety disorder(s).  I am pretty convinced it is not caused by that.  

[Barb135]

While TGab may be present in Graves disease, the definitive test for that is Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI), not TGab.......  TPOab and TGab dx Hashimoto's.  

Are you still on the thyroid medication?  Are your symptoms getting any better? Your labs were quite some time ago; are you scheduled to be retested soon?  

Have you done anything about the low vitamin D and B12?

[bobwhitequail]

I do have Hashimoto's thyroiditis.  Found out a few weeks ago.   Just got around to posting about it.  

The doc told me in an appointment since the blood test that Thyroglobulin antibodies were for detecting Grave's disease, which is responsible for some cases of overactive thyroid.  

[bobwhitequail]

I asked my doc (via electronic messaging) whether Thyroglobulin antibodies should be tested.  He said no.  (I don't know what he'd doing online on a Saturday.)

[Barb135]

You need more than Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab); you also need Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TGab), because some people with Hashi's have one or the other, a very few have both.... if you're only tested for TPOab, and it comes out negative, you might still have the TGab....... insist on both.

These tests don't have to be ordered by an endo...... my ENT originally did TPOab, but then, both my endo and pcp later did TGab, as well...... Any doctor who can order labs can order these tests. Your PA-C friend may have been limited by what his supervising doctor allowed - been there, done that, but as a PA (assuming you mean Physicians Assistant), he could order those tests if the doctor allowed.

You might want to see what the TPOab comes back as, and if  it's negative, ask for the TGab, and go from there.

[bobwhitequail]

My PCP ordered the test antibody test for Hashimoto's.  Thyroid peroxidase ab, specifically.

I know a PA-C (he is on my FB list) who used to work for an internist.  He said such tests are usually done in endrocrinology--by which I assume he means they done by endocrinologists.  Should I have an endocrinologist?

[Barb135]

It's not necessary to know if you have Hashimoto's, because your treatment won't change  i.e you will still be treated with replacement thyroid hormones to treat the hypo that results from the Hashi's...... but knowing whether you do, or don't have Hashi's could help you down the road, because you will have a better idea of what to expect, since people with Hashi's can swing hyper, then hypo, etc.  They may have "flares" in which symptoms become worse for a while, but when the flare dies down, symptoms lessen, again. It's also nice to know that, at some point, the antibodies will completely "kill" your thyroid, so you will be totally dependent on the medication. I like to have an idea of what to expect, or if I get strange symptoms, what to attribute them to.