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Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOab)


Some background info before my question.
I'm 25 (Male) - 170lbs
I have Vitiligo

Family History
My mom has Vitiligo
My dad had Diabetes, he died when I was 2 (he was under 30 and died from diabetic related reasons).
My half sister has diabetes( she was at one time in diabetic comma)


About 7 months ago I decided I wanted to get in shape, so I started doing P90x. I was about 30+ days and I was doing great, I  had lost 10 lbs and I could do over 10 pulls (yay me). But, that all changed suddenly after I took caffeine out of my diet. Workouts were no longer hard they were impossible, I only wanted to sleep. I thought, this must be from the lack of soda/coffee. I put caffeine back into my diet and still I was unable to workout. At work I was unable to focus, and my head would not stop pounding. Eventually my lymph nodes started swelling up and I decided enough was enough. I was going to go to the doctor (I hadn't been to a doctor since I was 20?). After many failed guesses they were able to determine that my tsh level was 5.8 (ish) then 12. I was put on 50 mcg of synthroid then it was increased to 75. My Vitamin D levels were also low (16), so I was put on supplements. My doctor advised me to wait 6 months to come back in for a check up, despite the fact I was still in pain.

After a few months I switched to a different doctor (and doctor's office). The new doctor had my TSH & T4 levels retested and both were in the normal ranges. My Vitamin D range was 53. My Glucose (fasting) levels were normal. The doctor said my thyroid was Swollen and that's probably why I was feeling a pain in my neck (mainly on the right side). She referred me to a specialist to get a thyroid ultrasound (This coming Monday) and did a TPO antibody test.

The results for the TPO ab test came back positive >1000. My doctor referred me to another specialist (endocrinologist).

To kind of summarize, I'm in a large amount of pain (mainly my neck, but behind my right ear and the right side of my chest are also hurting), I have photophobia like you wouldn't believe, I can't stay awake for more than 6 hours, my eyes have started hurting really bad (like dry feeling and my eyelids are super red. possibly from the weather). I also have headaches that never seem to go away. And to top it all off, I'm having emotional breakdowns at least twice a day.

The question
Any guess as to what the BLEEP is wrong with me?

NOTE: Sorry for the grammar issues, I'm too tired to fix it :(
3 Responses
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Your elevated TPOab level would be indicative of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

Vitilligo tends to run in families and is often present with other autoimmune diseases.  Most experts agree that it's a separate autoimmune disease.  Vitilligo doesn't have any significant health consequences.

What were the actual results of the TSH and T4 that the new doctor did?  Was the T4 a test for Free T4 or Total T4?  Please post the results and reference ranges, which vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report.

Tiredness and dry eyes can be symptoms of hypothyroidism.  It's possible that the headache is caused from the dry eyes.  Emotional meltdowns are also symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Helpful - 0
1756321 tn?1547095325
I have had photophobia badly from two different reasons -1. vitamin B12 malabsorption (autoimmune pernicious anaemia). 2. Hashitoxicosis - I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis but Graves' disease antibodies showed up to cause thyroid eye disease. Thankfully, this was only for two months. My lymph nodes swelled up due to Graves' antibodies.  I had sensitivity to light (without the searing pain like my other two conditions) from magnesium deficiency and adrenal fatigue.

Besides autoimmune pernicious anaemia and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, I also have vitiligo and alopecia areta. I mention this as certain diseases like to cluster together due to genetics.  It might be that your new symptoms are due to another autoimmune disease (celiac causing IBS symptoms for example) or your thyroid disease alone is causing all the havoc.

The following info is from the book "The Everything Guide To Thyroid Disease" by Theodore C. Friedman, MD, PhD and Winnie Yu Scherer:

"Although the majority of people with Hashimoto's will not develop any other disorders, it's important to know what some of these autoimmune conditions are in case you do start to experience symptoms. Keep in mind, too, that you may be more likely to develop Hashimoto's if you have one of these other conditions.

Type 1 Diabetes
Pernicious Anaemia
Addison's Disease
Vitiligo
Celiac Disease
Alopecia Areta
Systematic Lupus Erthematosus (SLE)
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sjogren's Syndrome
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)"
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I forgot to mention that about a month ago I started experiencing signs of irritable bowel syndrome that haven't gone away.
Helpful - 0
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649848 tn?1534633700
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