trouble update

[trouble10]

I took y'alls advice and went back to my doctor after a lot of studying on my own so I would recognize a snow job if I got one.  At first he just wanted to do my TSH, but after I specifically asked for an antibody test he also threw in a free T4 and T3 uptake.  Good news Free T4 is 1.23, T3 uptake is 30, and TSH 3.791.  Bad news my antibodies are 1277.  No decimal.  No I'm not kidding.  Anybody want to tell me their first thoughts?  I'm not sure whether to be happy because I'm right, or scared to death.  I think it only makes sense to be both.

[kitcurious]

Mine are over 1200. From what I've read it really only indicates autoimmune (though 10% of women have to antibodies and many do not have hypothyroidism) and that's all. Interesting for part of  diagnosis and that's it. There's nothing of consequence that can be done about them so Ar's first observation is pretty much right, it's not worth thinking about.

Selenium has been known to drop them 10-15% in some pregnant women...10-15% won't do much with really high ones and they said it helped heart disease too and later studies show it made no difference and some people even got worse.

Selenium in a natural form, from food, would be the safest way to get it.

The good news is that you have plenty of thyroid hormone and your TSH isn't bad at all.

Why are you thinking about having the  thyroid removed?  Do you have a suspicious nodule?
Your levels are subclinical.

[trouble10]

From what I've read, high antibodies indicate Hashimotos and that means I could pendelum from hypo to hyper til the thing finally dies.  What are the opinions on radioactive iodine vs. thyroidectomy?  I can't get a appointment with the endo til Dec.  This is the same endo I saw before.  I think I'll see if I can find another.  The teachers in the school I'm attending are all practicing nurses.  Maybe they can think of somebody.

[AR-10]

I just googled thyroid peroxidase antibodies and somewhere along the way I read about a German study.

They ran a study on patients that had high antibody counts and also had a selenium deficiency. The subjects were given sodium selenite supplements for a period of time and varying degrees of lowered levels were recorded, some quite significant.

I may ask my GP to run a test for selenium level.

Not worried. Just curious. ;>)

[DLA]

Can't remember exactly what mine were anymore.  Wish I had ask for copies of all my stuff back then, but I didn't.  Seems like mine were way up there over 1,000.  You know, the idiot endo I had then never explained anything to me, so I didn't even have a clue what it meant.  Come to think of it, I'm still not sure.  So guess I'll be doing some more studying on this.  More to learn on this never ending journey!  =(~~  

Da

[scarlet37]

Sorry- I can't comment on anitbodies as i've never had them- Just wanted to say

       Congrats on being a well informed advocate in your health!!!  You did it!



   teresa

[AR-10]

My antibodies are 1200.

I worried about it for a long time . Read up on everything I could think of regarding antibodies. Finally quit worrying. Worrying about what you can't change is not productive.

How are you feeling?