What disease do I have?

[MCT78]

Hi:

Four years ago I had an unbalanced Thyroid function with either hypot or hyper. My endo, did me a Thyroid Scan and I got normal results. I had treatments and I got ''cured''. Since last month I was experiencing lots of changes in my body, execesive hair loss, late menstrual period, heart palpitations, knee pain. My SED Rate is 30 and my T3U is 51.8%,
T4 is 14.3 ug/dl , T7 is 18.5 , TSH is 0.010.
Also Anti-thyroglobulin AB is 57.21 IU/ML
And Anti-microsomal AB is 1,000.00 IU/ML
My choesterol is great. glucose and all.

I am 29 years,  I want to know what I have and if this condition may be related to any prescriptions?, stress?, etc.

PS. I haven't had any children yet.

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

Jfellis - It is fine to post in this forum -- the MD answers are flagged differently so people know who's who.

You have hyper with positive antibodies -- suggestive of Graves but the ESR elevation brings up the possibility of silent thyroiditis (which is thought to be autoimmune as well).  If the numbers are improving in 4-5 weeks, then observation only (as that would be suggestive of a transient thyroiditis).  If the numbers remain consistent with hyper, then an I-123 scan may be helpful but moreover you would need treatment with anti-thyroid drugs once the diagnosis is confirmed.

[jfellis]

My appologies...I didn't realize that I was posting under the "doctor" forum!  I am NOT a doctor...I AM however studying to be a nurse and have had the last 6 years of my life to research my own thyroid issues extensively.  So I would say I am pretty well versed in the issues of thyroid disease.

[jfellis]

I am sorry to hear of your med problems...I can relate!  First let me say it's hard to tell where you fall in the "normal" range based off of just the numbers because every labs range is a little different, however a TSH as low as 0.010 is not normal in any labs i've ever seen.  I would recommend getiing a FT3 and FT4  in addition to your TSH, this just gives a better overall picture of what is going on with your thyroid.  From what I understand the T3 and T4 tests are kind of outdated as far as acuracy in diagnosing that is why you want to have the Free T3 and Free T4.  In addition to this I would also reccomend having a an Antithyroid Peroxidase Antibody (anti-TPO) test done.  This test helps diagnose hashimotos disease. Which your symptoms clearly point to that being a posibility.  A significant sign of Hashimotos is the fluctuation of thyroid levels.  Even with Hashimotos your FT3, FT4, and TSH levels can come back normal.  There is a wealth of information on the internet to help you along in you search...just start googling!  The unfortunate reality is that many people with thyroid problems are brushed off by thier docs and told they have "depression" or "anxiety" or it's "in your head".  Listen to your body! You know what it feels like to feel normal, don't accept anything less than that!
I hope this helps! Good luck!