Please go to the library and get "Hashimoto's Protocol". It literally saved my life! I have had 45 years of headaches/neck pain/trigger points etc. but was not diagnosed with Hashimoto's until March 5th, 2018!!! I suffered thru migraine surgery, 3 rhizotomies, acupuncture, 14 cortisone injections, 37 Botox injections, physical therapy, chiropractic, etc. I have taken 800 Ibuprofen in the last FIVE years!! Along with naproxen sodium, butalbital, oxycodone, hydrocodone, Inderal, midrin, ergotamine, rexall, amitriptyline, imitrex, etc etc. I should have killed myself long ago. GET THIS BOOK! [i am headache-free and 16 lobs lighter!]
Here are the ranges. FT4 ( 0.76-4.78) mine 0.8, TPO (<9), mine 29, TSH (0.55-4.78), mine 3.33. So since the TSH and FT4 are in range he says no treatment needed at this time. That’s all the labs he ordered after I requested thyroid workup. I’m going to find a different doctor for 2nd opinion or find Endocrinologist who can look at my labs and U/S. I know something is off the way my body feels is which why I went to doctor in first place. I told him I believe I have Hosimotos due to symptoms and heterogeneous U/S. Which he said U/S was normal.
Although TPOab can be present in small amounts with other autoimmune conditions, the fact that yours is elevated most likely indicates Hashimoto's. Was there a TgAb test done as well? If not, there needs to be as both TPOab and TgAb are markers for Hashimoto's. Either one or both can be the basis for a diagnosis.
What's the reference range for the Free T4? I agree that 0.8 is at/near the bottom the ranges used by most labs and would indicate that you're hypo. Without adequate Free T4, there won't be anything to be converted to Free T3 which is the hormone that's used by individual cells in the body.
Most of us feel best with Free T4 at/about mid-range and Free T3 in the upper half to upper third of its range.
I agree - if you can't ask questions of this doctor because you work with him, you need to find a different doctor to treat your illness. This one will keep you ill because of lack of proper testing/treatment.
My tpo was 29, free t4 0.8. Told tpo elevated but not real high so no treatment at this time . Just wanting input. The doctor I saw I work for so I feel bad questioning him since he is the MD. I think further workup is needed though!?
Qlane... awesome idea. Even if you don't see an improvement in neck flare up, a good healthy diet will help the way you feel overall.
Because the microbiome is instrumental to inflammation, you might want to do some research into digestive enzymes and probiotics, which are both excellent ways to help improve the way we feel.
"Nightshade Vegetables and Inflammation: Can They Help with Arthritis Symptoms?
Research
Potential health benefits
So what’s the verdict on nightshades?
Anti-inflammatory options
Inflammatory foods to avoid
Takeaway
Not all nightshade plants are safe to eat
Nightshade vegetables are members of the Solanaceae family of flowering plants. Most nightshade plants aren’t edible such as tobacco and the deadly herb, belladonna.
A handful of nightshade vegetables, however, are edible and well-known staples in our diets, including:
tomatoes
eggplant
potatoes
peppers
All nightshade plants contain compounds called alkaloids. One alkaloid found in nightshade vegetables, solanine, may be toxic in large quantities or in a green potato. There’s no evidence solanine is harmful in typical food amounts. And solanine isn’t only found in nightshades—blueberries, huckleberries, and artichokes contain it, too.
Thanks to anecdotal evidence, nightshade vegetables have earned a bad reputation for causing inflammation in the body. But not everyone with painful joints who eliminates nightshades from their diet experiences pain relief and some evidence suggests that the nutrition content of nightshades may help with arthritis symptoms.
Keep reading to learn how these vegetables may affect inflammation within the body, their potential health benefits, and more.
What the research says about nightshade vegetables and arthritis
According to the Arthritis Foundation, the belief that eating nightshade vegetables worsens arthritis is a myth. They claim people with arthritis may benefit from the high nutrition content in nightshades.
For example, researchers in one 2011 study found that inflammation and DNA damage was reduced in healthy men who ate yellow or purple potatoes, which are nightshade vegetables, for six weeks.
However, more research is needed. To date, there’s little scientific research to draw a conclusion either way.
Health benefits of popular nightshades
Most nightshade vegetables contain an abundance of nutrients. They’re also readily-available and easy-to-prepare. In some cases, the benefits of eating nightshade vegetables may outweigh any inflammation risk..."
https://www.healthline.com/health/nightshade-vegetables-and-inflammation#research
The same applies to the goitrogens... they have so many nutrients that most of us can't afford to eliminate them from our diet. If the goitrogens are separated from thyroid hormone medication by several hours, most of us find that we don't have a problem with eating them, particularly if they're cooked, since cooking destroys the goitrogenic properties.
If one finds that they're sensitive to a food/food group, such as dairy or gluten, they should, by all means eliminate it or reduce consumption, otherwise there's no real reason to do so as the science simply isn't available yet to prove that they cause problems for every one. The suggested elmination diet is the best way to find out about sensitivities.
Sugar, on the other hand, has been proven to be one of the most inflammatory foods there is so if you're going to eliminate a food, sugar should be the one. That doesn't include fruit, vegetables, or even raw honey but it does include anything with added sugar, processed foods, etc...
There are others that cause inflammation, as well, such as trans fats, refined carbohydrates (white flour, white rice, pasta, bread, etc), processed meats, alcohol, vegetable and seed oils, etc.
Inflammation has more to do with the microbiome than anything else so it's more important to eliminate the unhealty foods.
Yes, you should get thyroid hormones and both antibodies tested. This could be Hashimoto's and systemic inflammation causing your recently increasing neck pain. With TSH at 3.33, it is climbing up towards the top of the lab range. If you're in the US, many labs use 4.0 as the top of normal. Many people are hypothyroid with a TSH even over just 2.0, if their FT3 and FT4 tests come back low in range. TSH that high, your US results, plus symptoms possibly related means you need complete thyroid labs to find out exactly what your thyroid is up to.
I have Hashimoto's and I also have neck problems, too. Hashimoto's and other autoimmune diseases are very sensitive to inflammation. When my antibodies increase, my inflammation increases, and I often have increased neck issues. Once my antibodies start to decrease, my inflammation decreases, and my neck issues also usually subside. I do about everything I can think of to keep my inflammation at a minimum. Gluten free is recommended for autoimmune problems, and so are dairy and soy free. All three cause inflammation. Besides those three, I don't eat goitrogenic foods very often unless they are well cooked to reduce their thyroid hormone reducing qualities (cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, etc), and I also steer clear of nightshades. Other things that cause inflammation in the body are any sort of illness, injury, and exposure to any substance that causes an immune response.
Is TSH the only thyroid-related blood test you've had done? Ask your doctor to order Free T4, Free T3 and the antibody tests, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).
Free T4 and Free T3 are actual thyroid hormones and will determine if you have hypothyroidism. The antibody tests will confirm if you have Hashimoto's and if so, even if you aren't hypo now, you probably will be at some time in the future.
I didn't necessarily have sore throat, but I did have a goiter (swollen thyroid w/nodules) and it was often quite uncomfortable. It still sometimes "flairs" and is uncomfortable, even though I've been on medication for 10 yrs...
You do need further tests, IMO.
A heterogeneous thyroid gland means the texture of the thyroid gland isn't uniform and smooth. This finding has been associated with diffuse thyroid disease including Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease.
I had a sore throat from Hashimoto's thyroiditis. This pain went away taking thyroxine.