Huge jump in TSH

[everett2]

My thyroid gland was removed six years ago. It took two years to get my TSH in balance using Synthroid, during which the highest reading was 8. The past year I was on Prednisone, tapering off at 1 MG per month. Took last pill Feb. 23rd. on Mar.1 my body began to swell and blood test showed my TSH at 47! Thinking this had to be a mistake, I had it tested again and it confirmed the original test. What could have caused such a jump?

[Barb135]

Are you still experiencing the swelling?   It's possible/likely that the prednisone was instrumental in the change in your TSH, which can be affected by a number of variables.  

I would wonder, however, if you've had anything other than TSH tested?  TSH is, typically, only useful for diagnosis, but should never be used as the sole determinant for diagnosing a thyroid condition or prescribing medication dose.  You should also have Free T4 and Free T3, every time you have a TSH test.  If you've had tests for FT4/FT3, please post the results, with reference ranges, so we can a better picture of what's happening.