General Medicine

» Elaine Moore - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by free2ridejones:
Hi,
Yes, thanks for sharing the info on your naltrexone. Several of my friends with autoimmune disorders have had good results with naltrexone. Perhaps you started out with Hashimoto's thyroiditis although it wasn't yet reflected in your labs and the naltrexone improved your thryoid function. Let us know what other labs you have. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by free2ridejones:
Hi,
Autoimmune thyroid disorders tend to bounce from hypothyroidism to hyperthryoidism and some of the underlying triggers for both disorders are the same.
Things that can trigger both autoimmune hypothyroidism and autoimmune hyperthyroidism that you can benefit from avoiding include:
excess dietary iodine especially in processed, refined, and salted foods; aspartame in NutraSweet; wheat--since many people with autoimmune thyroid disease have gluten sensitivity; any known or suspected food allergens; lithium; cigarette smoke; and refined sugars.
Low selenium levels are also known to trigger autoimmune thyroid disease and supplements of 100-200 mcg daily selenium are recommended. In some parts of the world (rare in the U.S.) low iodine levels cause autoimmune thyroid disease. If this could be the case, you'd want to add natural, not refined, sea salt. Natural sea salt is coarse and grayish and more expensive.

You definitely have a chance of recovery from autoimmune thyroid disease. In fact, after many years of being hypothyroid, some people move into hyperthyroidism. And both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can spontaneously resolve. Today, many doctors are using a wait and see approach for their patients with Graves' disease based on evidence that 1/3 of cases can resolve on their own. Best, elaine

» Elaine Moore - Medication

In response to Medication posted by Lorrie76:
Hi Lorrie,
Do you have your reference range for your FT4 and FT3 tests? Usually, FT4 is measured in ng/ml and the range is 0.8--1.8. and for T4 the range is 4.0-12.5 ng/ml. For FT3, the usual range is 2.3-4.2 pg/ml. If you're outside of the states your ranges are probably different.
However, TSH is measured the same worldwide, and the recommended range is 0.3--3.0 mu/L, with evidence showing that most normal people have a TSH between 0.3 and 1.0. If your FT4 was really a T4, that result would be too low for most people. Best, Elaine

» free2ridejones - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by daisyelaine:

Hi elaine

Going back to your response on Nov 6 I see you said I had a positive TPO test? I am not sure which test shows this can you help with this. Is the TSH receptor test different from my TSH results I already have? The only other test which I have not listed is for Thyroglobulin Antibodies which came back negative. This was done at the same time as my microsomal antibodies which were positive were done. Are these tests worth repeating.

Sorry to bombard you with all this. I just want to be prepared when I go to the doctor.

Thanks again Margo

-- posted by free2ridejones

» Lorrie76 - Medication

In response to Medication posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine

Yes, I live in Canada.
TSH - 0.76 Ref Range 0.30-4.70
T4 Free - 11.1 Ref Range 9.1-23.8
Free T3 - 3.4 Ref Range 2.5-5.7
Hematocrit - 0.351 Ref range 0.37-0.47
RBC - 3.71 - Ref Range 3.80-5.80
Thanks
Lorrie

-- posted by Lorrie76

» Elaine Moore - Medication

In response to Medication posted by Lorrie76:
Hi Lorrie,
For many people, an FT4 so near the low end of the reference range can cause symptoms of hypothyroidism. Your hematocrit is slightly decreased suggesting the possibility of anemia, which is a common symptoms in hypothyroidism. I suspect blocking TSH receptor antibodies are falsely lowering your TSH level, which makes this test result misleading. If you found a doctor who was familiar with Wilson's Syndrome or the work of Broda Barnes, he or she would have you test basal temperature and focus more on symptoms than lab results. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by free2ridejones:
Hi Margo,
I should have explained that microsomal antibodies are the same as thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies. About a decade ago, researchers found that thyroid peroxidase is the the significant protein on the microsomal membrane that antibodies are formed against. So the antibodies may go under both names, although most labs no longer use the name microsomal antibodies. If a microsomal antibody test is ordered, the lab does a test for TPO antibodies.
TSH receptor antibodies are a different type of thyroid antibody. They're different from the pituitary hormone TSH.

The TSH receptor is a protein found on thyroid cells that allows TSH to react with it. In doing so TSH orders thyroid cells to produce more thyroid hormone.

Antibodies directed against the TSH receptor can be stimulating or blocking varieties. Both of these antibodies falsely lower TSH levels. But more importantly, stimulating TSH receptor antibodies, which are also known as thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins or TSI, stimulate the receptor to produce more thyroid hormone. Blocking TSH receptor antibodies block both TSH and TSI from activating the receptor so they cause hypothyroidism.

If both of these antibodies, you can have normal thyroid hormone levels and symptoms of both hypoT and hyperT. I have several articles on these and the other thyroid antibodies in the archives. You can find them going to archive in the left column, then health, autoimmune diseases, graves' disease. Hope this helps, Elaine

» free2ridejones - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine

Thank you for everything. Will make an appointment for this week and if I get anymore tests I will let you know the results. You have been wonderful and I will leave you in peace for awhile now.

Margo

-- posted by free2ridejones

» gnle - Do I have Graves?

Hi Elaine,

I just found out that I have some sort of thyroid condition. My lab results are as followed:

T3 Uptake = 47.4 (range 25-40%)
T4 = 12.6 (range 5-13µg/dl)
FT1(T7)Calc. = 5.97 (range 1.25-5.20)
Highly Sensitive TSH = 0.004 (range 0.350-5.50µIU/mL)
TPO = 1105 (range 0-60U/mL)
Anti-Thyroglobulin ABS = 117 (range 0-60 U/mL)

It does appear that I have Graves' disease. However, I do not these symptoms: trouble sleeping, fatigue, irritability, weight loss, heat sensitivity, increased sweating, muscular weakness, changes in how eyes look.

So do I have Graves' disease? I am scheduled to see an endocrinologist but would like to do my own research before going into the office.

I should note that my heart rate is 76bpm.

Thank you for your help.
gnle

-- posted by gnle

» Elaine Moore - Do I have Graves?

In response to Do I have Graves? posted by gnle:
Hi,
It looks like you probably have subclinical Graves' disease. The T3 uptake doesn't measure thyroid hormone. It's an obsolete test that uses T3 reagent to tell the approximate amount of binding proteins you have. These proteins carry thyroid hormone through the blood. They're elevated in by estrogens, and in pregnancy, and in young women they're often high.
Total T4 measures thyroid hormone that's attached to these proteins. This form of thyroid hormone is inactive and the level is falsely increased if your T3 uptake is high. For the last decade labs have had tests available to measure the free active thyroid portion of thyroid hormone with tests for FT4 and FT3.
The FTI (index) is a calculation of about how much of your T4 is in the free form. This test is not very reliable and doesn't compare well with the direct measure of FT4. If you happen to have an elevated FT3, you would have hyperthyroidism with T3 thyrotoxicosis which occurs in about 30 percent of people with Graves' disease. If both FT4 and FT3 are normal, then your diagnosis would be subclinical hyperthyroidism or subclinical Graves' disease since you know your condition is autoimmune based on your thyroid antibody test results.
Subclinical disorders are usually watched since they can resolve easily. If symptoms were present beta blockers could be used to reduce them. But in most cases the tests are repeated in 2-3 months or sooner if symptoms develop.

Even if FT4 or FT3 were slightly elevated, many doctors would advise waiting before using treatment. Integrationist physicians and naturopaths would likely recommend stress reduction techniques, avoiding excess dietary iodine in fast and processed foods, avoiding known and suspected allergens, and following a nutrient-rich diet with adequate but not excess protein and then follow up, running the FT4, FT3 and TSH levels and a test for TSI so you'd have a baseline level. TSI are the thyroid antibodies that cause hyperthyroidism in Graves' disease. Best, Elaine