General Medicine

» u25000 - TSA or ATA

I get confused w/these two. Can you tell me are the same? My need for clarification is that I often here ATA anti-thyroid antibodies referenced as a link to increased m/c; never do I hear the term thyroid stimulated antibodies in the same phrasing. So are they the same? From what I read they would be considered the same. ATAs are usually the Tgab; TPOab (hashi) while the TSAs are the TSI (graves). thanks.

-- posted by u25000

» Elaine Moore - When to lower medication?

In response to When to lower medication? posted by Princess2007:

Hi,
According to the experts, you should lower your carbimazole dose as soon as your FT4 level falls into the normal range to avoid becoming hypothyroid. You can have symptoms of hypothyroidism even if FT4 is within range if it falls to close to the low end of the range. The usual maintenance dose is 2.5-10 mg daily. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - Pregnant, Thyroid Levels

In response to Pregnant, Thyroid Levels posted by beccav:

Hi,
Here's an article I wrote on thyroid hormone changes in pregnancy:

http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/ar...

The reference ranges are different in pregnancy, with a TSH as low as 0.1 considered normal and expected. Your baby starts making his own thyroid hormone at about 11 weeks, but before that he's dependent on you for his thyroid hormone. It's good that your levels are within range, but soon you may not have enough hormone for your body's needs. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - Another Graves questions

In response to Another Graves questions posted by nurseheatherone:

Hi Heather,
Swelling around the eyes and eyelids occurs in hypothyroidism due to venous congestion. Dark circles can occur too, but they're also a prominent feature of allergies, especially food allergies. Mine are worse when I cheat with wheat. Dairy products can worsen skin conditions so you're probably right. Take care, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - TSA or ATA

In response to TSA or ATA posted by u25000:

Hi,
ATA usually stands for anti-thyroglobulin antibodies.
TPO antibodies are the ones most often associated with miscarriage. In some countries, screening for TPO antibodies is routinely done during early pregnancy.
Both ATA and TPO antibodies occur in both Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease. They're markers of thyroid inflammation.
TSI, the antibodies that cause hyperthryoidism in Graves' disease, can cross the placental barrier and cause transient fetal hyperthyroidism. For this reason, TSI testing is recommended during the first and 3rd trimesters. You might want to look at the online thyroid text, www.thyroidmanager.org for more on thyroid antibodies. I have several articles on thyroid antibodies on suite101 too. Best, Elaine

» nurseheatherone - Another Graves questions

In response to Another Graves questions posted by daisyelaine:

Thanks soo much for all of the info, I do not know what I would do without all of your knowledge on all of these things:) So all of these eye signs may not be signs of Graves eye disease? today my eyes are just slightly swollen and darker underneath my eyes. I do not think I have food allergies and I did not show any sensitivity to wheat, so who knows? is it possible to be sort of hypo with the numbers I had a drawn about 3 weeks ago (7/25- Free T3 453, now 300,Ft4 was 2.96, now 1.15 and TSH was .0001, now 0.65)
Thanks again, Heather

-- posted by nurseheatherone

» beccav - Pregnant, Thyroid Levels

In response to Pregnant, Thyroid Levels posted by daisyelaine:

What would you suggest I tell the doctor tomorrow that I should be raised to? If it takes 4-6 weeks for T4 to change with the new dose, then that will be almost the end of the first trimester when the baby needs it the most.

-- posted by beccav

» u25000 - Related testing

Can anyone tell me how to get/find a doctor who will test for bone thinning and vitamin deficiencies. I go to new docs and they do the typical hello, how do you feel, and send me away w/out any blood work. Why bother going? I never go back. And I see others do get these tests, not just those over 40, as seems to be the protocal, certain tests for certain ages.

And..should I see an allergist or immunologist for example to know what foods I should not eat, that may exasperate my immune system.

-- posted by u25000

» nurseheatherone - Related testing

In response to Related testing posted by u25000:

HI there! I went to a naturopathic Dr and he suggested all of the VitD. B12 and gluten sensitivity tests to be done but then he could not order them because he is nto a MD so I brought the labs suggested to my primary care, she ordered some but sais that others were not needed with my diagnosis. I decided after that visit to change primary care doctors because of her resistance to these tests. I found a new PC who listened to me and ordered all of the labs I requested. They took a little while to get back but now I know that all is well. Good luck!
Heather

-- posted by nurseheatherone

» Elaine Moore - Another Graves questions

In response to Another Graves questions posted by nurseheatherone:

Hi,
You can have symptoms of hypothryoidism just from a sudden fall in thyroid hormone levels and yours went down quite a bit. In general, no one starts secreting TSH until they're in remission or are moving into hypothyroidism and have levels too low for their body's needs. An FT4 of 1.15 is pretty low using the usual range of 0.8-1.8. The eye symptoms you're mentioning sound as though they're hypo related. Moving into hypothyroidism can also induce congestive or autoimmune TED. This happens as the gland tries correcting the problem by producing TSH and speeding up all of its activities, including thyroid antibody production. This then triggers TED. This is one of the reasons hypothyroidism should be avoided when using ATDs. Best, Elaine