Re: New to group, TPO ab High

[Guest guest]

Hi Sharon,

More importantly, how are you feeling? A lot of Hashis need to have FT3/FT4 above mid point to feel best.

ISTM, your doc needs to do a complete iron panel. Ferritin goes high when infection is present and iron goes low. Or it could be something else, the whole iron labs are needed along with a complete blood count.

Also, high cortisol disturbs the balance of the thyroid hormones, so does low cortisol. Further tests need to be done to rule out Cushings and other pituitary problems.

We have to stop eating wheat/gluten if we have blood tests showing autoimmune thyroid disease. Fixing our digestive problems with good nutrition and supplements often helps out a lot with the fatigue and brain dysfunction; most Hashis also have malnutrition issues.

Soy and fluoride inhibit thyroid function so eliminating those from your life is a must, too, that is if you want to feel better. Also, we need to eliminate or at least limit refined foods, preservatives, MSG, and other additives from our diets. Us Hashis need to stay clear of poisons like triclosan (a toxin in anti-bacterial products), artificial sweeteners, heavy metal fillings, mercury and probably a few other things.

Optimizing thyroid hormones is a must. The TSH test is not "all-telling" but some drs think it is and thus keep their patients under-treated. Make sure you are always tested for FreeT3 and FreeT4 – these tests show the hormone function that is available to the thyroid cells (the T3 and T4 tests have been obsolete since 1980, T3/T4, shows what is in the blood stream bound and unbound meaning you have to guess how much is actually available to the cells). Notice the difference spots in the range for FT4 vs T4 and FT3 vs T3. The FREE T levels are a much more accurate.

Many of us need a T4/T3 combo treatment. T4 is the inactive hormone that must be converted to the active T3 hormone. Often the conversion process is broken so we must take direct T3 to be able to function and feel better. I was also given the fibromyalgia Dx, too; but T3 alleviated it to non-existence.

Shomon, a national thyroid advocate and author, has a great thyroid website. You will benefit from her Thyroid 101 section, all newbie's should read it. Her books are at: http://www.thyroid-info.com Look at your local library, (try before buying). Her book, "Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know" is a good place to start. Also see ~ http://thyroid.about.com and http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/thyroid101.htm

Start with what you know and make a goal to fix that problem getting all the gluten out of your house is a start. My family eats what I eat. My hubby lost 15#s from not eating donuts, pasta and bagels. My kids don't like the taste of bread anymore. I buy gluten-free flour and make them carb foods occasionally but use natural sweetener like stevia and organic products so they hopefully will never get as sick as I did. I make sure there is always plenty of fruits and veggies handy for them. We eat lots of complex carbs, good fats, lean protein and fiber rich foods every day. I notice that the people who do not see much improvement after eliminating gluten are the ones that replace gluten with a lot of gluten-free processed foods.

You will learn which vit/min work together. I learned the hard way that selenium and iodine work together to make thyroid hormones etc. I made the mistake of only supplementing with selenium but was also deficient in iodine thus my thyroid levels dumped and my health went from bad to worse. Note: vitamin D, B12, magnesium are often all deficient in Hashis. I suggest a good vitamin supplement and a multi-mineral along with extra magnesium.

Also, thyroid meds should NOT be taken near calcium and iron. Cal/iron should be taken away from each other, too.

Also important, usually the Adrenals need to be fixed before or at the very least along with the thyroid. Bad news mainstream doctors will not or cannot help in this area. You may have to enlist the help of alternative medicine to get your life back. There is a list of organizations that may be helpful. Check out the LINKS section of the home page of this group on the left side. Click on the ones that say `to find a doctor'.

Welcome to the group, there are a lot of diversity here bringing a lot of view points and knowledge.

Best wishes,~Bj

>> Here are my Labs and ranges.> T4 Free 1.11 (0.82-1.77)> T4 8.0 (4.5 - 12.0)> T3 106 (71-180)> T3 Free 3.0 (2.0-4.4)> Antithyroglobulin ab <20 (0-40)> Vitamin D 27.2 LOW(32.0-100)> TSH 3.580 ( 0.450-4.500)> TPO AB 66 HIGH (0-34)> Cortisol-AM 21.6 HIGH (6.2-19.4)> Ferritin, Serum 203 HIGH (13-150)> Where do I go from here? Doctor who did muscle test on me said i have adrenal> fatigue and I have fybromyalgia as well. Doctor says they are not bad but will> send them to an endrocologist anyway. Does anyone have a good doctor in the> Sarasota Fl. area?> There is a family history , my sister and brother are Hypo, Grandmother had a> goiter, and son has Hashimotos.>