Question about lab results

Hormones
1

I'm 39, have a horrible metabolism (eating more than 1,000 calories a day results in weight gain), I am sensitive to cold, my memory has gone down hill and my hair is falling out.  I got blood work done but was told the doctor won't be available for two months to discuss it because she has other appointments.  Here are the numbers I have questions about but she ran around 30 tests so if I didn't mention a test please ask me:

What do people think is the cause of the sympoms and the test results.    I was told that in light of the ACTh test that she wants to run a dexasupression test next Monday.  However, her secretary did not mention the other results that are high/low so I don't know what the results mean, if I should be concerned and how to fix whatever problem there is.

TSH  3.19         range .4 to 4

Free T4        1.21       range .89 to 1.76

Folate         >20       range 1 to 15          HIGH

Thyroglobulin        <1        range 1 to 84           LOW

ACTH  <5    range 0 to 70   LOW

Anti-TPO AB          114      range 10 to 35       HIGH

Anti TG AB          298       range 20 to 40         HIGH

I thought that the TSH and T4 would not be normal based on my symptoms.  Instead, test that I have no clue what they are for are either hig or low.  The bottom two seem quite high.

2

Wow, your doc is actually looking at adrenal function  as well as thyroid. By your thyroid tests, I'd say you're hypothyroid. However, often times, with advanced thyroid disease, you get adrenal failure, bc the adrenals, thyroid and pancrease all work together with the rest of the endocrine system to balance metabolism and energy in the body. When the thyroid function slows down, the adrenals pick up the slack and eventually become exhausted. You have to treat both if they're both down. My guess is you have a combination of lifestyle and environmental factors that contributed to the problem.

You have high thyroid antibodies. Any TSH above 2 along with other thyroid indications is high enough to indicate hypothyroidism.

So, you should be concerned about your thyroid condition.

3

Can't you get in to see a different doctor?  If it is thyroid, the medication can take months to work.  I would hate to see you suffer for so long if you didn't have to.

 

4

The last two are your thyroid antibodies and are imo the most significant here see here http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_the_thyroid/thyroid_antibodies.html

Looks like they are being very thorough. 

5

Hello Cleveland.  I am originally from Moreland Hills, Ohio, which is on Cleveland's east side.  I picked this doctor because she is in my plan.  Her practice has other doctors but I was told that I can switch doctors within her practice group.  Which means I would have to switch to another company.  It took me 3 months to get the blood drawn to begin with because they don't draw blood without the doctor authorizing the blood draw.   I am in Southern Florida so I pressume I can find another doctor in the Miami region.  I don't know who or if it would take two months to get an appointment.  

6

Hi.  Not to sound clueless but I went in to get blood work and was faxed the blood work without an explination beyond the doctor's secretary saying the doctor wants to do another blood test because of the ACTH. I have never in my life researched anything beyond what a high T4 means beause I thought that was the only thing that would be relevant based on the miscroscopic quantity of knowledge that I had(it fits in a thimble with room to spare).  Which tests are for the adrenal glands?  What do the adrenal glands do?  You mentioned thyroid antibodies.  Is it a good thing or a bad thing that I have them?  Is the adrenal glands are exhausted, is it possible to repair the damage they sufferred?  is there a common, safe but effective treatment for treating both?  I don't eat meat and take a multivitamin plus 10,000 micrograms of biotin(which I started because of the extreme hair loss).  What types of lifestyle/environmental factors can cause the problem?  

7

Hi Basswood. There are many posts on the questions you ask.

Antibodies are made by your immune system to attack foreign bodies. Antibodies against your own thyroid means your immune system is attacking your body, indicating autoimmune disease.

ACTH is a test for adrenal function. Doctors rarely bother with testing this, so kudos to your doc for trying. I've heard the time of day spit tests are more accurate than blood tests. Fortunately, your test actually shows low. I would guess with adrenal function this low, that your progesterone and other steroid hormones are also low, which could result in spotting. This is just an example of how a chain reaction can happen with thyroid disease and you wind up not knowing what's what. 

TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone, that's produced by your pituitary gland (in the brain), so this tells you what your brain thinks is happening's  in the thyroid function feedback loop. Anything above 2 can indicate Hashimoto's autoimmune disease depending on other factors. Between this and your high antibodies, it's safe to say you have thyroid autoimmune disease- either Graves or Hashimoto's. I'd guess Hashimoto's, since Grave's usually shows very elevated TSH, while Hashimoto's generally shows only mildly elevated TSH.

You our can repair your adrenals and your thyroid. There are hormone books that can help.

diet- glutenfree paleo. You need high protein. No gluten of any sort (no cheating). Let go of the vegan stuff. You need the animal protein. No soy, no white sugar, minimal dairy, no preservatives or prepared foods whatsoever. All natural organic, fresh. Lots of fresh veggies and greens. Substitute root vegetables in place of grains. Limit grains. Rice is best. If you have stomach problems, which many of us do, cook your vegetables well, so you can easily digest.

Make sure you're on a good quality multivitamin and mineral containing coblimated Bs.

Things you may not find in literature about thyroid supplements are boron and amino acids. 

 

There are some herbal supplement formulas. I've found these to be helpful temporarily. Make sure whatever you use is from a top quality vendor, as low quality iodine could contain radioactive components. For iodine supplement, you can try a form of kelp called bladderwrack.

Take really good good care of yourself.

That should get you started.

8

Oh... adrenal glands are located above the kidneys (you have two). Adrenals are responsible for stress response. You may have learned about this in a psychology class. Adrenals are responsible for fight off light responses to stress, and produce the hormones around the stress response, such as adrenaline and cortisol.

9

We need universal health care!!!! It is wrong that once results are in it takes two more months to see a doctor.  I hope your doctor has a cancellation and you can get in sooner!

10

I clicked on the link but it says the page does not exist.

11

Thanks for your response.  You may think I am nuts but I have not consumed meat in 32 years and will not be starting even if animal protein would help.  I wonder why soy is bad.  In the morning I have a soy yogert.  I then eat during the day a frozen bowl from a company called Amys Kitchen.  They are usually low sodium pasta dishes with some sort of a cheese sauce.  During the day I have two dove dak chocolates bute sized chocolates.  It seems like my entire diet is on your list of things not to consume.  It figures that just yesterday I purchased another 10 soy yogerts.  I will give them up along with the doze chocolates and the pasta bowls that have cheese.  It will be tough to find another type of bowl because they are all frozen and are have some sort of a dairy based topic.  I didn't realize dairy can harm the thyroid. Why is dairy bad for the thyroid?   I used to eat tons of white rice with beans but I read that rice is bad for the memory so I cut out rice.  For protein I had been eating Amy's Kitchen soy chili because it is high in protein but you said soy is bad.  Why is soy bad for the thyroid?

12

Or search thyroid uk antibodies and the first link should take you to the page. 

13

The link now works, it was a problem with the link running into text which I've now edited.

14

Soy is known to cause severe developmental problems and is not allowed in infant formulas because it is known to cause many brain problems as well as hypothyroid disease in infants.

The belief is that between the genetic modifications and  the way our say products are processed, soy products are both toxic and allergenic. I can tell you, my sister was vegetarian for decades. I had tried vegetarianism and my body doesn't do well without meat. I've been really overwhelmed lately and haven't been eating meat. Without meat, the hypothyroidism is worse. Had chicken the other. I tried for years to convince my sister to eat meat. She wouldn't until she heard it from a doctor. She had extreme allergy to peanuts likely caused by the crossreactivity with soy... This peanut allergy continued until she went glutenfree, and magically the peanut allergy is no longer life threatening.

Some people can do ok with a vegan diet, but most people don't due to their biology, or to port diet. With thyroid disease, getting enough quality protein can actually put thyroid disease into remission in some cases. I was able to get my hypothyroidism into remission for a decade and feel it was due in part to dietary changes to include more animal protein. Not my cup of test, but my body feels so much better when I eat meat frequently.

15

Do you have a doctor that you recommend in Cleveland, Ohio?  I would prefer one in Southern Florida but I travel to Cleveland a couple of times a year.  I stopped by the doctor's office today who did the lab results and was told that (a) no nurse was available to speak with me, (b) the doctor "rarely" speaks to patients on the phone and (c) if I want to speak with the doctor abouts I can at my next appointment, which is in 2 months.  The doctor does not have any earlier time to discuss the results.  I'm not waiting 2 months.  It isn't happening. Not to sound like Varuka Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I want to speak with the doctor now.  I haven't seen the movie in decades but I still remember how she stamped her foot and insisted she wanted what she wanted right then and there.  This is how I feel.  I thought that since the lab work was around $1,600 that it isn't unreasonable to request a phone call instead of paying another $200 for an office visit.