# Stopping the Hashi's attack



## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

My 14 year old son was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in Dec. The Pediatric Endocrinologist told me to keep an eye on symptoms and get him checked locally every 6 months. I brought him to the doctor this week and they found inflammation on one side of his thyroid. He is scheduled for an ultrasound today. The new doctor was surprised that the Ped End didn't start him on medicine to help the attack. Then I get a call today we can start medicine or watch the symptoms. I am confused! I thought we needed to attack the Hashi's and lower antibodies. I'm sure the inflammation will get worse. What have other Hashi's patients experienced. My younger son will see the doctor in a few weeks. Still trying to get his hypothyroidism under control. Meds keep getting increased. I have another post concerning him.

Labs
Total T3 119.77 87-178
Free T3 3.4 2.5-3.9
T4 6.0 4.0-12.0
Free T4 0.8 0.6-1.8
TSH 1.68 0.3-5.0
Testosterone 330.08 200.00-1100.00
Thyroglobulin ABS 112 H <60
Thyroid Perox ABS 160 H <60


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jen1970 said:


> My 14 year old son was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in Dec. The Pediatric Endocrinologist told me to keep an eye on symptoms and get him checked locally every 6 months. I brought him to the doctor this week and they found inflammation on one side of his thyroid. He is scheduled for an ultrasound today. The new doctor was surprised that the Ped End didn't start him on medicine to help the attack. Then I get a call today we can start medicine or watch the symptoms. I am confused! I thought we needed to attack the Hashi's and lower antibodies. I'm sure the inflammation will get worse. What have other Hashi's patients experienced. My younger son will see the doctor in a few weeks. Still trying to get his hypothyroidism under control. Meds keep getting increased. I have another post concerning him.
> 
> Labs
> Total T3 119.77 87-178
> ...


Hi and welcome!! Sure am glad your son is getting an ultra-sound. You never know. High titers of TPO are "suggestive" of Hashi's. With the high Thryoglobulin Ab, I think further in-depth testing should be done such as FNA (fine needle aspiration) and/or radioactive uptake scan

Please read this http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003557.htm

High titers of Thyroglobulin and TPO are "suggestive", not definitive. In other words, both are commonly found in high amounts in Hashimoto's but the buck stops there.

If you read the above, you will see where I am leading.

Hope this is helpful and I sure hope you keep us informed.


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

Thank you. I will ask about that. His TSI was normal. 0.8 <1.3
What do you think they should do? Medicine or watch? My other son has only been tested for TPO. I need to find out why they didn't run all the antibodies test.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jen1970 said:


> Thank you. I will ask about that. His TSI was normal. 0.8 <1.3
> What do you think they should do? Medicine or watch? My other son has only been tested for TPO. I need to find out why they didn't run all the antibodies test.


I would not watch anything. I would insist on more in-depth testing. I trust you have read the link I provided?


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

Thank you for the article. The ultrasound was normal. They do want to start him on Armour 30. He plays sports. Will he get hyper symptoms? How much will it lower his levels? I am nervous since they are normal. I will ask the doctor about the FNA and/or radioactive uptake scan. My younger son has hashi/hypo. They can't keep his levels right. Keep having to increase med. His Frees are at the bottom of normal.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jen1970 said:


> Thank you for the article. The ultrasound was normal. They do want to start him on Armour 30. He plays sports. Will he get hyper symptoms? How much will it lower his levels? I am nervous since they are normal. I will ask the doctor about the FNA and/or radioactive uptake scan. My younger son has hashi/hypo. They can't keep his levels right. Keep having to increase med. His Frees are at the bottom of normal.


There is something going on. Your son has a smattering of TSI. The healthy person should have no TSI. The range is provided so any movement can be tracked. Your son now has a "baseline of 0.8" for TSI.

This points to hyperthyoid.

What do the test results mean?
Normally, there is no TSI in the blood. If TSI is found in the blood, this indicates that the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is the cause of the of a person's hyperthyroidism. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html

Ultra-sound can miss a lot of things, please press for the radioactive uptake w/ such high thyroglobulin Ab.
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=us-thyroid

Ultrasound will pick up nodules as small as 2 mm but a lot depends on the skill of the person doing the ultrasound also.

Sounds like you have your hands full here so when you get a chance, please keep us updated.


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

Thank you. A lot is going on and we have been to several doctors. This doc said I have all the hypo symptoms, but don't have it. Take a look at my results. I have had problems off and on for years.

TSH .46 .30-5.0 
Free T4 1.0 0.6-1.8 
Free T3 3.7 2.5-3.9 
RT3 30 11-32 
Ferritin 65.5 
Vitamin D Def 17.1 32-100 
TPO <10 <35 
Thyroglo Antibodies <20 <20 
TSI 97%  125 or less


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jen1970 said:


> Thank you. A lot is going on and we have been to several doctors. This doc said I have all the hypo symptoms, but don't have it. Take a look at my results. I have had problems off and on for years.
> 
> TSH .46 .30-5.0
> Free T4 1.0 0.6-1.8
> ...


Good grief! Look at your TSI!! Symptoms cross over. What does your doctor mean specifically?

You "are" hyperthyroid. You need a radioactive uptake scan also and you know the reason why. Cancer and hyper are strange bed fellows.

Wow! Your whole family. Amazing and a shame. I hate this for all of you.


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

He said my TSI came back normal. Lab shows below 125 is normal. Mine TSI is 121.25. I am so confused and need help, but I feel these doctors really don't get it. This is the 4th doctor I have brought my boys to. Does the TSI mean I could get Graves one day? I started 50,000 units of vit D this week. Once a week for 8 weeks. The more I research the more tests I ask for. I have to ask for the test.


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

Does this look like a RT3 problem?


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## chopper (Mar 4, 2007)

It's not normal to have any TSI.

My TSI hops into the normal range too every once in a while but that doesn't mean it isn't there messing me up. TSI runs the show in my opinion. My personal belief is that its the antibody responsible for the "crummy feelings". I too have very high TPO and TG but when my TSI goes up, I really feel like crud.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jen1970 said:


> He said my TSI came back normal. Lab shows below 125 is normal. Mine TSI is 121.25. I am so confused and need help, but I feel these doctors really don't get it. This is the 4th doctor I have brought my boys to. Does the TSI mean I could get Graves one day? I started 50,000 units of vit D this week. Once a week for 8 weeks. The more I research the more tests I ask for. I have to ask for the test.


I am sorry that you and your boys are in this situation. The bottom line is that you have to find a competent doctor to take care of all 3 of you.

You don't need an endo specifically. But you do need a doc who is familiar w/thyroid and has a strong desire to get you all well.

Do you know if your other son has TSI also? It sometimes shows in Hashimoto's also but the real true diagnosis for Hashimoto's is FNA (fine needle aspiration) where certain Hurthle cells indigenous to Hashi's are present at pathology.


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

I am upset because they have only tested his TPO. The last two doctors wouldn't run the other test. He is seeing a new doctor on Tuesday. His TSH is normal, but frees are in the lower end of normal. I feel like I am wasting so much time going doctor to doctor. I told the doctor I have lived with this so long and no doctor has been able to help me. I need a doctor to help my boys. He said if he couldn't help that he would find a doctor who could.


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

Most of the doctors won't see my boys until they are 18.


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## jen1970 (Jul 9, 2010)

We are still waiting on lab results for my son that has hypothyroidism/hashi. I asked the doctor to run all the antibodies since the other doctors didn't check them and only one checked TPO. He had his ultrasound yesterday and the tech said she saw one small sized cystic type nodule and several smaller ones. She said no mass was seen, but his thyroid was very rubbery and she also said strange sights suggestive of scar tissue. WHY didn't the other doctors do more testing? It seems like I am having to push for all the tests. Confused and upset. Two pedi endo were no help. I will insist on more in-depth testing. Other son is doing fine on his Armour.


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## peaches (Sep 29, 2009)

I went through about six doctors before I found one that would listen to my symptoms not just my labs. I too showed "normal" labs on many of my tests but our numbers change so frequently that they were not always catching it when they were abnormal and I also know that those so-called normal ranges for TSH are for the birds. If my TSH is above 1.0 I feel like death warmed over. Most of us with Hashi's only feel better when our TSH if 1.0 or below. I ran, not walked, from doctor to doctor until I got to the one that I have now. I was so frustrating being looked at like I was crazy and even being told I was just having panic attacks and was anxious that there was nothing wrong with me. I am glad that I suffered through the pain of doctor shopping because if I had listened to them I would be in some seriously bad, bad shape right now. As is I am not cured and don't feel great but I do feel a far sight better than I did and with the help of this doctor will continue to feel even better. I hope that you can find a doctor that is helpful for not only you but both your boys as well. Good luck and I hope you all start feeling better very soon.


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