# was posted in Labs, but had no reply... my labs with ?'s



## skimordiegirl (Mar 10, 2011)

So I need a little help figuring out my labs and the patterns with them.

My new Dr. is now suggesting that I drop my already low dose of 5 mg down to 2.5 mg once a day, or just do 5 mg every other day. She said it looks like my thyroid, after 10+ years, might be going euthyroid. (Even though I am having some anxiety and some female problems) (Also, my antibodies are still remaining high)

All are Quest Labs

1/21/2010 (1 month after I had my son)

TSH 0.85 (0.40 - 4.50)
T3 Uptake 35 (22 - 35%)
T4 Total (Thyroxine) 9.7 (4.5 - 12.5)
Free T4 Index (T7) 3.4 (1.4 -3.8)

10/13/2010

TSH 1.32 (0.40-4.50) On PTU at the time, switched to Methimazole 10 mg

Somewhere in between this my TSH went to 4.14 (0.40-4.50) and I was told to decrease the Methimazole to 5 mg

02/18/2011

TSH 0.02 ( (0.40-4.50)
TPA antibodies >1,000 High (<35) (was told to increase Methimazole to 10mg)

04/14/2011

TSH 1.46 (0.40-4.50)
T4 Free 0.9 (0.8 - 1.8)
T3 Total 90 (76 - 181)
TSI 201 High (<140%) (Told to decrease Methimazole to 5 mg)

7/22/2011

TSH 0.61 (0.40-4.50
T4 Free 1.0 (0.8 - 1.8)
T3 Total 83 (76 - 181)

I do not understand how this is going to work when my antibodies are still HIGH. Can ones thyroid go Euthyroid even though the antibodies are still high. I am referring to all of the antibodies btw. I still have eye symptoms daily and she is sending me to a different opthamologist and if this one has no answers she wants me to go to the Mayo clinic, 8 hours away.

She said I still need to see the surgeon because I still have a goiter. Can someone have a goiter even though their labs are normal.. and is it the antibodies that are causing the goiter??But why the high antibodies when labs are normal on such a low dose?

She said the surgeon might want to take some of the thyroid out and not all or may feel he wants to remove all of it, etc. And that some people remain on a small dose of medicine to remain normal.... I do not want this at all. I am tired of the hyperthyroid side of things.

It sucks that they still don't think my thyroid has anything to do with my wonky crazy vision problems or now my menstrual cycle being non stop.

Any help in figuring this out would be great!!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

skimordiegirl said:


> So I need a little help figuring out my labs and the patterns with them.
> 
> My new Dr. is now suggesting that I drop my already low dose of 5 mg down to 2.5 mg once a day, or just do 5 mg every other day. She said it looks like my thyroid, after 10+ years, might be going euthyroid. (Even though I am having some anxiety and some female problems) (Also, my antibodies are still remaining high)
> 
> ...


None of this makes any sense to me. For one thing, euthyroid is the state of feeling well.


> Euthyroid is the state of having normal thyroid gland function


You certainly do not appear to be euthyroid to me.

How do you feel about having your thyroid out? Just curious because that is what I would do.

And let me validate you. Absolutely the thyroid situation has to do w/your eyes and constant menstruating. You can bet your bippy on that one!

Hope you are taking iron?

The single thing that will stop the antibodies and immunoglobulins will be removing the source of their attack. Bottom line here.


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## skimordiegirl (Mar 10, 2011)

Hi Andros,

I hear horror stories about the eye stuff still persisting after. Can I ask you... I have a friend who has the same vision issues as me, she too had hyperthyroid, but they weren't sure if it was graves, (I think it was).. She had the vision stuff since she was a teenager. Once she got her thyroid taken on, after having the vision issues for years, she went hypo and barely had any issues. Now that she is pregnant however, she is going more hyper someone even with her meds being the same as always, but her vision issues are back. Could too high of a dose of thyroid medicine cause the eye disease to worsen?? Because this wouldn't be antibodies right? BTW, she had a full TT, so no thyroid. Can the thyroid re grow somewhere else?

Thanks Andros for always being here to answer my questions! HUGS!!!!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

skimordiegirl said:


> Hi Andros,
> 
> I hear horror stories about the eye stuff still persisting after. Can I ask you... I have a friend who has the same vision issues as me, she too had hyperthyroid, but they weren't sure if it was graves, (I think it was).. She had the vision stuff since she was a teenager. Once she got her thyroid taken on, after having the vision issues for years, she went hypo and barely had any issues. Now that she is pregnant however, she is going more hyper someone even with her meds being the same as always, but her vision issues are back. Could too high of a dose of thyroid medicine cause the eye disease to worsen?? Because this wouldn't be antibodies right? BTW, she had a full TT, so no thyroid. Can the thyroid re grow somewhere else?
> 
> Thanks Andros for always being here to answer my questions! HUGS!!!!


That was my very first thought. YES! There is ectopic thyroid. And even if a smidgeon of thyroid tissue was left behind, that thyroid can and will grow back. Sometimes they have to leave some behind to preserve the parathyroids or to not damage the larynx etc..

You can have it attached to the ovaries, liver, adrenals, heart, lungs etc..

Scroll down to Ectopic Sites of Thyroid Cancer.
http://books.google.com/books?id=7u...&resnum=4&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Truly, your friend needs to get RAIU and I don't think that is workable since she is pregnant now would MRI do because they do have to use radioactive material for a complete body scan for thyroid tissue. Dang.

Has she seen her doctor about this?

At the very least; she has to have those darn tests for antibodies and immunoglobulins.

TSI, Trab, TBII

TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin),TPO{Thyroid Peroxidase Ab}, (antimicrosomal antibodies, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003556.htm) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

TSI
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

Bummer; real bummer!


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## AZgirl (Nov 11, 2010)

YOur antibodys is still high. Mine too went up when all my labs appeared to be normal (FT3FT4 and TSH) so lowering me to 2.5 MMI made me feel great, but antibodys shot up. you need a doc that will higher your MMI, this will attack those antibodies, but they also need to give you "add back" this is also known as block and replacement therapy... warning,,,, very hard to find an endo to do this,,, this is the reason i live in AZ but have a doc in Florida.... i know many graves patients who lowered their TSI by at least half by doing things this way... usually when a little on the hypo side, even if your in range (that range thing drives me crazy, we are all different) but if your on the lower end it can cause small symptoms and i used to have a lot of left eye pain,,, thyroid levels def. effect eyes


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## skimordiegirl (Mar 10, 2011)

Hi Andros,

I will def. let her know!! Thank you for all of the info!

AZgirl, I actually live in FL, where is the Dr. who does block and replace? I am still on the fence about getting a TT, or a partial done. I am just so scared about "what if's"


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## AZgirl (Nov 11, 2010)

Dr Scott VanLue....he lives in Alta Monte springs,,,,,,if thats spelled correctly, outskirts of orlando... His mom had graves and been in remission because of him,, this is how he learned so much about it. I am on another message board and i also know 2 other people who are very close to remission. They had very high antibodies, but now they are very low... and sooo happy. He said to them, he wants them to be gone for at least 1 to 2 years before he desides to take them off the meds. According to Elaine Moore (great book by the way) she too says the EXACT SAME THING... this is how they do it in Europe and have an 80% remission rate......... just saying


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## AZgirl (Nov 11, 2010)

here is her web site... but i also bought her book for Graves specifically...
http://elaine-moore.com/Articles/Gr...ngGravesOphthalmopathy/tabid/187/Default.aspx


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## msmanatee (Jul 12, 2011)

Ski, you and I may need to take a little field trip.


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