# i'm being sent for an uptake test, what are they looking for?



## erika (Oct 17, 2009)

first my backstory...i went to see an endo back in aug. b/c my tsh was 3.49 and i had been having hypo symptoms for many years. he put me on 100mcg of levothyroxine and said i had hashimoto's b/c my TGab was over 500. since then my tsh went down to 0.03 so he told me to take half a levo pill twice a week (and continue to take 100mcg the other five days). i had some hyper symptoms (fast heart rate, anxiety) for a couple of weeks but that seems to have abated. i told him about that at our last appt. but he didn't seem to think a further reduction in meds was warranted and he told me to come back in 6 months. his office just called me and said i should come in for an uptake test because my tsh was down to 0.01. so can anyone tell me-what are they looking for? why don't they just reduce the dose if my tsh is too low?

thanks so much for reading this much....

erika


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

erika said:


> first my backstory...i went to see an endo back in aug. b/c my tsh was 3.49 and i had been having hypo symptoms for many years. he put me on 100mcg of levothyroxine and said i had hashimoto's b/c my TGab was over 500. since then my tsh went down to 0.03 so he told me to take half a levo pill twice a week (and continue to take 100mcg the other five days). i had some hyper symptoms (fast heart rate, anxiety) for a couple of weeks but that seems to have abated. i told him about that at our last appt. but he didn't seem to think a further reduction in meds was warranted and he told me to come back in 6 months. his office just called me and said i should come in for an uptake test because my tsh was down to 0.01. so can anyone tell me-what are they looking for? why don't they just reduce the dose if my tsh is too low?
> 
> thanks so much for reading this much....
> 
> erika


Hi, erika and welcome aboard to the board! It sounds like the doc has looked at your file and reconsidered the initial diagnosis and I am glad he did because high titers of Tg ab can sometimes mean cancer.

Not every thyroid cancer will produce thyroglobulin, but the most common types (papillary and follicular thyroid cancer) that arise from the follicle cells frequently do - resulting in increased levels of thyroglobulin in the blood.

Here the reference site for the above statement........

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroglobulin/test.html

The truth of the matter is that the only really good way to diagnose Hashimoto's is through FNA (fine needle aspiration) whereupon "if" certain Hurthle Cells are present which are indigenous to Hashimoto's then it is deemed that the patient indeed has Hashimoto's.

So, for whatever reason, an uptake scan is very very good. They will look for hot and cold nodules, vasularity and other irregularities.

I do hope they told you to stop taking your thyroxine replacement in prep for the scan? If not, it would be a good idea to call and ask as the meds could skew the scan. I may be wrong but it would not hurt to inquire.

Let us know when you are going to have the scan and what they say about taking or not taking your thyroxine.


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## erika (Oct 17, 2009)

thanks for your thoughts...i should clarify two things...they didn't say anything about not take the levo. also, they said the test was just drinking something, and then coming back 24 hrs. later.

-erika


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

erika said:


> thanks for your thoughts...i should clarify two things...they didn't say anything about not take the levo. also, they said the test was just drinking something, and then coming back 24 hrs. later.
> 
> -erika


Erika; please let us know how this goes and what the results are. Take care!


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## erika (Oct 17, 2009)

just updating on my test results because kind Andros wrote me when i last posted this. i don't have the uptake results yet but the doc said i was definitely not hyperthyroid based on the scan. in fact he said the thyroid was completely suppressed (which i guess is a goal with Hashi's? I'm still learning). he did say i should lower my dosage though because my TSH was too low.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

erika said:


> just updating on my test results because kind Andros wrote me when i last posted this. i don't have the uptake results yet but the doc said i was definitely not hyperthyroid based on the scan. in fact he said the thyroid was completely suppressed (which i guess is a goal with Hashi's? I'm still learning). he did say i should lower my dosage though because my TSH was too low.


Oh, Erika........so good to hear from you!! Please let us know what the results are of the uptake when you get them. I and others will be most interested.

I am confused because what I have been told and learned is that patient should be off all thyroxine replacement for at least 6 weeks prior to the uptake scan.

Maybe you and your doc can clarify?

Are you feeling okay?


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## erika (Oct 17, 2009)

i don't know why the doc didn't recommend i stop the meds beforehand...i specifically asked about it & he said no. he said he was checking to see if my thyroid was overactive & the tests confirmed that it isn't. he said my thyroid was completely suppressed and he will probably have me reduce my dose when he gets the final results.

i feel ok...my heart rate has been elevated sometimes, and some anxiety...i feel much better if i steer clear of caffeine.

i'm hopeful that i'll feel good once the dose is optimized.

thanks


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

erika said:


> i don't know why the doc didn't recommend i stop the meds beforehand...i specifically asked about it & he said no. he said he was checking to see if my thyroid was overactive & the tests confirmed that it isn't. he said my thyroid was completely suppressed and he will probably have me reduce my dose when he gets the final results.
> 
> i feel ok...my heart rate has been elevated sometimes, and some anxiety...i feel much better if i steer clear of caffeine.
> 
> ...


When a person takes thyroxine replacement, the pituitary gland stops sending signals to the thyroid to produce more hormone. It suppresses the thyroid.

http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyfunction.html

I hope you feel better too and soon. I take it you did not have the TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin) test?


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