# Elevated TSH during illness?



## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

Hi everyone, I posted this in the general discussion but maybe this place will get more answers. I will try to keep this shorter than my old one.

I am a 21 year old male with no family history of thyroid disease, I had my yearly physical done while on about a months course of antibiotics for a serious salmonella infection as well as a antibiotic cream for a belly button infection that randomly occurred during the time.

My blood tests were taken while on both antibiotics and while my body was in its last stage of expelling the salmonella bacteria (I tested negative about a week later).

Everything came back normal except my TSH- 8.03

The clinic doctor at the time diagnosed me with a "slightly underactive thyroid" and prescribed me synthroid, I did not take the medicine and wanted to do a retest.

I then took a retest about a week after that (was finished the antibiotics and tested negative for salmonella the day before) and my tests came back as follows:

TSH 5.55 (range .3-5)
Free T4 17 (range 12-22)
Free T3 5.0 (range 2.0-5.7)
TPO and 2 other antibodies I couldn't remember- Negative.

I happened to have spoken to 7 (oh my god that makes me sound crazy doesn't it?) different doctors about this, they all thought my tests were normal and that I had a transient rise due to infection (including the first one who gave me the synthroid, he called me in to make sure I wasn't taking it and to say I was fine).

I wanted to know what you guys think about this, I am a pretty big hypochondriac so this whole process has scared the life out of me and I have felt very tired and depressed since first hearing about my elevated TSH even though I felt fine beforehand. Have you guys heard of TSH fluctuating in a healthy thyroid due to illness?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

worriedsick said:


> Hi everyone, I posted this in the general discussion but maybe this place will get more answers. I will try to keep this shorter than my old one.
> 
> I am a 21 year old male with no family history of thyroid disease, I had my yearly physical done while on about a months course of antibiotics for a serious salmonella infection as well as a antibiotic cream for a belly button infection that randomly occurred during the time.
> 
> ...


To be honest with you, you were horribly ill and I personally see it taking months and months to fully recover and get all the meds out of your system. Some depression would be normal after what you have been through. I mean you almost died, right?

Hope you get more replies and input.


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## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

Andros said:


> To be honest with you, you were horribly ill and I personally see it taking months and months to fully recover and get all the meds out of your system. Some depression would be normal after what you have been through. I mean you almost died, right?
> 
> Hope you get more replies and input.


Thanks Andros, hope I am not spamming this forum too much, I have been through a lot. The strain of Salmonella I had could have honestly left my toilet permanently tainted red, I was run through Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, and Celiac tests just to make sure it wasn't anything serious because of all the blood, it was awful. At 21 to have been put through test after test looking for serious diseases I have honestly never felt so depressed, anxious, and tired when before I was happy and upbeat and would never need to sleep much. All my friends and family have noticed and have now become worried about how bed ridden and depressed I have become.

I feel like I am just constantly looking for reassurance, never in my life have I felt this way. Once all the serious stomach and blood diseases were ruled out and I thought it was finally over I had to get this high TSH feedback to throw in another random disease I have never even heard about to scare me some more. I have been out of work for two months because of this and did not take the summer classes I was suppose to, my whole life has just been hindered insanely.

I am sorry for being such a sob story and I know I am preaching to the choir as you have all been through so much yourselves, thanks for listening.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

worriedsick said:


> I feel like I am just constantly looking for reassurance, never in my life have I felt this way. Once all the serious stomach and blood diseases were ruled out and I thought it was finally over I had to get this high TSH feedback to throw in another random disease I have never even heard about to scare me some more. I have been out of work for two months because of this and did not take the summer classes I was suppose to, my whole life has just been hindered insanely.


Am I reading correctly that you have missed two months of work and summer classes because of your high TSH reading? But you felt good...it's just that the reading itself kind of scared you?

Assuming you are now off of your antibiotics and the salmonella infection is resolved, have you had a new TSH test done? If not, it would be a good idea to request one, to see if that has fallen back into normal range. If it has, and you don't have thyroid-related symptoms, then you should feel comfortable "letting it go" for a while (or maybe forever, or at least until you feel thyroid-related symptoms, if ever).

In the meantime, have you considered counseling to work through these experiences?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

worriedsick said:


> Thanks Andros, hope I am not spamming this forum too much, I have been through a lot. The strain of Salmonella I had could have honestly left my toilet permanently tainted red, I was run through Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, and Celiac tests just to make sure it wasn't anything serious because of all the blood, it was awful. At 21 to have been put through test after test looking for serious diseases I have honestly never felt so depressed, anxious, and tired when before I was happy and upbeat and would never need to sleep much. All my friends and family have noticed and have now become worried about how bed ridden and depressed I have become.
> 
> I feel like I am just constantly looking for reassurance, never in my life have I felt this way. Once all the serious stomach and blood diseases were ruled out and I thought it was finally over I had to get this high TSH feedback to throw in another random disease I have never even heard about to scare me some more. I have been out of work for two months because of this and did not take the summer classes I was suppose to, my whole life has just been hindered insanely.
> 
> I am sorry for being such a sob story and I know I am preaching to the choir as you have all been through so much yourselves, thanks for listening.


Oh, you are more than welcome here. Actually, your experience will help a lot of folks. You paid a heavy price but a lot of good will come from you sharing your story w/others.

Clearly this was a traumatic experience. I know you are going to come out on top here; you just need some time to sort through your life right now. Having your plans changed in a big way has dealt a blow that is hard to recover from.

Find your inner strength (yes, it's really there), start walking outside every day, look to nature to heal your body and your spirit.










Yes; men need hugs too!


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## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

Octavia said:


> Am I reading correctly that you have missed two months of work and summer classes because of your high TSH reading? But you felt good...it's just that the reading itself kind of scared you?
> 
> Assuming you are now off of your antibiotics and the salmonella infection is resolved, have you had a new TSH test done? If not, it would be a good idea to request one, to see if that has fallen back into normal range. If it has, and you don't have thyroid-related symptoms, then you should feel comfortable "letting it go" for a while (or maybe forever, or at least until you feel thyroid-related symptoms, if ever).
> 
> In the meantime, have you considered counseling to work through these experiences?


No, I had the last two months off because of the serious salmonella infection and how I couldn't really do much as I needed a toilet near me all times of the night and day. The anxiety and depression was mixed in there because for a while they did not know what was wrong with me and I thought I had crohns or some other rare debilitating disease. Keep in mind this isn't your classic 3 days of being really sick stomach flu, this was a bad strain that leaves most people hospitalized (thankfully I avoided that).

I was starting to feel good because the sickness was starting to clear but that's when I had my blood work done and saw the high TSH that just threw me into depression thinking here we go again. I actually had blood work done on Thursday of last week although they don't think that would have been long enough for my TSH to drop (apparently it often stays elevated for months) so they are planning on giving me another test some time in November to see how it is then.

I am a very panicky person when it comes to my health, the last TSH reading I had about two weeks ago showed improvement although I was still .55 over the range. If I had thyroid issues though I couldn't see my T4 and T3 being in what I have read to be their ideal ranges, I try to tell myself I am fine but I just can't seem to shake it off.

Therapy may be a very real option although I am trying to snap out of it myself to avoid always having to use a therapist as a crutch for my health anxiety.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Okay...thanks for the clarification!

I'm glad you successfully made it through the salmonella - that is a scary, scary illness!

When I first looked at your lab results, I thought your T3 and T4 seemed right on target. Plus, you said you felt good prior to all this recent stuff (I was going to say "crap" but thought that might be a little unfair  ). Unless proven otherwise, I would recommend taking your doctor's statement at face value and assume your elevated TSH is/was due to the recent illness and antibiotics. A retest in 2-3 months sounds like a good plan...it really does.

Sounds like you've seen a therapist before about health anxiety. Is this therapist teaching you some tools and coping mechanisms to help you "snap out of it myself"? If not, I think this is a fair request to make of your therapist so you can begin to deal with the anxiety and maybe even rid yourself of it. You certainly don't want to be debilitated by diseases and disorders you don't have, you know? A little worry & concern is okay, especially as a preventive tool (eat right, exercise, etc.); if you truly are worrying yourself sick, that's no good.


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

Wow, did you ever find out how you contracted that nasty strain of salmonella?

It may be hard to tell, but once you started getting over the salmonella, did you notice any side effects from the high TSH or did that come as a surprise from the blood test? Your body has been through hell and back, so it may just be a matter of recovering and getting back to normal and then your TSH goes back to normal, too. But that can take months, especially given what you went through.

And I wouldn't put pressure on yourself to "snap out of it". Health problems like that are darn scary and it may take a while to get over it mentally. As long as it's not consuming your every waking thought and making you live totally in fear, give yourself time.


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## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

Octavia said:


> Okay...thanks for the clarification!
> 
> I'm glad you successfully made it through the salmonella - that is a scary, scary illness!
> 
> ...


I actually haven't been to a therapist before, I was just saying that I feel once you start seeing one you would kind of get hooked on the idea of having this person as a crutch, needing them to remind you all the time that you are OK and it is all in your head. To me it would feel like being a child again and needing mommy to reassure me that my booboo is OK and I am not going to die. Sometimes I get angry at how my mind works, ALWAYS assuming the worst, before this I was obsessed that I had crohns, and now that that has been ruled out I seem to have moved to my thyroid.

It is funny really, I read online all the documents saying that in most illnesses and infections your TSH will go up and have had several doctors tell me that yet I choose to go with the horror stories and ignore logical fact. How I wish I would have waited until my infection cleared to have the physical, I wouldn't be in such a horrible mind set and would be able to move on with my life. The pathetic part is it does consume most of my day, since the doctor called me in to discuss the first results (about 3 weeks ago) it is all I think about, it honestly consumes like 70 percent of my day.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Well, a good therapist works himself (or herself) out of a job, and doesn't enable/encourage people to become hooked. But I know exactly what you mean about that... my sister's sister-in-law has seen the same therapist for MANY years, thinks of one problem after another to work on, and is happy when the therapist says "this issue is going to take us 18 to 24 months to work through." And this woman appears to most of us to have a great life--wonderful husband, happy, well-adjusted children, plenty of money, great friends, nice house, etc. I believe she just likes therapy. And I suppose that's okay if that's her gig. But it doesn't sound like you'd want it to be your gig.

Perhaps you should "step back" and re-read your posts with a fresh mind, as if you're someone else. What advice would you give yourself?

Edit: I just want to add (or reiterate what others have said) that it's okay to give yourself some time to heal and work through this.


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## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

jenny v said:


> Wow, did you ever find out how you contracted that nasty strain of salmonella?
> 
> It may be hard to tell, but once you started getting over the salmonella, did you notice any side effects from the high TSH or did that come as a surprise from the blood test? Your body has been through hell and back, so it may just be a matter of recovering and getting back to normal and then your TSH goes back to normal, too. But that can take months, especially given what you went through.
> 
> And I wouldn't put pressure on yourself to "snap out of it". Health problems like that are darn scary and it may take a while to get over it mentally. As long as it's not consuming your every waking thought and making you live totally in fear, give yourself time.


I got it from undercooked chicken wings from a restaurant that only sells chicken wings (will leave name out for legal reasons). They denied it to the bitter end too, that is a whole story in itself.

The only symptoms to Hypothyroidism I have had during this illness are depression, fatigue, and extremely high anxiety, but funny enough ever since my doctor brought up the high TSH and I read the symptoms over the internet I have felt slightly cold more often. My doctor says that is all in my head and I agree as I never felt it before and am usually very hot. I had some chills during salmonella, but those symptoms are related to the sickness strain that I had.

My doctor said now that the salmonella is out of me it will take months to recover fully and the occasional symptoms are normal. She does not think my TSH will go back to it's normal levels for another few months but the blood test I took on Thursday should show how it's progressing (I wanted to make sure it was at least not fluttering back up). I will have those results mid week.


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## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

Octavia said:


> Well, a good therapist works himself (or herself) out of a job, and doesn't enable/encourage people to become hooked. But I know exactly what you mean about that... my sister's sister-in-law has seen the same therapist for MANY years, thinks of one problem after another to work on, and is happy when the therapist says "this issue is going to take us 18 to 24 months to work through." And this woman appears to most of us to have a great life--wonderful husband, happy, well-adjusted children, plenty of money, great friends, nice house, etc. I believe she just likes therapy. And I suppose that's okay if that's her gig. But it doesn't sound like you'd want it to be your gig.
> 
> Perhaps you should "step back" and re-read your posts with a fresh mind, as if you're someone else. What advice would you give yourself?
> 
> Edit: I just want to add (or reiterate what others have said) that it's okay to give yourself some time to heal and work through this.


It's amazing how depression works eh, even people that seem to have everything could feel like they have nothing.

I am going to try to battle this out myself, I really would like the reassurance of my TSH level going back to normal, fingers crossed on the next result.


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## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

So I did another blood test approximately two weeks after the last one and my TSH has dropped back to normal!

TSH- 4.53 (0.35-5.00)
Free T4- 19 (12-22) - The last test was 17
Antibodies- Negative

Unfortunately they did not take my free T3 this time but as my T4 rose I would assume it did the same. The last free T3 result was 5.0 (2.0-5.7).

It feels great to see that my TSH is continuing to decrease, they are going to retest me in about 2 months to see what my levels are when I am fully healthy for future reference. Thank God, what a weight off my shoulders, I am very happy.

Now it is time to focus on my recovery of Salmonella, which is a whole other battle in itself! Stomach problems galore. Thanks for all the help, you have all been very helpful in getting me to the proper information I needed.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Great news! Keep up with this great recovery!


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## worriedsick (Aug 17, 2012)

Hi everyone, thought I would update this thread to help people in a similar situation.

My thyroid is back to normal and I have been really improving over the past while, had my levels checked again this Monday:

TSH- 2.53
Free T4- 20
Free T3- 5.4
Thyroid Peroxidase- tested 4 times total, all negative
Thyroglobulin- Only tested once, negative

So as you can see it is very possible to have a high level TSH during infection, mine went all the way up to 8.08. It might be a good idea to link people to this thread who are going through something similar. Thanks again for all your support, you guys have been awesome! It is comforting knowing that if anything does go wrong with my thyroid in the future I would at least have a great support group here!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

worriedsick said:


> Hi everyone, thought I would update this thread to help people in a similar situation.
> 
> My thyroid is back to normal and I have been really improving over the past while, had my levels checked again this Monday:
> 
> ...


So good to hear from you and very glad you are feeling well.


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## nvsmom (Sep 30, 2012)

I've also read that FT3 can drop quite a bit when you have an infection.


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