# New to Board With Test Results..is this Hashi's?



## bugg (Aug 29, 2011)

Hi All-

I was hoping you could help me interpret the following:

TSH: 3.281 (.5-6.0)
FT3: 2.31 (2.0-4.9)
FT4: .99 (.75-1.54)

Antithyroid peroxidase: 49 (high) the range is <35
Only other abnormal test was low monocyte count

Symptoms: cold hands and feet; stiffness; aching all over; transient joint aches; tingling in hands and feet; last menstrual cycle with late with severe cramping and I'm always regular; outbreak of acne which I've never had; I've weighed 117 for years and just recently gained to 123 (including 2 lbs in just the past two weeks per the doctor); can't get my rings off my fingers; extreme mental fogginess where I forget what I was talking about and can't focus; exhaustion; can barely walk I'm so stiff and sore and have no stamina; could barely hoist myself onto the doctor's examining table due to weakness; insomnia but can't get out of bed in the morning I feel so horrible

Prior medical history: lyme disease for which I treated completely but still left with stiffness and pain

1) My doctor said this can't be Hashi's because my antithyroid peroxidase level is too low...She said they have to have #s in the 1,000s before they treat for thyroiditis along with an elevated TSH....(my ATPo is 49 and my TSH is 2.381 but my T3 is at the lower end of the normal range)

What do you think?

2) She's trying me for a little while on .5 grains of Armour a day just to see if I respond....How long will I have to take this before I know if it's helping me?

Thank you for any help!!!


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Hi and welcome! :anim_32:

Your symptoms sounds like they are thyroid related. Although some may be a holdover from Lyme Disease. I'm not sure why your doctor wants to see antibodies in the 1,000s -- as you can see on the lab results, anything over the upper range of 35 is suggestive of something going on.

What you described reminds me of my levels. FT4 being low, FT3 being higher, and a TSH in the 2.x-3.x range, but with plenty of signs & symptoms. You probably feel awful, as you described.

However; your doctor has already started you on 0.5 grains of Armour. You are very lucky, all things considered! A lot of docs are reluctant to treat thyroid issues at all with a TSH like yours, let alone give someone Armour. From what I understand (and I don't take Armour), it is a combination medication containing both T4 and T3. So you essentially will be getting not only the long-term treatment of T4, but the shorter-acting energy-producing T3. You should start to notice the T3 acting within days (short half-life) and the T4 acting within weeks (long half-life).

I'm sure some other folks will chime in with how to properly take Armour and its ratios (some crush it, some chew it, some take it with food, without, etc.). I think it'll be a matter of finding out what works best for you.


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