Thyroid Labs - including antibody test - can someone explain?

[knicknack]

Hi everyone -

I got my labs from 9/2006 sent to me when they found the antibodies. Can someone help me interpret this? (ranges are in parentheses)

TSH: 1.06 (.4-5.5)
T4, Free: 1.4 (.8-1.8)
T3, Total: 111 (60-181)
Thyroid Peroxidase AB: 75.1 H (< 35)

Thanks!

[javelina]

You have Hashimoto's. Your antibodies aren't too high... yet and its possible you are catching this early-- have you had any symptoms?

Too bad they did that total T3 instead of the free T3, which is a far more sensitive and accurate test. Your FT4 is at 60% of its range and that's not bad but it's more important to see how much FT3 you have and what your symptoms are.

I'd push to get your FT3 tested and if it were me I'd also push to get replacement hormones now, before things get worse. If you are totally asymptomatic you may want to wait but if you have symptoms you need to treat. Finding a doc who agrees might be a challenge though...

[knicknack]

Yeah, I'm totally symptomatic, that's the problem. That's why I got tested for the antibodies, but my doc then didn't want to treat me and the endo just laughed me out of her office. Seriously. She said (and I quote) "everyone's hair falls out" when my stylist told me that I had lost over half the hair on my head (and proceeded to cut it two inches long to compensate).

The symptoms seem to come and go though. Well, the noticeable ones - the tiredness, cold, etc.. all sticks around.

This time around I've been having my period every 3 weeks (with enough spotting the week before to warrant a pad) for a while. In july, I all of a sudden got a SUPER heavy period for the first time in my entire life. I bled through in one hour, while sleeping, and I've never even come close to bleeding through in my life. It's alwyas been pretty light. August and Sept were the same way (although in sept i was prepared) and I'm now compensating for this so I'm not sure whether it's still happening, but it seems like it.

Then, in october, my hair started falling out again, in handfuls. This happens about every 3-4 inches or so, and happens for about 2 months at a time and then stops. It's been doing this since about 2002 I think. It grows back, but I lose about half of it each time - it's just a lot of what I'm losing is already short, it seems.

I'm freezing cold all the time. I'm exhausted and have NO energy. I can't remember a darn thing that anyone tells me. I have insomnia something awful (although thats been since my hip surgery a year ago, so could be unrelated). I've gained 10 pounds since July (which I'm now labelling as the beginning of this particular episode, since it seems the period is related after all) for no good reason. I'm beyond bloated (and not just during that time of the month), and look like i weigh 200 pounds in the face even though I only weigh 140.

So, yeah, I'd say I'm symptomatic. :P

I think I have the name of a doc that might treat me, but he doesn't take insurance (he is a regular MD endo though), so it would cost me a lot of money to go find out that he won't treat me. So, I'm going to go the regular route first I think. I have a fairly sympathetic PCP from Europe, so it's possible that if I ask him for certain blood tests that he would order them, for me to take to another doc. I don't think he'll want to treat me for this though - his specialty is totally unrelated.

How likely is it that a doc will give me a free T3 test?

Here are the tests that my doc (diff't one) ordered this time around altho i haven't gone in yet:

Antimyeloperoxidase (APO)
T3 Uptake
Thyroxine (T4)
Triiodothyronine (T3)
TSH, 3rd gen
Comp Metabolic Panel
CBC w/ Diff w/ Plt

Then, he wrote in:
Anti-thyroglobulin antibody
Thyroid Peroxidase
Anti-microfo?? (can't read) Antibody

Should I ask him for anything else so that I have it in hand to go to an endo with?

[javelina]

Wow, the Antimyeloperoxidase antibodies threw me. Talk about looking for Zebras... As far as I can tell they're an antibody for a type of kidney diseae and vasculitis. No idea why he's looking there with your symptoms...

Most of that thyroid panel is next to useless. Best to keep it simple with free T3, free T4 and the antibody tests. He did do both antibodies so that's good but you still need a free T3. And you should also test your vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, especially ferritin with your hair loss.

The uphill battle for you now is to convince some doctor (doesn't have to be an endo, and most of us have had horrible luck with endos-- I've been laughed out of an endo's office too-- so you're in good company ) to treat you despite these "normal" labs. Whatever your free T3 and free T4 levels are, they're not good enough for you and you need thyroid hormones to get you asymptomatic. I also strongly suggest you check your saliva cortisol levels because adrenal fatigue and Hashi's often go hand-in-hand. You will likely have to order your own test for that though as only the more alternative docs carry them.

Do some more research, read some posts here, get an idea of what's up with this. It will be a new life experience for you and you will most likely have to be your own advocate to get the treatment you need. Much of mainstream medicine is not on board with good Hashi's treatment but there are some good resources (which I am unable to name, per board rules) and few good docs out there who get it.

[knicknack]

I had my Ferritin levels checked about a month after the antibody labs - after the 'why is she so tired, unable to concentrate, and forgetting things' tests that produced the antibodies, a close family member got diagnosed with Hemochromatosis. So, I had to go back and get tested for that as well. I don't have that, thank goodness (I have one recessive gene but not two). But, they tested my ferritin. It was 59 and the reference range was 10-154. Whatever that means. TSH that time around was 1.0. They didn't do the other thyroid tests at that time, so I don't know what those were.

how does one go about getting a free T3 test? If I tell my doc that I want it will he know what to order? I am happy to pay for it if the insurance won't. What's the name of the test on the lab sheets? I only see the one T3 test on here.

By the way, thank you so much for your help in this! I am really trying to figure this out, as most of us are, and it really feels great to have some help in this, and know that others have been through this too.