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Hi
When I went to the endo, she took blood tests to test for Graves. My limited understanding of this was that she was testing to see what my antibody levels were and this would then tell us if I have Graves. She did say all my symptoms point towards it but needed to do the blood test.
When I rang up and asked if it have graves, the secretary said it wasn't that simple and that I needed to keep getting my bloods taken every 6 weeks. I am already doing this and she did not answer my question at all. Plus, the blood tests I have done every 6 weeks are just the standard ones for thyroid function. What was the point on doing the antibody blood test of there are no answers from it?!
Sorry for the rant, it's just frustrating not knowing what I'm dealing with.
So.... my question to to all of you with experience and knowledge of this is -
What is the antibody level that if it is over this level you have graves? Is there a number that if it's below this number you don't have graves and if it's over this number you do have graves? Or is it really not this simple?
Thanks so much again
Xx
0 likes, 4 replies
linda187
Posted
When I was referred to my Endo for diagnosis, the first thing she did was give me a prescription for Propranolol while she was doing the tests for Graves. That was based on a physical examination that revealed a resting heart rate of 100 beats per minute. She then ordered an Iodine uptake test, a thyroid ultrasound and blood thyroid and antibody tests. It was not until she got the results of all of those tests that she then wrote a prescription for Methimazole. I understand that the tests she did for diagnosis are standard for diagnosing Graves.
I have written on this Board before about how I benefitted from taking first regular L-Carnitine and then later Acetyl-L-Carnitine. It helped the Methimazole to do its job better as it got absorbed into the cells and I was then able to reduce the dose of my Methimazole in cooperation with my doctor based on my lab results.
People here have asked their doctors about using L-Carnitine and of course their doctors are not going to endorse it because they don't know about it and neither do their colleagues. Though you can get L-Carnitine by prescription here in Canada, it is also available from health food stores without a prescription. I took this based on a research paper by Dr.Salvatore Benvenga from Italy that documented that hyperthyroid patients benefitted from taking this.
So if you decide to do this, it is important that you let your doctor know that you have chosen to do this but if you are looking for permission from him/her to use it, you will not get their endorsement. Do your research. There are articles about this on the Internet if you Google for them. Then make up your own mind about it.
looby52
Posted
There are different antibodies that can be measured to try and find out the cause of your hyperthyroid. I'm not an expert, but my understanding from my endo is there is a specific antibody just found if you have Graves, other antibodies may show up as negative. I had to have a separate blood test ( TSI ab) that took about 2 months to come back as positive before they could definitely diagnose graves - despite being confident I showed all the symptoms. My endo recommended the website Thyroid UK , which explains it well and gives the antibody reference range.
Maybe yous blood test has' t come back yet
looby52
Posted
This was just my experience, but I hope it helps.
flimflam
Posted
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