Anti-thyroglobulin & Peroxidase How important?

Hi Shelly, thanks so much for the info, super helpful. My friend was given a perscription for Levothyroxine but since that was not available we filled it with Eltroxin. 75 mcg daily. she's very thin but not considerd underweight and she tires very easly. no noticeable changes in 4 weeks. she was also diagnosed in 2014 with rheumatic heart disease though I've never seen the results. she was never given a copy so we don't know the extent of the damage. 

how long should we wait before retesting after taking the Eltroxin? and does she need all the tests or just the Anti - thyroglobulin and

Anti - Thyroid Peroxidase since the others were normal.

much appreciated. 

Hello StephenCDN:

Ah, Rheumatic heart disease is caused by a Streptococcus germ and that alone could have caused the thyroid problem. It is a big deal and even though we have antibiotics, it can damage the heart and other organs.

Yes, she should have all 3 tests TPOA, TGab, ESR, as they can see if autoimmune thyroid antibodies are active in her. Any major virus or bacterial infection/germ can activate these antibodies which attack the thyroid.

Eltroxin is okay and you will have to give the body 6 to 12 weeks to build a level and doctors  may test her in 2 to 3 months again to see her new blood level.

Please get a hold of her rheumatic heart disease records and show them to her Endocrinologist or who ever is treating her  for the thyroid.

Any questions, just ask,

Shelly

thanks again shelly, will do. 

hi Shelly, me again haha. i'm not familar with the ESR test, this is to dectect inflamation i think. is this related to her enlarged thyroid or the rhematic heart disease? 

Hello Stephen:

ESR is Erthyrocyte sedimentation rate and is used to pick up inflammation markers in the body that can cause autoimmune problems like thyroid ones or cancer certain types and Lupus.  It helps to see the level of inflammation in the body and can help diagnose her better. Since she has had Rheumatic fever it may help as each test works differently from another test. Some people can be negative on one test and positive on another.

Any questions just ask,

Shelly

Thanks, more reading haha. not sure if I should be looking at a more relevant discussion but since you're here, I'm wondering if the effectivness of each brand of hormone medication is a hit or miss with each person. if after 3 months no reduction is found do we try another brand or simply increase the dosage?

Hello Stephen:

There are different thyroid meds out there.  The synthetic ones,  levothyroxine is the most common and they make it genericly so many to choose from.

Then you have the natural meds that are more like our human one, Armour Thyroid, Nature's Thyroid, Thyroid S and Thyroid W. These are made from a pig's gland which is very close to a human person's gland. The body likes these better in some people.  They are all good.

Then you have Liothyronine just T3 also called Cytomel.  Then they have Liotrix a combo of T3 and T4 synthetic ones.

Yes, you can do a lot of research on the thyroid. I know it very well.

Normally people do blood after 2 to 3 months on the med.  Then they may have to change the dose.  The body takes a while to build a level.

Most people are on 75mcg to 100mcg of Levo.  It must be taken without food in the stomach and she must wait 1 hour before a meal.

So if you can try a natural one, she may find that better.

Keep me posted,

Shelly

 

thanks shelly, well, there are many pigs in the philippines hahaha, I'll look into these natural hormone meds. 

so, are you thinking her rheumatic fever led to rheumatic heart disease which in turn caused the autoimmune disease?   

Hello Stephen:

Many bad germs can cause a problem elsewhere in the body. The thyroid is very easy to become inflammed and damaged due to a virus or germ/bacteria etc... It can show up many years later after the germ or virus is gone.  It can activate these antibodies, so yes, worth a few simple blood tests for peace of mind.  Other ways to have a thyroid problem are, poor iodine in the diet, bad health under it all, family trait, diabetes can cause thyroid problems and so can cancer or illegal drugs.

Pig's are very close to a human and many people use the med's they make and look into that.

Any questions, just ask,

Shelly

 

thanks once again Shelly. 

Hi Shelly, so if hashimoto's is essentially an inmune problem that's messed with and damaged the thyroid, should we focus on improving or repairing the immune system?

Hello Stephen:

Hashimoto's is autoimmune and by taking the Levothyroxine or any other thyroid medicine, helps to keep the disease under control.  Sadly there is no cure, but eating healthy and avoiding Gluten and junk foods, which is known to bother the thyroid will help.  Keeping the body in the best shape also helps and that includes mild exercise.  Taking multi-vitamins and building up the immune system will help to keep it healthy. Minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, Iron and ferritin all help to keep the body in good shape and also Vit D and B-12. Many thyroid patients are low in some of these and do not know it.  They can test for this via a blood draw.

So by doing this will help to keep everything in good shape and it will help the thyroid out.

Any questions, just ask.

Shelly

Hi Shelly

Is selenium useful at all?

Is it safe to take iodin for hyperthyroidism?

Why is gluten inadvisable?

Thank you 

 

Hello Lucy:

Selenium helps the thyroid and it's ability to make the hormone.  It also helps the immune system out.  If Hypo or low it can help if Hyper it may not stop the extra amount of hormone, but we all need proper levels of our minerals and vitamins.

Gluten is added to food as a binder,and is a known thyroid attacker.  It bothers people who may have autoimmune thyroid problems. It also can cause joint problems and muscle aches and headaches.  Gluten also bothers people who have Celiacs disease.  It can cause IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), of the bowel and it is found in doughy foods and sweets like cakes and cookies, pasta and corn other products like ready made foods. Many people avoid it as it can aggravate Thyroid antibodies and cause them to activate.

Iodine is mostly helpful for Hypothyroid and helps prevent a goiter and keeps the thyroid healthy in proper amounts. Hyperthyroid may not benefit from it as they make too much hormone already. It can be found in seafood like Fish.  It is mostly obtained well enough from diet, unless in a 3rd world country.

Shelly

 

Dear Shelly Thanks for your informative response.

Can I ask you a further question please. Is it safe to eat fish epecially salmon as it contains iodine?

Gluten. How does this process come about? It just seems amazing that gluten can attack the thyroid and joints! Does the same apply to wheat etc? How long does it take to become gluten free?  Thanks in advance.

Apparently fluoride is an enzyme disrupter causing similar problems with the thyroid and muscles/joints!!

 

Hello Lucy:

Gluten is like a glue substance that is clear and they add it to food, mostly to make it adhere better in baked items like sweets cookies and cakes and breads, wheats, & pasta. 

Once you consume it, and it can take many of times in some people it then is ingested and in your intestines. The body can go into cramps and then loose bowels followed by constipation and back and forth a lot.  It is painful and may feel like a food poisoning.

Somehow it being in your intestines and some is absorbed more stimulates antibodies to go haywire and that is in your immune system. It effects people differently. It can cause headaches that are really bad in some people and aches and pains.

Some people get bowel problems and some get joint pains and can't function. Some people have all the problems listed above and some may only experience the thyroid problems. Wheat has gluten in it in wheat breads unless you buy non gluten breads.

There have been studies done on this subject.  It effects a lot of us, so it is recommended to avoid it as a preventative.

It can take about a week or so to eliminate all of it from your body.  Read labels and look what is in it.  Buy gluten free items in your store.

Yes, High amts. of fluoride can damage the thyroid.  In some places the water contains fluoride in it. You can also buy bottled water to avoid that.

Fish is safe as long as you consume a normal portion size.  Eating it for all 3 meals would be a lot.  Salmon is good in proper portions.

Shelly