Aa
THYROID HELP
I am a 16 almost 17 year old female and I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease in August of 2011. It was so bad that medication wasn't doing anything and I had a full thyroidectomy at the age of 15 in April of 2012. Everything was fine for a while but now my GP is telling me that my antibodies are high and that I could possibly have Hashimoto's due to possible inflammation in my throat which is also affecting my tonsils. Is there any natural way to help with this? Doesn't have to be a cure but maybe something just to help? Plus my hair is falling out :( IS THERE A CURE FOR THAT? I'm 16 and I don't like the feeling that i'm going bald :( PLEASE, just anything, anything at all that could help :(
I have no specific info about that, but I cannot imagine it causing more of a problem for you. Enjoy.
I won't have my results for another couple of weeks but I was wondering if it would be harmful to dye my hair? I have a special occasion coming up and I would like to dye my hair but i'm afraid it will make things worse. My hair is still kind of thick surprisingly.
I went to see my GP today, he gave me a pathology form if I want to have a blood test but he also gave me a prescription for 100mcg of Oroxine if I want to take a higher dosage. I might hold off with the prescription and go have a blood test for the T3 and T4 levels as well as Vitamin D and ferritin, I know for a fact my B-12 levels are quite low so i'm taking supplements for that. I will post my results as soon as I get them.
Just wanted to emphasize that you should make sure the tests are for Free T3 and Free T4, not Total T3 and T4. If the doctor resists and makes excuses that it is not necessary, just insist on them, along with the tests for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.
I'm glad too ! It is giving me piece of mind at last because every doctor I have been to make me feel like i'm not important enough and it makes me anxious about my health and if i'm taking the right dosage etc. I'm happy that your hair loss has stopped ! :) It's good to hear that things like this can be treated, I talked to my doctor once about my hair loss and he said if it's an auto-immune thing then the only choice I would have is to take steroids and i am NOT doing that. Hopefully it will stop at some point though. Thank you ! :)
Thank you so much ! I will have a word with my doctor when I see him later this week and run more tests and I will post the results.
Problem is that the "real" endocrinologists predominantly have the "Immaculate TSH Belief" and only want to diagnose and treat based on TSH, If they go beyond TSH, then they usually only want to test for Free T4, and if it is anywhere within the so-called "normal" range they will tell the patient that it is adequate, without paying any attention to symptoms.
The biggest name in Endocrinology is the AACE, which of course stands for American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. I have concluded that they really need to change the name, since they are so averse to diagnosing and treating clinically, as was successfully done for many years before the advent of the TSH test. The AACE defends their practices by saying that nothing prevents their members from treating clinically, yet their publications promote TSH and reference range endocrinology, almost to the point of excluding, or at least discouraging clinical treatment. In fact endos seem to be pressured to not stray from the protocol for hypothyroid treatment practiced by the vast majority. Even health insurance companies and large pharmaceutical companies seem to be part of maintaining the status quo. All of this is to the detriment of hypo patients everywhere in the world.
The biggest name in Endocrinology is the AACE, which of course stands for American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. I have concluded that they really need to change the name, since they are so averse to diagnosing and treating clinically, as was successfully done for many years before the advent of the TSH test. The AACE defends their practices by saying that nothing prevents their members from treating clinically, yet their publications promote TSH and reference range endocrinology, almost to the point of excluding, or at least discouraging clinical treatment. In fact endos seem to be pressured to not stray from the protocol for hypothyroid treatment practiced by the vast majority. Even health insurance companies and large pharmaceutical companies seem to be part of maintaining the status quo. All of this is to the detriment of hypo patients everywhere in the world.
>Your doctor has made the wrong conclusion about your lab test results.
Ya think? I can understand the doctor looking at TSH, since if the pituitary is working correctly, then it's a good marker for T3 levels being good or not. (Not true at all with patients whose pituitary axis isn't working correctly) But trying to control via T4 and ignoring TSH and T3 now that's cray cray. Standard of care is to look at TSH and symptoms. Or look at Free T3 and symptoms. Looking only at T4 is not standard of care.
Get second opinion from a real endocrinologist.
Ya think? I can understand the doctor looking at TSH, since if the pituitary is working correctly, then it's a good marker for T3 levels being good or not. (Not true at all with patients whose pituitary axis isn't working correctly) But trying to control via T4 and ignoring TSH and T3 now that's cray cray. Standard of care is to look at TSH and symptoms. Or look at Free T3 and symptoms. Looking only at T4 is not standard of care.
Get second opinion from a real endocrinologist.
Hello, I'm glad you found a place to ask questions and gain support. Hopefully as your body adjusts to the medication, you will find relief from your symptoms. Good for you that you are going to have a check in with a psychologist. While it can be overwhelming at any age to manage an ongoing health matter, it must be especially overwhelming for you at your age. Perhaps your GP or psychologist could help you connect with other teens with similar health issues? By the way, my hair loss has halted and I have new hair growth after being on my dose of levothyroxine for a little over a month. I hope you get good results soon too. Good luck!
These are the latest test results.
+++Thyroid Stimulating Hormone 20 mU/L (0.40-4.00)
free Thyroxine (fT4) 15 pmol/L (10-20)
free T3 3.5 pmol/L (2.8-6.8)
Anti-Thyroglobulin Ab. <10 U/mL (<60)
++ Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Ab 810 U/mL (<60)
This elevated TSH indicates hypothyroidism although this patient is still able to maintain a free T4 within the population ref. range.
This antibody pattern indicates underlying autoimmune inflammatory activity - possible Hashimoto's. < The comments underneath the test results.
The doctor says that I am underactive at the moment but it could be due to stress because I'm in year 12 so it's a bit difficult at school at the moment. I am going to try and de-stress before I go to see my scheduled specialist in a month or so.
Fatigue is a very common symptom with me and hair loss of course, those are the only two noticeable ones but I have been feeling really sad, probably depression and my GP is referring me to a psychologist to see if that will make a difference. I have also lost weight but that's because I have been eating healthier and exercising regularly.
At the moment I am on Oroxine / Thyroxine 75mcg. The GP said I might have to go to 100mcg but I want to hold off until I know whether i'm slightly underactive due to stress or because I need to take a higher dose.
Hope this helped.
+++Thyroid Stimulating Hormone 20 mU/L (0.40-4.00)
free Thyroxine (fT4) 15 pmol/L (10-20)
free T3 3.5 pmol/L (2.8-6.8)
Anti-Thyroglobulin Ab. <10 U/mL (<60)
++ Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Ab 810 U/mL (<60)
This elevated TSH indicates hypothyroidism although this patient is still able to maintain a free T4 within the population ref. range.
This antibody pattern indicates underlying autoimmune inflammatory activity - possible Hashimoto's. < The comments underneath the test results.
The doctor says that I am underactive at the moment but it could be due to stress because I'm in year 12 so it's a bit difficult at school at the moment. I am going to try and de-stress before I go to see my scheduled specialist in a month or so.
Fatigue is a very common symptom with me and hair loss of course, those are the only two noticeable ones but I have been feeling really sad, probably depression and my GP is referring me to a psychologist to see if that will make a difference. I have also lost weight but that's because I have been eating healthier and exercising regularly.
At the moment I am on Oroxine / Thyroxine 75mcg. The GP said I might have to go to 100mcg but I want to hold off until I know whether i'm slightly underactive due to stress or because I need to take a higher dose.
Hope this helped.
I'm very sure that you will find some help from our knowledgeable and experienced members, but we need some info first. Please post all your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report. What symptoms do you have other than hair loss? What thyroid medication are you taking and what dosage?
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Also, due to the erroneous procedure by which the reference ranges were established, the ranges are far too broad to be functional for many hypo patients. Many members say that symptom relief required Free T3 in the upper third of its range and Free T4 around the middle of its range.
A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.
Since hypo patients are also frequently too low in the ranges for additional important areas, I suggest that you should also test for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.
When additional test results are available, please get a copy and post results and their ranges, and members will be glad to help interpret and advise further.