What does this mean? She was finally doing well, so I'm worried now.
What symptoms would be caused by this?
Can these issues be corrected by natural means or does this mean she once again has to be put on medications? Permanent condition?
Thanks for your help.
Posted by BuffyFan (Member # 34679) on :
can you post the lab ranges and also her results(the numbers)?
Posted by marshall62 (Member # 23538) on :
Lyme disease is known to whack thyroid. Getting the thyroid levels right with meds like thyroxine is important. If the thyroid is malfunctioning, it can cause many of the Lyme type symptoms as well. Aching joints, fatigue, headaches, weight gain/loss,
Once on a drug they'll check her thyroid levels every now and then and if things return to normal, she stays on the meds. Lots of people are on thyroid meds. Not a big worry.
Posted by aMomWithHope (Member # 19255) on :
Here are the results and ranges:
lab result normal range
TSH .06 L (0.50 - 4.30 = 1 to 19 yo) T4, Free 1.4 (0.9 - 1.4) T3, Free 5.0 H (2.9 - 4.6) T3, Rev 35 H (11 - 32)
All other labs are normal, i.e. iron is wnl; glucose is wnl.
The only other out of range results that came up were strep screen w/reflex to titer which was positive at 1:100 (with negative being less than 1:100). This has come up positive once before but a year or two ago. Also, trace amount of leukocyte esterase was found on urinalysis--whatever that means?
She did have a slight fever in the office prior to giving blood (99'), which is rare for her--usually has a lower body temp. Has not been sick with a flu or cold, nor does she have any symptoms of being sick.
Anyway, any help in deciphering these results would be helpful. Does this look like hypo- or hyper-thyroid? Does this look serious, i.e., an emergency situation? I would think the LLMD would have been more urgent if it was?
Can this just be adrenal fatigue messing with the results?
I want to have some sense of what I'm dealing with prior to trying to contact endocrinologists, etc.
Is there any way to treat this by natural means? I know a lot of people are on thyroid meds, but she is only a teenager. I really hope we can get this under control without more meds!
Thanks for your input!
Posted by BuffyFan (Member # 34679) on :
Hi, looks like she has hyperthyroidism(I think)...she needs to be on meds...I am not sure which though, I have hashimoto's hypothyroidism and have to be on thyroid replacement, is she having heart palpitations or any hyper symptoms? I'd definitely call and speak to her doctor. I am not sure about the high reverse t3, most doctors don't even look at that or don't do anything about it. Once on thyroid meds, she will need to have her thyroid tested every 2 months. I know you don't want her to take any more meds, but I don't know of any other way to treat a thryoid condition without meds.
Have you had her adrenals tested? She has trace amounts of white blood cells in her urine, could be the signs of a beginning urinary tract infection OR my doctor said it could also be a sign of yeast infection.
Posted by aMomWithHope (Member # 19255) on :
Thanks, Buffy!
Ok, so I'll research hyperthyroid. Is it necessary to have the thyroid antibodies tested to prove one way or another? I don't see any mention of those on her test results.
I'm not sure what symptoms are involved with hyperthyroid. She has come a long way in regard to her Lyme and co-infections and now only has a couple of symptoms left, but perhaps these are related to the thyroid and not the tbi?
She has 24/7 headache (very mild though now, almost unnoticeable), 24/7 muscle aches (not joint pain), anxiety/ocd/intrusive thoughts (though reduced in intensity once abx were discontinued), very itchy and flaky scalp (this has only been going on for about a month), some foot/sole pain, some bart stretch marks.
I really hope she doesn't have thyroid issues--ugh!
My gut says adrenal, which I think need to be tested and treated before thyroid anyway, but not sure.
Thanks for the explanation regarding the white blood cells in the urine. I'll start her on cranberry juice to offset any possible UTI--don't think she has a yeast infection, but I'll watch for more symptoms.
Thanks again!
Anyone else have any input and/or experience with hyperthyroid?
Posted by JJ29 (Member # 5288) on :
The toxins from lyme/coinfections/viruses/yeast etc. definitely throw the thyroid off balance.
Way back when I first started suffering from lyme and was only treated with 4 weeks of doxy I started having symptoms of hyperthyroidism and was sent to an endo who placed me on meds.
I felt better on meds but was always somewhat fatigued and no one could figure out why.
Four years later when I was taken off thyroid meds, all my lyme symptoms resurfaced. I finally found a knowledgeable llmd who made me aware that lyme was the underlying cause of my thyroid disruption, and that if I had been effectively treated for lyme/co originally I probably would not have needed thyroid meds for four years.
Once the toxin load in my body was reduced my thyroid went back to a more normal range on its own without meds.
I have found over the years that my thyroid numbers fluctuate depending on whether my body is dealing with an infection and/or toxins that have not been properly detoxed.
If your daughter is not currently on abx her symptoms could possibly mean that she may need a little more treatment or may need to detox the bacteria that was killed by the meds she was on which may still be in her system causing inflammation etc.
Are you seeing a knowledgeable llmd? This can make a big difference.
Posted by WhitneyS (Member # 25666) on :
Those are similar to my numbers, and thats where they need to be,
they aren't really a cause for concern unless she's symptomatic in a bad way-- everyone is different, if she feels good then don't treat.
Posted by lightfoot (Member # 2536) on :
My understanding is: when the reverse T3 is high....it prevents the active free T3 from being used.......the reverse T3 occupies the T3 receptors preventing the use of the active form.
Lots of doctors do not address this at all.
Posted by aMomWithHope (Member # 19255) on :
OK, so based on what everyone is writing, this isn't an urgent imbalance, though still concerning, and possibly even normal? (Though the tests read L or H in regard to the ranges?)
I contacted her LLMD for an endocrinologist recommendation, and the office said he didn't have one. sigh!
I'm trying to figure out what to give her in the interim of finding an endo and when they'll finally be able to get her in for an appointment.
I initially thought--ashwaganda, because it is supposed to be an adaptogenic herb--but the more I read up on it the more it specifically stated not to be given to someone with hyPERthyroid, so I'm too nervous to do that. Plus, the couple of times she has tried it in the past (prior to us even thinking about thyroid issues), she felt worse on it, interesting, no?
The search continues.......thanks again for your help!
Posted by LAXlover (Member # 25518) on :
You could approach the people on the "stop the thyroid madness" site. Janie wrote the book and is very knowledgeable, as well as many others there. You can post the numbers on the site and probably learn a lot at this site.
Also check out the book by Dr. Broda Barnes.
Posted by aMomWithHope (Member # 19255) on :
Thank you for the website and book suggestions.....much appreciated!