Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

So I Had Some Blood Work Done


Sweetfudge

Recommended Posts

Sweetfudge Community Regular

When I went in to the dr. on thursday, I had them take some blood to test my thyroid, as many here have recommended I do. They called me back friday morning. (Sidenote: I was amazed by this, as it took them 3 1/2 months to call me back after taking my blood for the celiac test...lol). Anyway, they said I have borderline low thyroid levels, and that they wanted me to come back in a month or two. What does this mean, and why "in a month or two"? Shouldn't I be taking something to help this? What are the pros and cons of being on thyroid meds? Any advice? Helpful links?

I called my parents yesterday and talked w/ them both. My mom said there's no history of thyroid problems on her side of the family, but that thyroid medicine will probably help me feel better, lose a little weight, and give me back some energy. My dad said that he doesn't think there's anything on his side of the family, although I do have 2 cousins w/ thyroid problems...they most likely got this from their mom's side of the family. He did mention that my grandpa was dxed w/ chronic fatigue syndrome back in the 60's...and they never did any tests on that, so it could have been a thyroid thing. I don't know how important it is to know my family history, I was just interested in seeing if anyone else had dealt w/ it.

Anyway there's my story, just looking for some feedback. Thanks much :D


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Ursa Major Collaborator

If even the 'official' thyroid tests show borderline low thyroid, you really need to do something about them. And 'coming back in a few months' is NOT going to be any help at all!

Make an appointment with your doctor to see you now. If this doctor doesn't understand about treatment for this, then find a doctor who does.

Here is a good website to educate yourself while you wait to see your doctor Open Original Shared Link

Sweetfudge Community Regular

so i looked at that site a bit, and lots of the symptoms sound like me. what do i need my doc to do for me/give me/etc? what is a good treatment? i've not had time to do much research yet, so i feel pretty clueless....thx :)

georgie Enthusiast

I composed a long mail and the cookies ate it :lol: Go back and get your paperwork. You need to see what your Thyroid result was - as a NUMBER - and if all the Throid tests were done. I was told 30 years ago that I had a borderline Thyroid, and that it didn't matter. I have suffered 30 years of CFS, Fibro and it was all due to this one Dr making a bad dx. Many Drs do not understand how to test Thyroid, and how to read a blood test for Thyroid, and how the new labs ranges for Thyroid are changing. Many labs are still using old lab ranges and you may find that your borderline result is not borderline at all.

Sweetfudge Community Regular
I composed a long mail and the cookies ate it :lol: Go back and get your paperwork. You need to see what your Thyroid result was - as a NUMBER - and if all the Throid tests were done. I was told 30 years ago that I had a borderline Thyroid, and that it didn't matter. I have suffered 30 years of CFS, Fibro and it was all due to this one Dr making a bad dx. Many Drs do not understand how to test Thyroid, and how to read a blood test for Thyroid, and how the new labs ranges for Thyroid are changing. Many labs are still using old lab ranges and you may find that your borderline result is not borderline at all.

Is there a specific type of doctor that I need to look for to correctly diagnose what's wrong? What are all the tests they need to do for me? Thx :) I will call the dr on monday and find out what my numbers were.

Corkdarrr Enthusiast

I have been hypothyroid for over 13 years. And just in the last few months I have finally found a competent doctor.

I would highly recommend that you find a doctor who prescribes and understands Armour thyroid. For a lot of people it makes a HUGE difference.

You can find doctors that prescribe this type of med several ways:

1. ask your local pharmacist for the names of the doctors who prescribe armour

2. visit armour.com and do a search

3. Open Original Shared Link

visit the above website. on the right hand side choose the link for 'Top Drs' and search for your state

Even though I felt blatantly hypo and my gut feeling told me I was hypo, My tests kept coming back 'normal,' but as Georgie was saying, the thyroid tests are inaccurate and their ranges are HUGE. So if I'd ever thought enough to actually ask to see a copy of my test, I probably would've caught this sooner. So much for trusting your doctor...

If your doctor is on the wait-and-see with borderline low thyroid numbers it might not hurt to get a second opinion.

Keep us posted!

Courtney

happygirl Collaborator

An endocrinologist is a doctor that you might want to see (with your tests in hand).

Thyroid and Celiac problems go hand in hand.....


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



georgie Enthusiast

I would suggest a Dr that uses Armour and uses saliva testing. If you ring the saliva labs they may have Drs names that use their services. Also the same with pharmacies in your area. A Dr that is DO often seems quite good. Endos seem about the worst usually. They refuse to understand and treat adrenal fatigue, and don't understand borderline Thyroid readings on blood tests. My Dr is just a normal GP who is interested in Natural Therapies as well.

Sweetfudge Community Regular

Thanks everyone. I will give the doc a call tomorrow!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to catsrlife's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Patiently Waiting to See Results

    2. - trents replied to Leeloff's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      75

      How Come Gluten Didnt Bother Me In Italy

    3. - Gigi2025 replied to Leeloff's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      75

      How Come Gluten Didnt Bother Me In Italy

    4. - Rejoicephd replied to JulieRe's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      7

      Oral thrush question

    5. - catsrlife posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Patiently Waiting to See Results


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,897
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Sgp
    Newest Member
    Sgp
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @catsrlife! Celiac disease can be diagnosed without committing to a full-blown "gluten challenge" if you get a skin biopsy done during an active outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis, assuming that is what is causing the rash. There is no other known cause for dermatitis herpetiformis so it is definitive for celiac disease. You would need to find a dermatologist who is familiar with doing the biopsy correctly, however. The samples need to be taken next to the pustules, not on them . . . a mistake many dermatologists make when biopsying for dermatitis herpetiformis. 
    • trents
      You state in an earlier post that you don't have celiac disease. Here in this post you state you will "be doing another test". What will this test be looking for? What kind of celiac disease testing have you had done? If you have used a Entero Labs it sounds like you have had stool testing done for celiac disease which is not widely accepted as a valid celiac disease diagnostic testing method. Have you had blood antibody testing for celiac disease done and do you realize that for antibody testing to be valid you must have been eating generous amounts of gluten for a period of weeks/months? 
    • Gigi2025
      No, I've not been diagnosed as celiac.  Despite Entero Labs being relocated to Switzerland/Greece, I'll be doing another test. After eating wheat products in Greece for 4 weeks, there wasn't any reaction.  However, avoiding it here in the states.   Thanks everyone for your responses.  
    • Rejoicephd
      Thank you @JulieRe so much for sharing this extra information. I'm so glad to hear you're feeling better and I hope it keeps moving in that direction. I feel I'm having so many lightbulb moments on this forum just interacting with others who have this condition. I also was diagnosed with gastric reflux maybe about 10 years ago. I was prescribed ranitidine for it several years back, which was working to reduce my gastric reflux symptoms but then the FDA took ranitidine off the shelves so I stopped taking it. I had a lot of ups and downs healthwise in and around that time (I suddenly gained 20 pounds, blood pressure went up, depression got worse, and I was diagnosed with OSA). At the time I attributed my change in symptoms to me taking on a new stressful job and didn't think much else about it. They did give me a replacement gastric reflux drug since ranitidine was off the shelves, but when I went on the CPAP for my OSA, the CPAP seemed to correct the gastric reflux problem so I haven't been on any gastric reflux drug treatment for years although I still do have to use a CPAP for my OSA. Anyway that's a long story but just to say… I always feel like I've had a sensitive stomach and had migraines my whole life (which I'm now attributing to having celiac and not knowing it) but I feel my health took a turn for much worse around 2019-2020 (and this decline started before I caught covid for the first time). So I am now wondering based on what you said, if that ranitidine i took could have contributed to the yeast overgrowth, and that the problem has just been worsening ever since. I have distinctly felt that I am dealing with something more than just stress and battling a more fundamental disease process here. I've basically been in and out of different doctor specialties for the past 5 years trying to figure out what's wrong with me. Finally being diagnosed with celiac one year ago, I thought I finally had THE answer but now as I'm still sick, I think it's one of a few answers and that maybe yeast overgrowth is another answer. For me as well, my vitamin deficiencies have persisted even after I went gluten-free (and my TTG antibody levels came down to measurably below the detectable limit on my last blood test). So this issue of not absorbing vitamins well is also something our cases have in common. I'm now working with a nutritionist and taking lots of vitamins and supplements to try and remedy that issue. I hope that you continue to see improvements in working with your naturopath on this. Keep us posted!
    • catsrlife
      Back at the end of July I got this rash on both of my forearms. It started on my right and continued to the left. It was on the top and side. The rash has bumps that would pop with clear liquid if scratched. They would almost crystalize and scab up. They reminded me of chicken pox. They would scab for weeks and not heal much at all except for the blood clotting. If the scab was scratched off, it would bleed and bleed until it scabbed up again. The skin has lost its pigment where the scabs are. I figured it was probably either the plant I had trimmed around the 15th or some reaction to the magnesium complex I was taking or an allergic reaction to the asthma meds I was on. I stopped the asthma meds and the magnesium. The rash seemed to get better but when I took the asthma meds it flared up again so I went to the urgent care as my doctor was unavailable. The UC doctor said it probably wasn't the meds and asked about my diet. I said I was strict keto. I usually am, but there is a story around this. I feel amazing on keto. When I eat sugar, wheat, and starchy veggies I feel horrible. Blood sugar goes up, IBS type symptoms, brain fog, etc. But I have a horrible addiction to carbs so I blow it sometimes and after Mom died in 2023, I fell off the wagon. No rashes, just weight gain. I finally went back on keto and then around that time had a piece of pizza (or so, it's hard to stop the carb rush.) So I was strict keto, off and on. She ignored that and prescribed some allergy meds. It didn't go away.  What was happening by then was that the rash was now on my upper elbows, both of them, on the back of my arms. It starts with a very itchy bump, spreads around it and sometimes just burns like crazy and other times just itches. Then it started on the sides of my knees on the oustide, a little bit down the sides of the calves. It's not as bad there as it is on my arms even though it comes and goes (and so does wheat in my diet.) I then got three tiny blisters on each hand, 3 on the insdie of my index finger on the right hand and 3 on the inside of middle finger of my left hand. There is still a little scab there even though it was two weeks ago. No more have appeared on the fingers. But right now the back of the arms above my elbows are starting to itch. At some point I started to think mites from the possum that was sneaking into our house but it's been 3 months and they would be dead already. It wouldn't be from humans because I don't go near any humans although I did take an Uber to the doctor and the bus back. Plus, it's symmetrical. It starts on one side and is almost identical on the other.  I did my DNA with Ancestry and MyHeritage. I don't have the HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8. I do have HLA-DQ2.2. I took the blood test but it was negative. Then again, I don't eat wheat every day. I rarely eat it except for lately when I've been preparing for the blood test if I have to take it again. I don't like to. It makes my joints hurt, gives me brain fog, stomach problems, I sleep in the middle of the day, etc. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow. I hope that she will be more serious about this than the UC doctor was.  So I have no idea. With my luck they'll magically disappear before the doctor appointment. That's what happens with everything.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.