Help With Lab Results

[sassyfur98]

Hello everyone, I am new here and this is my first post. Please forgive me if I do this incorrectly.

I just received my lab results.

I have had 15+ years with dealing with digestive issues...ie..bm's 4-5+ times a day on some days. Terrible stomach aches since I was a small child. As an adult, those stomach aches have sent me to the hospital with swollen intestines. NEVER have I received ANY explanation other than since I don't have a gallbladder, my bile drips directly into my stomach, causing the oily, very loose stool. (however I know no one else with this issue post surgery...15 years ago) Also terrible bladder urgency, joint aches, exhaustion (all with normal thyroid levels) I finally asked my doc to do a Celiac's antibody test. I also have Graves Disease, Lupus antibodies..again, just out of range, and probably Hashi's.

My labs are as follows.

Endomysial Anntibody IgA.....Negative

t- Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA... <4 (range...0-3=neg. 4-10= weak positive..>10= positive)

Note says Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) has been identified as the endomysial antigen. Studies have demonstrated that endomysial IgA antibodies have over 99% specificity for gluten sensitive enteropathy.

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgG....<6 (range....0-5= negative, 6-9=weak positive, >9= positive

Not sure if this is a celiac test or not, but I will include it just in case

Immunoglobulin A, QN, Serum...265 (70-400)

So, what do you think? No celiacs? Gluten intollerance?

Also keep in mind when I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, I was considered "borderline" yet my symptoms were severe. I don't give too much credit to those "ranges" and was wondering if the same applies here? I see my rheumatologist on Friday, and he says one must go by symptoms AND numbers. (especially with my thyroid, cause just because I am in range, doesn't mean I am ok. I seem to have a very, very small window)

Thanks for any and all replies. I would love to be more informed when I go see him. I know several studies I have read recently say that those without celiac's or gluten intollerance have NO antibodies.

Saundra

[Lisa]

Sassy, someone will be with you shortly. I'm not good at test results, but I wanted to say welcome.

[ShayFL]

I had doctors look me straight in the eye for 10 years and say "there is nothing wrong with your thyroid. You are fine. Your labs are perfect..........you need a psychiatrist."

OR 'You cant be hypothyroid....you are too thin." My TSH hovered around 3. The old ranges went to 5, so all of the doctors said I was fine. Imagine my horror when I learned last year that the new ranges have 3 being the highest and have been for years (Some labs are still using old ranges). I fired my doctor immediately and found a thyroid literate holistic MD. She didnt even look at my labs. Didnt need to. I was severely hypothyroid. I wasnt overweight, but that didnt concern her. She tested my reflexes and had me chart my temperature for 5 days. I had dry skin and my hair was very sparse. Eyebrows nearly absent. Muscle spasms and twitches. Depression. Fatigue. She put me on Armour. I am up to 3 grains and my hair has grown back. I have eyebrows. My skin looks 10 years younger. I have energy. My muscles dont twitch anymore. I wake up feeling refreshed.

gluten-free has stopped the weight loss, D, migraines and greatly improved my neuropathy and vertigo.

My Mom was told she was "normal" for 2 years of pure hell. Her TSH was "normal" at 4.8. No antibodies. But one day she passed out while driving and woke up with paramedics surrounding her. At the hospital a keen doctor asked her about her thyroid. He did an ultrasound and said it didnt look right. Her thyroid was nearly gone!!! Surgery revealed thyroid cancer and severe Hashimotos. She was not diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease by labs (they were normal), but by the fact that the disease had literally eaten away most of the organ.

Ranges dont mean anything to me anymore. What the heck is a "weak positive" anyway? Is that like being "kind of pregnant"? Ridiculous!!

If I were you, which I am not. I would ask for a biopsy for Celiac. If they refuse, then do a 3 month trial of a gluten-free diet and see if your symptoms dont improve. There is no harm in it and you have EVERYTHING to gain. If you get the biopsy, it can be another piece to the puzzle. You can try a gluten-free diet at anytime. You DO NOT need a doctor's permission.

[MaryJones2]

I'd say a weak positive is still a positive. Even if your doctor can't come up with something concrete I'd give the diet a day in court just to see how you feel. That'll be your true test.

Shay, wow, your story could be mine. I love being told I need to see a psychiatrist!

[sassyfur98]

I had doctors look me straight in the eye for 10 years and say "there is nothing wrong with your thyroid. You are fine. Your labs are perfect..........you need a psychiatrist."

OR 'You cant be hypothyroid....you are too thin." My TSH hovered around 3. The old ranges went to 5, so all of the doctors said I was fine. Imagine my horror when I learned last year that the new ranges have 3 being the highest and have been for years (Some labs are still using old ranges). I fired my doctor immediately and found a thyroid literate holistic MD. She didnt even look at my labs. Didnt need to. I was severely hypothyroid. I wasnt overweight, but that didnt concern her. She tested my reflexes and had me chart my temperature for 5 days. I had dry skin and my hair was very sparse. Eyebrows nearly absent. Muscle spasms and twitches. Depression. Fatigue. She put me on Armour. I am up to 3 grains and my hair has grown back. I have eyebrows. My skin looks 10 years younger. I have energy. My muscles dont twitch anymore. I wake up feeling refreshed.

gluten-free has stopped the weight loss, D, migraines and greatly improved my neuropathy and vertigo.

My Mom was told she was "normal" for 2 years of pure hell. Her TSH was "normal" at 4.8. No antibodies. But one day she passed out while driving and woke up with paramedics surrounding her. At the hospital a keen doctor asked her about her thyroid. He did an ultrasound and said it didnt look right. Her thyroid was nearly gone!!! Surgery revealed thyroid cancer and severe Hashimotos. She was not diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease by labs (they were normal), but by the fact that the disease had literally eaten away most of the organ.

Ranges dont mean anything to me anymore. What the heck is a "weak positive" anyway? Is that like being "kind of pregnant"? Ridiculous!!

If I were you, which I am not. I would ask for a biopsy for Celiac. If they refuse, then do a 3 month trial of a gluten-free diet and see if your symptoms dont improve. There is no harm in it and you have EVERYTHING to gain. If you get the biopsy, it can be another piece to the puzzle. You can try a gluten-free diet at anytime. You DO NOT need a doctor's permission.

The same thing happened with me...somewhat. For YEARS...18 to be exact, doctors kept telling me my thyroid was fine. However, with each pregnancy after the first, I would loose 25-30 pounds, and never gain a pound back until AFTER the baby was born. Then I would pack on even more than I started with. At 18, I weighed 130 and I am 5 feet tall. Now at 36, I am 220 lbs. My diet hasn't changed too much.

Finally, my symptoms got so bad, the thyroid showed Graves Disease. Mind you, I never lost a pound with that disease. I personally feel I was hypo for years before the thyroid gave one last harrah and went hyper. Then there is the possibility I never had Graves, but HAshi's, as my doctor says in the beginning it can dump hormones into your system and look like hyper thyroid. Either way I had RAI 16.5 months ago.

Now this Celiac's come in to play because I started low dose naltrexone and it worked so fantastically for me for the first 3 months or so. Then suddenly, it didn't seem to work as well. The diahrrea returned, the waking a bazillion times a night returned, the bladder urgency returned (I sure miss drinking a half a cup of coffee and not peeing 5 times..lol) Someone suggested absorption issues, and I started looking at Celiacs. It sure does explain symptoms going back to childhood.

Yes, I agree those ranges are about useless. I thought my Rheumo had said ANY antibodies means Celiacs, as people without the disease NEVER have antibodies.

I'll take a "weak positive" over any kind of pregnancy...lol...5 is quite enough...hehe.

Thanks for your reply. I will see what doc says on Friday, but either way, I am about to begin my journey to gluten free. The good/bad news is my best friend was diagnosed within days of me. weird, huh?

[sassyfur98]

Sassy, someone will be with you shortly. I'm not good at test results, but I wanted to say welcome.

Thank you!!

[fedora]

I agree with shay.... you can ask for a biopsy and try the gluten free diet AFTER the biopsy or try the diet. good luck