Help With Diagnosing Thyroid Issues With Celiac!

[Paeldi]

Hi! I was diagnosed with Celiac about 2 and 1/2 years ago. Since then, my weight has gone up and down, bouts of depression, node on thyroid, visibly enlarged thyroid, high cholesterol levels, T3 levels out of range, etc. From my own research, these seem to be the signs of hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's. I have been through testing before, but nothing ever came of it or they said I was OK. I am going through another active phase right now and need guidance with specific testing from my endocrinologist who is not familiar with celiac. I would like to know what levels need to be tested. The ones I have found online are:

TSH

Free T3 (Is this different than just a T3 test?)

Free T4 (Is this different than just a T4 test?)

Thyroid Test Hormone

Thyroid antiperoxidase antibody test

Thyroglobulin (are there other antibody tests?)

What is T3 uptake?

What do you think? Did I miss anything? Any guidance?

I'm at my witts end!! It just doesn't make sense that I can lift weights and do cardio 5-6 days/week and barely lose weight. I can and do put on muscle though--weird! I am exhausted and depressed all the time too!

Thank you for any info that you would have!!

[ShayFL]

A great place to find EVERYTHING you need is here:

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

It covers EVERYTHING thyroid!!

You will need:

TSH (3rd generation)

Free T3

Free T4

Both antibodies

Have them include:

B12

Ferritin

Folic Acid

Iron

Vitamin D

These are all interrelated to each other. And go with thyroid issues. BE SURE you inform your doctor about the new TSH ranges .3 - 3. Most labs use the old ranges and doctors just scan the labs looking for anything out of range. Most doctors are not aware that the ranges have changed and do not correctly dx hypothyroid in MANY patients.

Since you go through phases it sure sounds like Hashimotos which goes hand and hand with your Celiac dx. The best way to treat Hashi's is to suppress the TSH to get closer to that .3 or lower level. Once the thyroid stops being stimulated by the pituitary (TSH) the attack will stop and so will the symptoms.

Wishing you well!

[Mother of Jibril]

I've been reading about this because I'm trying to get some better management for my own thyroid disorder. Here's what I found about the tests you mentioned:

TSH: is good for uncovering hypothyroidism, as long as you realize that a normal level is under 3.0 and you might not feel healthy again until it's even lower than that. A low TSH plus a low T3 might indicate that your pituitary gland is not stimulating your thyroid properly.

Free T4: indicates how much of the "storage" hormone is available for use by your body. The goal is to get this into mid-range with a high-normal to elevated T3. (Total T4 is not the same as Free T4).

Free T3: indicates how much "active" hormone is available for use... if your T4 is high and your T3 is low you're having a problem with conversion (you probably need more medication and some supplements).

Reverse T3: is produced when your adrenal glands are not producing enough cortisol (due to chronic stress or another autoimmune disorder called Addison's disease). rT3 blocks the intake of T3 to your cells. You want at least ten times more T3 in your body than rT3.

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com has a lot of good information about these tests and medication options.

[Paeldi]

I've been reading about this because I'm trying to get some better management for my own thyroid disorder. Here's what I found about the tests you mentioned:

TSH: is good for uncovering hypothyroidism, as long as you realize that a normal level is under 3.0 and you might not feel healthy again until it's even lower than that. A low TSH plus a low T3 might indicate that your pituitary gland is not stimulating your thyroid properly.

Free T4: indicates how much of the "storage" hormone is available for use by your body. The goal is to get this into mid-range with a high-normal to elevated T3. (Total T4 is not the same as Free T4).

Free T3: indicates how much "active" hormone is available for use... if your T4 is high and your T3 is low you're having a problem with conversion (you probably need more medication and some supplements).

Reverse T3: is produced when your adrenal glands are not producing enough cortisol (due to chronic stress or another autoimmune disorder called Addison's disease). rT3 blocks the intake of T3 to your cells. You want at least ten times more T3 in your body than rT3.

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com has a lot of good information about these tests and medication options.

[Paeldi]

Thank you so much for the helpful information and I will pass this on to my doc today. I will keep you all posted of any info that I receive.

[Paeldi]

I just received my last two years of blood work from my doc and I see that my liver panel is completely off and has gotten worse over the last year. Also, my bilirubin in elevated and my white and red blood cells are low. Does anyone have any input regarding the liver issues? Is this normal with celiac? I'm sure the red means I am anemic but not sure about the white.

Thanks for any guidance!!!!

[ShayFL]

Abnormal liver enzymes and labs are common with Celiac, but they could indicate other issues as well. My liver enzymes were slightly elevated before gluten-free and are now back into the normal range.

[Nancym]

I just received my last two years of blood work from my doc and I see that my liver panel is completely off and has gotten worse over the last year. Also, my bilirubin in elevated and my white and red blood cells are low. Does anyone have any input regarding the liver issues? Is this normal with celiac? I'm sure the red means I am anemic but not sure about the white.

Thanks for any guidance!!!!

Good for you, getting your test results. It's a shame doctors don't report these to us, so always best to look for ourselves.

Liver issues can be caused by lots of things, alcoholism, celiac disease, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (probably caused by eating too much sugar and starches), some drugs, some autoimmune disorders.

[one more mile]

Sounds like you need to find a good endocrinologist's. He or she will be able to look at the big picture and figure it out.

a GP may not. It took me two endocrinologist to find a good one, I now drive an hour to see him.

Most of my adult life what I ate and what I weighed were not related, at all.

I have since had my thyroid removed and my labs are done every three months things

are going much better. An endocrinologist. is trained more at looking at a balance in the labs

and looking at patterns.

Make sure you have someone that will test you every three or 4 months till you are stable.

One more mile.

[ShayFL]

Sadly, both Endo's in Tampa failed me. It took a regular M.D. to properly diagnose me and treat me.

I hope you have better ones in your areas. But if not, dont give up!! A good M.D. can be a godsend.