According To Recent Data, Gluten-Free Doesn't Seem To Be Enough

[Skylark]

I bet you're exhausted with those labs. There's plenty of us on the board with Hashimoto's, some much better at reading thyroid labs than I am.

My TPO was 400-something which is a fairly spectacular level of autoimmunity, and I have anti-thyoglobulin in the 60s I think. I've been hypothyroid for years with TSH as high as 11 but the autoimmune antibodies only got going in 2008. I was OK on T4-only until a couple years ago when that high antibody titer showed up. Now I'm on a generic natural thyroid by Acella. My last round of labs had my FT4 dead-normal and my Dr. only did total T3, which unsurprisingly came out a little high because of the natural thyroid.

[pricklypear1971]

I bet you're exhausted with those labs. There's plenty of us on the board with Hashimoto's, some much better at reading thyroid labs than I am.

My TPO was 400-something which is a fairly spectacular level of autoimmunity, and I have anti-thyoglobulin in the 60s I think. I've been hypothyroid for years with TSH as high as 11 but the autoimmune antibodies only got going in 2008. I was OK on T4-only until a couple years ago when that high antibody titer showed up. Now I'm on a generic natural thyroid by Acella. My last round of labs had my FT4 dead-normal and my Dr. only did total T3, which unsurprisingly came out a little high because of the natural thyroid.

Jowza. 400??! You're an over-achiever!

My last labs came back with a tsh of 8+. Never ever had one that high before. My TPO was up, inflammation up. It was a mess.

Just had saliva cortisol/estrogen/testosterone, etc. run and estrogens were low normal, progesterone low, ratios off, dhea low, cortisol low. Estrogen/progesterone correlate to blood draw, also.

I remember reading some articles about the interplay of adrenals/thyroid. Can't find them now but the gist was that neither can improve independently or higher than the other. So, if adrenals are lagging, thyroid will only improve so much. Vice versa.

Anyway, after years of thyroid (t3/t4, natural and synthetic) and only improving X amount, 9 months gluten-free, and still lingering problems...I'm trying some hormonal supplamentation:adrenal support with dhea, and a progesterone/estrogen natural cream. We'll see.

[Skylark]

Yeah. I don't do autoimmunity halfway. I was running low-grade fevers from the inflammation and I even had some hyperthyroid symptoms for a bit. I am getting nice results as far as adrenal support with panax ginseng.

A low-lectin diet with plenty of omega 3 seems to help the inflammation. I still feel sort of ill though and am plagued by cognitive problems and subtle neuro issues like metallic taste and dizziness. My Dr. and I are thinking it may be chronic migraine prodome.

This is why I don't think gluten free is a perfect cure. The Hashimito's showed up 3 years gluten-free.

[Gemini]

Anyway, after years of thyroid (t3/t4, natural and synthetic) and only improving X amount, 9 months gluten-free, and still lingering problems...I'm trying some hormonal supplamentation:adrenal support with dhea, and a progesterone/estrogen natural cream. We'll see.

Nine months is not very long to be gluten-free to expect results with your thyroid. I have been gluten-free for 7 years and now my TPO is normal....under 40 for the lab I am using. It was, believe it or not, 1200 the year before I was diagnosed with Celiac. It came down steadily over the next 6 years as I stayed strictly gluten-free and by using a T3/T4 combo. T4 only is useless. I have suppressed my TSH for years to gain control back. Using TSH only for thyroid monitoring should be banned!

I have been hypo-thyroid (diagnosed) for 20 years so there was a lot of damage, pre-Celiac diagnosis. It can take a very long time to balance things out....be patient!