Hi,
My MD ran some basic tests as a follow up and my Thyroid Antibodies (the P one) was 360. My TSH was .82. She said she would just sit on it. I asked her to run the additional test t4/3 but she said she did not feel it was necessary at this time since I am not having any symptoms. I am currently on 3mg of Entocort 2 days on and 1 day off. I am going super slow on my tapering with the Gastro's approval. My last TSH was 1.3 and the remaining numbers were withing Normal/excluding the antibody(P one again) was 271. Could the steroid affect my TSH levels? I have been on Entocort since April. Should I just sit on it or shall I push for something. I have a Thyroid Nodule they looked at 3 times over the past 1.75 years and it has remained the same size. I am not having symptoms, I don't think. I am less tired for sure and my Ferritin went up from 10 to 37 so I must finally be absorbing some foods. I have also been GF, SF, and mostly Egg free except in some baked items, and DF except occasional yogurt and parm. cheese.
Thanks for any input... I know this is not MC related but I know many of you have experience with the Thyroid....
Question regarding Thyroid
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Hi,
Unless your lab uses a different range than the one I'm familiar with, a thyroid peroxidase antibody test result should be below 35 IU/mL. Anything above that indicates a possible autoimmune reaction. While a TSH level of 0.82 is within the normal range, it's low enough to suggest some degree of hyperthyroidism. Nodules are typically associated with hyperthyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism is more difficult to treat than hypothyroidism, so if you aren't showing any clinical symptoms, and your nodule hasn't changed in almost 2 hears, that's very likely the reason why your doctor has chosen to "wait and watch", rather than to initiate a treatment program. All sorts of things can happen when treating hyperthyroidism, so the best policy can often be to just keep an eye on it, unless something changes (such as the development of bothersome symptoms) to indicate that there is clearly a need for intervention.
About the only way that a corticosteroid can affect TSH levels is if the treatment leads to adrenal insufficiency. While that can certainly happen when using (and especially while withdrawing) from a treatment program using prednisone, for budesonide to show a similar effect it would have to be used for an extended period of time (years, rather than months), and you would probably have to have above-normal sensitivity to it.
Adrenal insufficiency tends to cause hypothyroidism (not hyperthyroidism), so the effect of adrenal insufficiency would typically be to increase the TSH level (rather than to reduce it). That suggests that the Entocort you are taking is not the reason why your TSH level is declining. Sometimes TSH test results vary for no obvious reason.
Tex
Unless your lab uses a different range than the one I'm familiar with, a thyroid peroxidase antibody test result should be below 35 IU/mL. Anything above that indicates a possible autoimmune reaction. While a TSH level of 0.82 is within the normal range, it's low enough to suggest some degree of hyperthyroidism. Nodules are typically associated with hyperthyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism is more difficult to treat than hypothyroidism, so if you aren't showing any clinical symptoms, and your nodule hasn't changed in almost 2 hears, that's very likely the reason why your doctor has chosen to "wait and watch", rather than to initiate a treatment program. All sorts of things can happen when treating hyperthyroidism, so the best policy can often be to just keep an eye on it, unless something changes (such as the development of bothersome symptoms) to indicate that there is clearly a need for intervention.
About the only way that a corticosteroid can affect TSH levels is if the treatment leads to adrenal insufficiency. While that can certainly happen when using (and especially while withdrawing) from a treatment program using prednisone, for budesonide to show a similar effect it would have to be used for an extended period of time (years, rather than months), and you would probably have to have above-normal sensitivity to it.
Adrenal insufficiency tends to cause hypothyroidism (not hyperthyroidism), so the effect of adrenal insufficiency would typically be to increase the TSH level (rather than to reduce it). That suggests that the Entocort you are taking is not the reason why your TSH level is declining. Sometimes TSH test results vary for no obvious reason.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thumbs,
What do you mean by they looked it over? Ultra sound? Do you have thyroid symptoms? Is it just one nodule? What's it's size?
I've had thyroid symptoms for years with all "normal" ranges on everything including TSH. I have to control myself with the doctors when any mention of TSH comes up because they insisted none of my symptoms were related to my thyroid even after three nodules were found, two malignant. Mine were all less than 1mm and were considered to be micro carcinomas. I'm still waiting for the pathology report after a month and getting a little impatient. I want to say they were .85mm. It seemed a fluke they were found and I had a fine needle biopsy that confirmed the cancer. I was told its a slow growing cancer and I could wait up to six months to have it removed. I had such debilitating fatigue and lightheadness I didn't want to wait. I had no symptoms related to the nodules (choking feeling, difficulty swallowing, sore throat) until a few days after the FNA. That lasted up until my surgery. I think it was like poking an angry bear. I had seven pokes in the neck and it definitely bothered my thyroid. After my thyroid was removed it was confirmed I had chronic thyroiditis.
This was my experience and don't want to alarm you because like I was told when the endo suggested a FNA just to be safe, most turn up benign. In my case, they weren't. I am thankful it was found because after my month long of reading other patient total thyroidectomy stories, my experience could have been much worse. You jump into a high risk category once you reach 45. I am 42. Due to the early catch, no cancer spread into my lymph nodes and I didn't have to do the radioactive iodine treatment.
From my experience, this cancer seems to be brushed aside as the very treatable cancer- no big deal. It is a big deal. The total removal of the thyroid is controversial but I decided cancer is cancer and it only made sense to have it removed. I'm unsure of what my course of treatment will be since it's only been a month. The levothyroxine seems to have helped some but I'm still having symptoms. I'm not sure yet how I fit into thyroid treatment since I'm wondering what applies and what doesn't since I don't have a thyroid. I've started reading the Stop the Thyroid Madness book and am learning some good info but have lots to learn.
My biggest concern right now is the synthetic- in reading the book it states that the body is meant to have T4, T3, T2, T1, and calcitonin not T4 alone. That makes sense to me. I gave to keep reading......
Be vigilant and do your own research. I learned very little about it from my doctors. There are many good resources here too. Again, I'm not going to automatically assume everyone has thyroid cancer now because that was my experience but I do know that early detection can save you some really hard work and money down the line.
What do you mean by they looked it over? Ultra sound? Do you have thyroid symptoms? Is it just one nodule? What's it's size?
I've had thyroid symptoms for years with all "normal" ranges on everything including TSH. I have to control myself with the doctors when any mention of TSH comes up because they insisted none of my symptoms were related to my thyroid even after three nodules were found, two malignant. Mine were all less than 1mm and were considered to be micro carcinomas. I'm still waiting for the pathology report after a month and getting a little impatient. I want to say they were .85mm. It seemed a fluke they were found and I had a fine needle biopsy that confirmed the cancer. I was told its a slow growing cancer and I could wait up to six months to have it removed. I had such debilitating fatigue and lightheadness I didn't want to wait. I had no symptoms related to the nodules (choking feeling, difficulty swallowing, sore throat) until a few days after the FNA. That lasted up until my surgery. I think it was like poking an angry bear. I had seven pokes in the neck and it definitely bothered my thyroid. After my thyroid was removed it was confirmed I had chronic thyroiditis.
This was my experience and don't want to alarm you because like I was told when the endo suggested a FNA just to be safe, most turn up benign. In my case, they weren't. I am thankful it was found because after my month long of reading other patient total thyroidectomy stories, my experience could have been much worse. You jump into a high risk category once you reach 45. I am 42. Due to the early catch, no cancer spread into my lymph nodes and I didn't have to do the radioactive iodine treatment.
From my experience, this cancer seems to be brushed aside as the very treatable cancer- no big deal. It is a big deal. The total removal of the thyroid is controversial but I decided cancer is cancer and it only made sense to have it removed. I'm unsure of what my course of treatment will be since it's only been a month. The levothyroxine seems to have helped some but I'm still having symptoms. I'm not sure yet how I fit into thyroid treatment since I'm wondering what applies and what doesn't since I don't have a thyroid. I've started reading the Stop the Thyroid Madness book and am learning some good info but have lots to learn.
My biggest concern right now is the synthetic- in reading the book it states that the body is meant to have T4, T3, T2, T1, and calcitonin not T4 alone. That makes sense to me. I gave to keep reading......
Be vigilant and do your own research. I learned very little about it from my doctors. There are many good resources here too. Again, I'm not going to automatically assume everyone has thyroid cancer now because that was my experience but I do know that early detection can save you some really hard work and money down the line.
Deb
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
2007 CC
2013 thyroid cancer- total thyroidectomy
2013 Hashimoto's - numbers always "normal"
2017 Lyme's Disease
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
2007 CC
2013 thyroid cancer- total thyroidectomy
2013 Hashimoto's - numbers always "normal"
2017 Lyme's Disease