Hello :) Any advice?
 

Hi there. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos about 3 months ago. My thyroid levels are still within normal ranges but my antibodies are high (TPO 116 and antithyroglobulin 400) Recently had ANA test and it came back 1:40 and speckled. Can anyone shed some light on what this means? Thanks

Hi Zeldagirl

Welcome to Neurotalk :).

I am not a health professional but my day job includes a reasonable professional understanding of immunology.

Your anti-TPO and anti-thyroglobulin antibody levels are very probably diagnostic of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis but your speckled ANA result may not be.

I suggest that you get your GP to refer you to a specialist clinical immunologist and/or clinical endocrinologist. They might suggest further investigations (for example, your TSH levels) and then discuss treatment options with you.

A friend of mine lives with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis but her treatment (in her case, synthetic thyroxine) means that she is just fine.

All the best.

Welcome Zeldagirl. :Wave-Hello:

Thanks for your replies :) I tried responding the other day but it never posted :/ any idea what a speckled ANA could mean? As I understand it the 1:40 part is the highest normal if that helps any.

Zeldagirl, ANA stands for "anti-nuclear antibody".

Some people make antibodies which react with components of the nuclei of their cells.

The "speckled" bit refers to which parts of the nuclei of your cells the antibodies are present. A speckled pattern can but need not be diagnostic of an auto-immune disease.

The "1:40" number that you mentioned is very low - it probably means that your anti-nuclear antibody levels are small so you don't have much to worry about.

For a more technical discussion of this, you might find the info here helpful; https://labtestsonline.org/understan.../ana/tab/test/ .

I've had higher TPO levels over the years and I've been on thyroid support groups and learned a lot. Stop The Thyroid Madness is a wonderful informative book and the author has a blog. There are many blogs actually on thyroid health and help.

I have been taking selenium daily now for some years 200-400mcg and have no clue with my TPO levels are today. I'm on Armour thyroid since 2002 and take daily iodine for thyroid support.

Fluoride does damage to our thyroids..... Do some research and learn more about your thyroid health. I did for many years....sluggish thyroid can cause some 66 health symptoms.

I have two relatives with Hashimoto's. Both live perfectly normal lives with medication. The ONLY symptom they have ever mentioned is slight fatigue.

Both are extremely active and would probably have their "slight" fatigue just from their busy lives even without Hashimoto's.

Best to you and welcome.