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We have a tentative diagnosis...
Just not for the symptoms I went in for... :D
It appears that I have Hashimoto's disease - an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid. However, other than a slightly enlarged thyroid, and elevated levels of thyroglobulin antibodies, I am asymptomatic. In men, that is usually the case, but women are 10-15x more likely to develop the symptomatic form, hypothyroidism. An associated symptom is that the same antibodies attack the parietal cells of the stomach, leading to poor iron and B-12 uptake. It is genetically passed, and dominant.
My mother has been treated for hypothyroidism for years, unsuccessfully, and is also badly anemic and shows signs of B-12 deprivation, despite supplements.
Go figure.
Long term prognosis for me is currently "get T4 levels checked at least once a year, probably twice", and if it starts to slip, then I start thyroid supplements. ie, no biggie. :)
Now if we can just figure out the rest of it...
It appears that I have Hashimoto's disease - an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid. However, other than a slightly enlarged thyroid, and elevated levels of thyroglobulin antibodies, I am asymptomatic. In men, that is usually the case, but women are 10-15x more likely to develop the symptomatic form, hypothyroidism. An associated symptom is that the same antibodies attack the parietal cells of the stomach, leading to poor iron and B-12 uptake. It is genetically passed, and dominant.
My mother has been treated for hypothyroidism for years, unsuccessfully, and is also badly anemic and shows signs of B-12 deprivation, despite supplements.
Go figure.
Long term prognosis for me is currently "get T4 levels checked at least once a year, probably twice", and if it starts to slip, then I start thyroid supplements. ie, no biggie. :)
Now if we can just figure out the rest of it...
Re: Careful
And there's a form of acute Hashimoto's that bounces between the two, and can be mistaken for bipolar disorder, etc, etc. Wheeeeeeeee!
I have found out more recently about the endocrinological, immune, and associated psychological systems than I ever expected to. It's fascinating.
It's also a wonder our big wet bags of meat function at *all*.