BOTH Graves and Hashimotos???

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2006
BOTH Graves and Hashimotos???
4
Fri, 09-08-2006 - 3:58pm
I had thyroid surgery last week, due to my Graves disease. Prior to that, I had seen an endo who said it was Graves disease, and another endo who also agreed. I went back to the first specialist later who again said, yep its Graves. And had two other doctors (an OB and internal med) who looked at Blood work and said it looked like HYPERTHRYOID. So I have the surgery as indicated. Then the surgeon is explaining the pathology report and he says I have "Hashimoto's antibodies." I don't get it. They are not even close to the same thing. So I was a little upset and called the endo about why I am told I have Graves but the pathology indicates Hashimotos antibodies. He said that I had both and that it is possible to have both of them co-exist. I have tried to research this but finding little about it. It seems illogical to have two competing diseases like that, but I guess its possible that one of them could have been more dominant at one point in time and others at other points in time. For example I have had periods of lots of weight gain, even though I have Graves, which is odd. Anyone else ever experience this?
Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Fri, 09-22-2006 - 10:38pm

Hi So_so_sad,


That is interesting that both of these conditions can co-exist.

 

Calley7

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-25-2006
Mon, 09-25-2006 - 2:09pm

This sounds like a condition known as "Hashi-toxicosis". (NOTE: I had to deliberately put a hyphen in the word, as for some reason, the board found it "objectionable"!!)

When you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the thyroid cells that get killed off can suddenly dump their stored supplies of thyroid hormone into your blood stream and you get symptoms of being hyperthyroid, sometimes along with those of being hypothyroid. Lab results are affted by these "bursts", too, but you're lucky in that the antibodies for both hyper- and hypo- showed up. Many doctors discount it and think you're nuts!

I have this problem, and have finally determined that it is far too difficult to try to regulate my medication to accommodate it. (In fact, I have been through a stress test and a heart cath thinking I might have had a heart problem, but it was my thyroid "acting up"!) My goiter is also enormous and growing despite taking meds, so I will be having a TT shortly. It sounds like your doctors knew what they were doing.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2006
Wed, 09-27-2006 - 6:45pm

Hi Calley,
I sometimes feel like so_so_sad, that I have both hyper and hypo. I thought maybe I was just imagining it. I feel like I have some of the symptoms of both.

Thanks,
Teri

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2006
Wed, 09-27-2006 - 6:48pm

Hi So_so_sad,
I sometimes feel I have both hyper and hypo. It does seem to me that I have symptoms of both of them. I know that some of the symptoms cross over to both hyper and hypo. I thought it was just me going crazy.

Thanks,
Teri