<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi all.  I got a blood test back that suggested I may have an underactive
thyroid.  Yesterday when I was researching, I came across information that
said hypothyroidism often co-occurs with other autoimmune diseases such as
Celiac disease.  The article I read that linked the two also said that once a
gluten-free diet was begun, the thyroid problems tended to decrease.  I've
been eating gluten-free for about three years now and have had normal readings
of thyroid hormones up until last week.  Thyroid disease runs in my family, so
it's not surprising that I would eventually get it, but I'm only 26, which
seems pretty young.  My doctor didn't want to diagnose me yet, but wants me to
wait three months and then check my blood again, but this seems like an
excessively long time to me, since I'm fatigued (and in grad school!) and
would like to begin treatment if necessary.

If any of you have experience in this area, I have a few questions you might
be able to answer.

1.  Is it typical to test, wait three months, and then test again?  [I have a
feeling my score wasn't REALLY high (my doctor likes to see below 5 and mine
was 5.75), so maybe that was her reason.]

2.  If you were re-tested in a few months, were your test results similar, or
was the first test in error (in other words, how likely is it that I actually
do have hypothyroidism, as the first test suggested)?

3.  Did your thyroid problems show up before or after beginning a gluten-free
diet?

4.  What symptoms of thyroid dysfunction did you have?

5.  What sort of effect do thyroid problems have (if any) on your everyday
life?

Thanks very much for any information you can share with me.

Have a great day!

Christie in Chandler, AZ