Clinics changing lab perimeters

[Dryski]

Has anyone experienced their clinic changing labs with new numbers and suddenly they think everyone's body and levels should match up.? What a nightmare. In tears and finally got a small increase in levothyroxine after two appointments and several doctors later. Why is this even a thing all of a sudden?

[Charlie-Farley]

I honestly don’t know what to tell you- I had the same thing joining a new surgery- they wanted to reduce my medication based on…. You guessed it - BLOOMING (please feel free to swap for an expletive) TSH.

Medical ignorance- it just feels like the powers are purposely not adequately training doctors so they will not ask questions and deviate from the script. Any level of curiosity or enquiry seems to be absent.

There must be a steady stream of patients who repeatedly go back to doctors because they don’t fit the NHS model yet the lack of awareness of the imperfections in that model leaves all us (fairly numerous ‘outliers’) really out on a limb.

All I can say is be vigilant, keep records independent of the surgery and get all your results printed as well as on patient access because if they decide to ‘hide’ records, as they did with me it could make things tricky for you. If you don’t feel they précis an appointment accurately submit a written response and get it scanned and added to your records. When I found this happened to me (I already had the tests) I took copies in to the surgery told them some records were missing and here they are and the lasses on the reception happily took them and scanned them in 😂👍.

[Dryski in reply to Charlie-Farley]

Thanks again. Great advice. Funny thing is my issue is secondary hypothyroidism and on levo and tsh level is really null and void to begin with. My new group of doctors dont seem to get it. Levels don't change like our daylight savings time just because they got a new lab system.

[Charlie-Farley in reply to Dryski]

That is even more appalling Driski!Perhaps buy them an introduction to Thyroid diseases book for Christmas 😱🤬

[locky8 in reply to Dryski]

My Tsh stays at 0.01 and every blood test I have I get the same twaddle about my meds need to be reduced as I'm over medicated. I have Hashimotos and have had a hyper episode and I know I'm not over medicated.Even my endo said the tsh is all they need as it picks up the slightest change in meds

I now go in armed(not literally 😆) but I've kept copies of my blood tests from 2018 going forward and guess what? Tsh is 0.01 and in that time I've had natural dessicated thyroid 1 grain, 1.5 grains, 2 grains,levothyroxine 100mg and liothyronine 20mg and tsh is still 0.01. But its the best I've felt in years although not 100% but better than I have for ages.

I tell them to refer to my endo as she has learnt from me that the tsh isn't accurate and she doses by how I feel. My vitamin D is also near the top of the range so not sure if that helps to.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Changes to reference intervals can be for several reasons.

They might have started using a different analyser machine.

They might have seen advice (e.g. from NICE) which has recently happened for ferritin.

They might have done a review.

Have you actually calculated where your old results were in the old reference ranges? And the new results in the new ranges?

Thyroid Test Results Calculators

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Dryski in reply to helvella]

Thanks again. A few pints to come back off the rant.

[Batty1]

I have also experienced 2 different labs with 2 different lab ranges … makes me bananas that every lab can’t use same ranges.

[serenfach]

The range can change but the percentage level of where you are in the range is what is important. Of course the GPs dont look at that.

I printed the quotation part of this research off and sent it to my GP practice. I dont know if they read it of course..

thyroidpatients.ca/2019/03/...

When I was teaching, there was a metal garage door that we used to go and kick when we had had a tough class. There was sometimes a queue. I think every surgery should install one and maybe the constant clatter would get through to the GPs that they were not doing a good job!

[BattlingBS]

Same thing is happening re pituitary hormone levels. A certain prof out of ICL and his chums are moving the goal posts and lowering the thresholds for AI, AGHD, etc. Makes no sense to me, but they're effectively reducing the amount people qualifying for hormone treatment and no doubt aiming to save money rather than lives... at least that's my take on it.