Had my appointment with my GP re my letter I sent in - she wholeheartedly agrees my concerns about the autoimmune problems and this is what has come out of the (long) chat I had with her:
- She believes the high plasma viscosity is related to the high TSH results.
- She also believes that these two high results are most likely a form of inflammation - that being thyroiditis.
- She has ordered the following tests for me:
Ferritin
Folates
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Antibody Profile (including thyroid antibodies)
Coeliac Profile
Plasma Viscosity
She's also of the same mind that I have a mishmash of hyper and hypo without me being committed to under or over. She weighed me and says my body mass index is just about healthy - she wouldn't like me to lose any more weight.
She has also agreed for me to be referred and has said for me to get the blood tests done sooner rather than later so that she can talk with me about them and also send these to the endocrinologist. That's right, she has agreed to refer me!
She understands that I want answers and my concerns dealt with by someone more clinically experienced with thyroid/endocrine issues and I couldn't believe this was coming from an NHS GP! Wow!
I also told her I spent a lot of money having those private tests done and she looked at me surprised and said "we could've done all that for you, you didn't have to go through all that." Now they said that. Ah well, never mind.
Thank you to everyone especially Moggie for all their help in helping me get there! I don't know what I can do to repay you all.
hi jo , super news ...just goes to show how good the help and advice on this site can be ---- don't forget if you are not happy with the endo you see [ many of us were not ] you canrequest a second choice option to a hospital of your choice --- at least you will be able to sleep alittle better now .... LoL alan xxx
Hi Alan, thanks for your reply!!! I didn't know I could request a second choice option to a hospital. I did sleep a bit better last night - in fact I was too happy to sleep to start with!
One thing I'm not sure about is how they'll let me know about the referral. My GP asked me if I was still at the address they have on my file and I said yes, so I presume they'll be sending a letter about the referral to my home address? I thought it was an odd thing to ask as I've been registered with the GP since January and not been asked about my address!
Thanks
Jo xxx
good news and good luck with the referral Jo! J
(don't forget to post those other test results if it's not sorted)
• in reply to
Hi, thanks for your reply!
Still waiting on the thyroid antibodies test at the moment - I requested it on Tuesday and still haven't heard back from Blue Horizon but I'll be posting this up first as they will come back before the other tests I have done next week!!
Hi S, yes I hope another step in the right direction after the hassle I've been through with my former practice who wouldn't even go as far as retest my thyroid function!! I might keep this GP in future as she fully believes in autoimmune disease. It's funny how some GPs don't seem to be of the same opinion.
Thanks! I hope to hang onto her - she didn't even seem to mind that the appointment ran over but she went into a lot of detail about how plasma viscosity relates to TSH (which I didn't know about). When she asked me if I suffer from hyper or hypo symptoms I said I get a mixture of both and she was very understanding about that - that I didn't come under everything for hypo or hyper. I was very surprised she understood and accepted it.
So pleased for you and if I were you I would go and see this GP EVERY time you need to see a doctor and totally boycott the idiot that ignored his letter. Thank god a p.p. was sent to the practise manager.
She seems like a very good doctor and is doing all the right things now, just a shame you had to waste so much time, and energy, with the other idiot. Just goes to show how a good GP can change things around completely.
Do you know which endo she is sending you to - you don't want to have gone to all this trouble only to get a useless endo. Have you done any research on endo's in your area and if so what have you come up with?
Hi Moggie, yes I might well boycott the other GP - what a waste of time he was.
I don't know which endo she is sending me to but it'll be under the NHS and within Bristol, so it will be to one of 3 in the area. I might go on the NHS website and look at reviews on them if I'm entitled to a second option if I'm not happy with the one I'm being sent to.
I'm just waiting on a letter now I suppose but I don't know when I'll be expecting that - I guess sometime after the other tests have been done.
You need to find out KNOW and then tell her which endo you want to be referred to. Don't leave it in the GP's hands or you could get anyone, which could include a trainee endo. A second opinion would be hard to fight for so don't let it get that far - do your research and then leave a message for her with regarding to your preferred endo.
Jo, I would also suggest you get tested for APS (antiphospholipid syndrome/Hughes Syndrome). This may be covered in your antibodies test but check to make sure. It was your mention of plasma viscosity that made me think of this. APS is otherwise known as 'sticky blood syndrome' and people with it/SS/other autoimmune conditions frequently also have thyroid issues.
I think it is covered in the antibodies test as they're doing everything autoimmune-related but I can always check with the nurse carrying out the blood test as she might know.
Thanks Moggie, I've just seen it. It's highly likely I'll be referred to Southmead as I've been referred there before. If I see a different endo I'll just ask if I can see this guy instead if he's heard to be very good.
So glad to hear about your result with the GP - as others have said, be sure and hang on to her, she sounds like one in a million. Good luck with all the tests and the referral.
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