My bloods are normal yet I've all symptoms of thyroid problems. Has this happened to anyone else? GP thinks its funny that I'm so persistent

[Mamma23]

Gp's focused on my weight gain rather than all my symptoms and has referred me to an obesity clinic!!

[ianessex]

funny enough I just posted same question,, couple very helpful replies on my post if you wanna take look,, Ian

[ianessex]

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[sezzy]

Ask for a copy of your blood results tsh t4 t3 and ranges you might be low 'normal' range.

[Aurealis]

Under treated hypothyroid patient find it difficult to find the energy to be persistent, but it's the only way to get treatment. Yes it's happened to me. Persistence is the way forward - keep going! They should treat the patient then check bloods. Instead they try to treat bloods and ignore patient.

[Confused77]

Both my TSH and T4 levels are well within 'normal' levels. I'm on Vit D and iron supplements and I have a Vit B12 injection every 12 weeks as I'm deficient in all these but I still have hypo symptoms which both my GP and Endo insist must be due to fibromyalgia. It's all very frustrating!

[shaws Administrator in reply to Confused77]

Here are a couple of links (Fibromyalgia, CFS and ME were 'new diseases' named about ten years after the thyroid gland blood tests were introduced using the TSH mainly for diagnosing:-

web.archive.org/web/2010081...

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

some of the links within the above may not work as this is archived.

[Mamma23 in reply to shaws]

Thanks for this, I've learnt something new as I also have fibromyalgia! I can now go to the endo armed with some ammunition.

[Confused77 in reply to Confused77]

I forgot to say that I have Hashimotos diagnosed through antibody blood test, ultrasound scan and fine needle aspiration. Damn this brain fog - or is it fybro fog!?!

[lynn0857]

Exactly the same thing happened to me! my GP has now decided that I am obsessed with my weight & wants to refer me to a psychiatrist!

Ask to see your results, the doctors only tend to do a TSH test and their "normal " reference range is immense. You need to know your exact result, they say that anything up to 10 is normal but many people do not feel well with a result over 2.5. I'm afraid I don't trust anything they tell me, I find out the exact result & research it for myself.

[Mamma23]

Thanks very much for all your helpful replies. I'm going to try ( I say try, cos my GP wasn't going to refer me to anyone- I'm now being referred to an obesity clinic!) & get referred to Prof Chew at the London Clinic, as I've heard good reports about him. I live in NE Scotland & there's no one decent here I believe. I want someone that' s going to look at all my symptoms and not focus in on the blatantly obvious one!!

Funnily enough I saw Dr Peatfield years ago and his results came back borderline with deficient adrenal glands, he put me on his magic pills and I saw & felt fab results, unfortunately I couldn't afford the upkeep of the meds so had to stop & my GP wouldn't acknowledge the test results. Years on my symptoms are magnified with hair loss to boot! Apparently it's just my age & I've got to accept it- I'm 43!!

[Rose2408 in reply to Mamma23]

Yes! Old at 43! What a joke!! Even at 80 should we feel like we do? No! I think press on with your instincts, they're there to help guide us & like the others say, don't believe anyone without checking everything out yourself! It's very unfair but we need to become our own "health project manager!" Or if not you'll likely get swept under the carpet or tossed in the "too hard bin" labeled with any condition to shut you up! I felt like you & diagnosed the same as you, and my thyroid function blood tests were all good...but as many of us learn the hard way, the blood tests don't show conditions like cancer....which the symtoms mimic Fibro, CFS, depression, weight gain (or loss) etc. My Endo looked at me like I was an idiot when I asked how come my cancer didn't show in blood tests, thyroid function tests etc & why I had been misdiagnosed for over 3 years with all the above & simply replied, "thyroid function has nothing to do with thyroid cancer". Not one looked at my symtoms as a whole person & not one bothered to take me seriously till my cancer had spread...so fight & keep fighting to be heard!!! Eg...A simple ultrasound can show many things lurking in our thyriods that blood tests can not!!

[Mamma23 in reply to Rose2408]

Thanks Rosie, I know what you mean, my family's health history's a bit strange as well. My mum's had cancer twice, didn't show in her bloods nor on the x rays- only found it when she got an MRI!!

I hope that you are still fighting & winning, cancer is such a horrible disease.

Than you for taking time to reply to my question and I wish you well xx

[merissa in reply to Mamma23]

Prof chew, is he nhs based or still private, he was awesome. Xx

[Mamma23 in reply to merissa]

Hi Merissa, I've gone private to get seen quicker and at a time that suits me, as I have to fly down, but I believe he still works in the NHS as well x

[merissa in reply to Mamma23]

Good luck, he is awesome and knows his stuff. X

[merissa in reply to Mamma23]

Me again, sorry, he gave up nhs. X

[antonia26]

Hi i also had same problem bloods going from borderline to normal and back and fore until last month when seeing a different doctor who listened to me and said they would retest my antibodies and found them very high and now started treatment . It took over 3 years to get it mind.

[skywala]

Yes, my GP response is the same ! Despite having all the symptoms of an under-active thyroid being left for years....hoarse voice, swollen tongue, carpel tunnel syndrome etc. etc ....all I get is a "slow pituitary", "but we don't know why". The NHS is not allowed to prescribe if the bloods do not indicate.

[Mamma23]

Hi Sandy, yes, I had to import them from the states & cost me an arm & a leg! Good to know they can be purchased cheaper now. I'll bear this in mind if I get nowhere with my Endo appt in a couple of weeks x

[yenool]

I think the only problem is that hypothyroid symptoms are quite vague and not really specific - therefore doctors are reluctant to diagnose it without concrete 'evidence' on the blood tests. And of course in their defense many other illnesses could cause classic 'hypothyroid' symptoms.

What makes me angry is I have had various symptoms (some could be hypothyroid) since about 2008 but because the blood tests for everything (thyroid, autoimmune diseases, inflammation) either come back 'normal' or only slightly abnormal they dismiss the problem as being psychological in nature.

Too right I'm flipping depressed - I'm not even 30 and I've felt like poo for the last 5+ years of my life. All they want to do is slap a fibromyalgia/depression label on it. I often wonder if doctors have gone mad - they have stopped listening to patients history/symptoms and started treating LAB reports only. To make matters worse those lab reports are treated as gold plated and infallible when in reality a significant minority of people CAN have hypothyroidism or autoimmune diseases without positive blood markers.