I have recently had a thyroid blood test that came back with a borderline result and have been advised to have another test in three months

[mwigan]

My symptoms are depression and always feeling cold . Do I really have to wait three months to be retested as I have no quality of life and am housebound due to my symptoms .

[HarryE]

The GP will probably make you wait 3 months, unfortunately. Do you have your results, or can you get them and post them here? Of course, you can always get a private test done if you want to see if things are deteriorating.

[Hennerton]

Can you see a private consultant? They tend to be more flexible, not having their hands tied by the NHS. Please post results and people can suggest whether you are likely to be given a trial of Thyroxine privately. Thyroid UK has a list of consultants. I think I would try that route if at all possible, in order to get your life back.

[shaws Administrator]

We don't usually ask for a copy of our blood test results but we are entitled to them. If you ask your surgery, they should run off a copy but Receptionist may say she will have to ask the GP. The blood test results should also include the ranges as labs differ throughout the country. The ranges make it easier to comment. Just tell them you want them for your records and get a copy of each thyroid gland blood test so that you can post if you have a query. If your GP hasn't tested your Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, iron, ferritin and folate as we can be deficient in these.

[galathea]

The GP will make you wait three months so he can be sure this is not a blip which will right itself. If, however, you have antibodies then the cause is auto immune and this cannot right itself. It might be worth you asking for an antibody test or, if the doc is unhelpful, you can get one done privately, by dealing directly with the lab. Blue horizon or Genova do them I believe. Details on the thyroid uk website under testing.

[HarryE in reply to galathea]

I have been kept hanging around for three months and i DO have antibodies

[galathea in reply to HarryE]

In that case the doctor is an ass. You should have a look at the book by dr a toft, understanding thyroid problems... £5 local chemist or amazon. It was written in conjuction with the bma and he says that you should be treated early to avoid the build up of problems. Write to your doc, list your symptoms and point out that as you have antibodies they are not going to go away until your thyroid is destroyed. Request an immediate trial of replacement hormones and send a copy to the head of practice too. What were your test results?

G x

[HarryE in reply to galathea]

Oh I've got the book, in fact I think I have pretty much every book that has been recommended here. My latest results were a TSH of 4, ft4 of 13 and antibodies of 1823! I'm ignoring them all now and started NDT 2 weeks ago. Am feeling better, but also now really furious!!

Thanks x

[galathea in reply to HarryE]

Tbh, NDT is almost impossible to get from the doc, its by far the best treatment I have come across and if you are feeling fine and confident, and can afford to self treat, it might be easier to just avoid all the hassle. Don't waste energy feeling angry, it affects no one but you, and you could be spending your energy doing things which are far more fun! X

[HarryE in reply to galathea]

That's true, but it helps sometimes too! And i feel so angry for the people who can't. I work for the NHS and am feeling so let down and disillusioned!

[BillieSt in reply to galathea]

yes, reading books and self treating makes everyone qualified to treat thyroid disorders ... deary me, this advice is dangerous.

As was stated above, initially there is a wait of 3 months between the first two sets of blood tests, once it is established there is a thyroid problem then

a) if you have an overactive thyroid you will be wait to see an endocrinologist, GPs are loathe to treat themselves (from experience, it is frustrating but hang on in there, apparently it is more complicated to treat hyper than hypo, more complications to consider).

b) if you have an underactive thyroid then you probably will be treated by your GP who will monitor you in the future. You will not necessarily be referred to see a consultant.

Please don't self diagnose based on books or take meds without being prescribed.

[HarryE in reply to BillieSt]

Sorry but without the advice on here I would still be ill, I've been off work for almost 3 months and cannot get any treatment, from GP or endo. If I could I wouldn't have looked up anything. I have been very sensible and careful, but I am not prepared to stay ill for no valid reason.

[BillieSt in reply to HarryE]

Your opening post was "My symptoms are depression and always feeling cold . Do I really have to wait three months to be retested as I have no quality of life and am housebound due to my symptoms"

So you really aren't any better for taking advice from people who are neither qualified to treat you or access to your blood tests. If you've now waited nearly three months, then it's not long before you have your second lot of blood tests to ascertain what is wrong. If you self medicate now, then the blood tests will give false results which will not help your GP give a correct diagnosis. Unless you were planning to tell him/her what you've been taking?

[HarryE in reply to BillieSt]

The original poster wasn't me. I am feeling very much better thanks

[Hidden in reply to BillieSt]

All I can say to this is that you are very misinformed... speechless...

[BillieSt in reply to Hidden]

You think he should self medicate, especially in view of the fact he will shortly undergo blood tests to see if he has an underactive thyroid?

[Hidden in reply to BillieSt]

Actually I think there has been some confusion here. mwigan posted this original question. HarryE is in a different situation. Sadly for some, self treating is their only option.

[Hidden in reply to BillieSt]

Actually sorry maybe I'm confused - brainfog :-s

[HarryE in reply to BillieSt]

I'm not saying anyone should self treat, its not my place to tell anyone what to do. But its working for me. And people need to know there is another option available, after serious consideration and lots of research of course. My blood tests are unequivocal and I am confident I amdoing the right thing for me

[BillieSt in reply to HarryE]

Sorry but I can't agree. Apologies for getting original poster mixed up with Harry (in defence, I'm still getting my level of meds right after RAI ) but I don't believe we should read books/take advice on what meds to take from thyroid sufferers on the interweb - we are individuals, we really shouldn't think because we have a particular medication then that's suitable for some one else.

[Hidden in reply to BillieSt]

In all other areas of medicine I would agree with you but unfortunately in the thyroid world things are very different. I assume you are on thyroxine after your RAI - I hope it works for you but if you have lingering symptoms later down the line, you may be in the same situation as HarryE and it is good to know that there are other options available to you rather than being stuck with a poor quality life of ill health due to your doctor. Whether you choose that option is of course up to you

My doctor believed that NDT is the superior treatment for anyone hypothyroidism but as you say we are all individuals and it may not be right for everyone. The only way to know is try it and find out

[HarryE in reply to BillieSt]

I haven't taken advice from anyone about what is right for me. I've learned, and researched and made a decision to try something. And that decision appears to be improving my health. And new blood tests will confirm whether or not that was the right decision. I certainly couldn't have felt much worse.

[Hidden in reply to HarryE]

Glad you're feeling better Harry good luck!

[LouiseRoberts in reply to BillieSt]

Hi

We always encourage people to explain what worked for THEM.

No one can advise anyone else to take or not take any meds. We are not medically trained and everyone is very different.

That doesn't mean that sharing information about all possible treatment and testing options is a bad idea.

Reading everything that you can about a condition can only help to expand your knowledge.

We have some Posting Guidelines in place:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

If people feel that the Guidelines are being broken, they have the option of reporting posts.

These reports are always taken seriously and investigated..

Louise

[LouiseRoberts]

Hi

I've got a bit lost as to what advice has been given directly to you... have you seen that there is some options for private testing on the main website:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Have you got your latest thyroid blood results with the reference ranges please? This information will help people to better offer informed support...

More helpful info here:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

Louise

x