I was a regular user of this wonderful site (Jan Jan),but disappeared for a while as I was very low and quite frankly, rather fed up with myself! I desperately needed a second knee replacement, but couldn't get past the pre-op assessment stage because I always have a suppressed TSH, having been on armour thyroid since 1998.I have hashimotos.I also had a fast heart-due to terrible nerves, plus as I later found out, a urine infection. I was told that I could not have surgery with a suppressed TSH and that the anaesthetist would not put me out because of it. I had had six knee ops in the past with a suppressed TSH and nobody queried it then.
I took Shaws' advice and emailed Louise Warville who sent me a Pulse article by Dr Toft, explaining why some people have a suppressed TSH in order to feel well-which does not mean the patient has an overactive thyroid. My GP who is amazingly supportive and knew all this anyway, sent a letter to the hospital explaining all this. The hospital promptly lost this letter! My GP faxed it again and again it got lost I emailed it and it got corrupted in the process.I then sent it through the post and they got it!
So after several months, the pre assessment clinic gave me the go ahead and I had my knee replacement in February.I climbed on the operating table with great trepidation, expecting the anaesthetist to read my notes and tell me to get down and send me on my way! But he was fine and didn't even mention my TSH.My recovery was tough going as I was on morphine tablets for a month and I have poor tolerance of morphine.Also,this time the hospital did not give me Diclofenac for inflammation, which I now know is a thyroid antagonist!
I am glad to say that I am now feeling better than I was, but still pretty exhausted....but I can walk a lot better already.So I am now looking forward to leading a brand new life!!!
When Dr Skinner so very sadly passed away ( I will always remember him as he was also really good to my late Dad and he was such good fun!), my GP agreed to me having Armour thyroid on the NHS...at last!!!!! The health trust has agreed and I now have my first NHS prescription for it.
I have returned to tell my tale, hoping it will be of some help to anyone else about to embark upon surgery.My GP said she knows that with hypothyroidism, patients take longer to heal and recover, but we get there in the end.