What should I ask my GP? First appointment

[rmac13]

Hi, I found this forum via Google and hoping for a bit of advice. After about 2 years of symptoms and several months of denial that there was anything wrong I have an appointment with my GP next week and I want to ask to be tested for hypothyroidism. I'm wary of being fobbed off as I've read so many stories like that so I was wondering what sort of questions I should be asking, what info I should take with me and what kind of tests should I be asking for.

I've made a list of symptoms - weight gain that exercise and diet has no impact on, dry scaly skin that's getting worse and serious tiredness and fatigue that's getting worse. Also migraines and vertigo which I've read can be connected. Is there anything else those with more experience would suggest doing to prepare?

The tiredness more than anything is really getting to me and I need to know what's causing it.

Thanks,

R

[Clutter]

Welcome to the forum, Rmac.

Ask your doctor to test your thyroid function, ideally TSH, FT4 and FT3. Unfortunately many will not test FT4 and FT3 when TSH is within the lab ref range.

Low levels of ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate can present with symptoms of fatigue, musculoskeletal pain and low mood similar to hypothyroid symptoms so you should ask for them to be tested too.

Ask for a printout of your results with the lab ref ranges (the figures in brackets after your results) and post them in a new question for advice/comment.

The information and symptom checker in this link should be helpful thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

[rosetrees]

Write down on a piece of paper the tests that you would like doing, so you don't forget anything. Mine actually asked for the list one time.

One it put: TSH, FT4, FT3 (they probably won't do this, but it's worth asking), Vit D, Vit B12, iron, folate and ferritin.

Make sure to ask for a print out of the results, with ranges, then come back and post them.

Good luck.

(Edit: Snap Clutter. We cross posted.)

[Kelly140308]

Do you have any other symptoms? I only found out because I no longer had hair on my legs, although I thought it was a positive thing I knew it wernt right. I put all the other symptoms down to just having a baby or other factors. I had bad mood swings, felt low a lot, lost a lot of hair, constipation, pains in my legs and arms, exhaustion although I couldn't sleep at night, agitated heart palpatations, memory loss puffy face and eyes really bad dry skin, especially on my hands and feet, dry hair, thinning eyebrows

[rmac13]

Hi Kelly , yes some other symptoms as well including constipation and muscle pains. It wasn't till I saw a list of symptoms for hypothyroidism that I even thought of linking some things together.

Rose trees and Clutter, thanks for the advice. I'll write the tests down.

[Hidden]

I came across this quiz, posted by someone in the interesting closed FB group on thyroidism (Thyroid Problems UK) : wellnessresources.com/thyro.... Why not do the test and take the results with you? Whether you do or not, do take a list of your major symptoms. And make sure s/he reads it.

Try and take someone with you for moral support. Also (as others have said) write down which tests you want done, and the outcomes you want. You can easily find, outside the doc's door after the appointment, that things went off at a tangent and you haven't covered everything you needed to cover.