I have been waiting for months/years to be referred back to my Endo,(back in 2009 was told I had Graves Disease so put on Block and Replace which ended 18 months later), anyway I have an appointment on 15th April, question is do I stop all my vitamins and supplements that I have been taking?? All I have added over the past few years to try and help my ever increasing list of problems/symptoms I am convinced is to do with my poorly Thyroid!!
750mg Glucosamine
600mg Chondroitin
50mg Calcium
1000mg Evening Primrose Oil
10ug Vitamin B12
Vitamin B Complex - 1 a day
Selenium 100ug
Multivitamin rda A,B,C,D & E
I'm thinking all this may give a false reading of my blood tests results, if I am lucky enough to get my bloods done.
I really need this appointment to be a positive one, being fobbed off by my GP's for far too long and really need some help to feel well again.
Any ideas/suggestions welcome please.
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Gillypop
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Gillypop, Just skip your supplements on the day of the consultation. You will get 'real' results without peak levels of recently ingested supplements in the unlikely case your endo decides on blood tests other than thyroid. Supplementing won't affect the results of thyroid function tests. Provide a list of supplements you are taking to the endo but most aren't knowledgeable or interested in supplements. Ask your GP for a thyroid function test about a week before your endo consultation so the endo has up to date results.
Did you test calcium before you supplemented calcium?
No I don't think so. I was Vitamin D deficient a couple fo years ago and GP told me to go on a supplement for that, but I think calcium was just added along the way to help with my joint ache. Is the reason you are asking??? Is it a bad one to be on??
Gillypop, I wouldn't take calcium unless I tested low or deficient. Too much calcium isn't good as it can cause kidney, bladder and gallstones. I would ask your GP to test calcium because you may not need to supplement now.
OK thanks, I will drop that one. Problem with my GP , if you see my previous posts I have been trying to get results from my practice, but struggling. They won't give me a print out of my blood tests results. I have tried everything, but did eventually get to speak to someone nice on the phone this morning and I do feel she may actually try and get the print offs done for me. I think I was born worried and now I am paranoid that I have everything under the sun, that's why they are keeping the results from me! My Mum died at 48(I was 8) and her mum also died in her 40's, so having just turned 48 a couple of weeks ago I am beside myself with worry. Don't think being so anxious and waiting for this appointment is doing me much good.
It's okay, Gilly. You are entitled to your results. If your practice won't give them to you make a subject access request under the Data Protection Act.
Yes I know, I am entitled. I just feel awkward because I have found a GP at the practice at last that believes me, its taken me a good five years and about 14 different GP's and 6 hospital admissions to get to this Doc and he is really good. He listens to me now and not always looking at the blood test results, well lack of them!! He has requested a lot for my Thyroid but Lab won't test them, hence he was really annoyed and referred my back to Endo, hoping they will manage to get bloods done.
Gilly, if there is a practice manager speak to him/her about a print off of your results. If you need to make a subject access request you can send that to the practice manager too. There's no reason why requesting and eventually getting your blood results should impact on your good relationship with your doctor. It is the practice which is out of order in withholding them, not you in requesting them.
Yes have tried, but Receptionist told me they were away on holiday(convenient). I will see if I get them on Thursday when I go to collect, if not I will take further. Having a wobble today, some days good and some so very bad. Really need help, all getting a bit much for me.
If you don't want to upset your doctor by asking for your thyroid results ( every patient is entitled to see their results even if you have to a pay for them) then do what I did and get one of the DIY home test kits that are shown on the TUK website.
I did it because my T3 was never tested at any point between being found to have Graves and being signed off after my B&R treatment. I never told anyone I had it done but it was good knowing what my bloods were before I got to the endo.
Make arrangements to have thyroid bloods tested a week before your endo appointment, I was usually sent / given a blood request form and just make a list of all the supplements you are taking. I have been asked about supplements when I have seen an endo - no one ever commented on them - just wrote them down.
Ask your doctor to test your Vit D, B12 and calcium - shouldn't be too hard if you have had them checked in the past - just say you don't want to be supplementing if you don't need to, I'm sure your doctor would agree with that, you want your Vit D and B12 to be well up in the range but you don't want to be taking calcium if you don't need it.
As for worrying and being anxious - I think that goes with Graves. I could have worried for England and got a gold medal when my Graves was at its worst. I'm better now but I still have the odd anxious thoughts flash through my mind, I've read that you should acknowledge anxious thoughts, accept them as what they are and put them aside and I've found that seems to work better than trying to shut them out. It's taken a while to be able to do that. Hopefully some of the advice you have had from others will help you in your way to having a good consultation.
Thanks, yes it does all help, but just had another restless night and all shaky again this morning!! Gosh these Docs have no idea how we feel. I have considered the home test kits, but to be honest my brain fog is so bad I can't even work out which is best/ cheapest. Haven't worked for months so struggling on the money side too. Oh just want to curl up and sleep until 15th April, but just not fair on my kids. I hate feeling like this.
No some doctors seem to have no idea although the first visit I had with my 'real' endo and not an assistant she asked how I felt and before I replied she said 'terrible' so she knew exactly how I felt.
I use the blue horizon one - with TUK discount it is £108 which is a lot but as I wasn't going to get my T3 tested - it was always put on the form but the labs never tested it! I know I couldn't believe that either.
Do you think your Graves is coming back again? I was very lucky my kids had all flown the nest and it was just my husband and I. I was so tired I pretty much did just curl up. All you can do is try and do as little as you can in the house, stick to the basics and get as much rest as you can - and DON'T feel guilty about it, you're not well make sure your family know it's not you, it's your illness and once you are better things will go back to how they were before you were ill again. (((( big hugs))))
Aw, don't cry. You will get better again, my first post on here was to ask if I would ever feel normal again, I just couldn't imagine it but some kind person said yes I would and yes, I do feel normal again - or as normal as was or am likely to be - we all have our little quirks don't we. Just be kind to yourself especially at the moment 😊
I was told I had Graves Disease in 2008, put on B & R for 12/18 months and then told it would be sorted now and sent home with only 12 month checks from my GP surgery. I thought,(I must be so stupid!!,) that it was all sorted, until January when attending the Doc's and he wanted to slap Fybro on me that I said to him wait a minute, is this my Thyroid causing me so many problems?? So it has all snowballed from there. TSH has been at 3.6-3.9 constantly for last 5 years within the range I was given of 0.5-4.5, it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I thought that was wrong. Gosh I feel such an idiot.:(((
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