So, because my dr refuses to take my symptoms as a whole and seems determined to treat them one by one, I've had an ECG and been referred to a dermatologist, both of which he basically said were pointless exercises but I think he wanted to get rid of me. I had a blood test at the dermatologists a month or two ago and had a follow up appointment today. I travelled 50 mins to the hospital then waited for 40ish minutes for the appointment then when I saw the dermatologist, he didn't even sit down the whole"appointment". He basically said "do you want an appointment for a hair specialist?" The whole appointment was so he could ask me if I wanted to see a hair specialist at a later date!! He wouldn't discuss any of my other symptoms (I tried) and said he had looked at my blood results (normal of course) "extensively" and there's "nothing wrong" with me and basically shooed me out of there. He couldn't even give me any more details about my bloods being "normal" because the room didn't have a computer. I have to wait for them to get sent to my dr now
Why did no one think it would be a better use of time and money (their own and mine) to perhaps ring me to set up an appointment for the hair specialist?? And to practically refuse to talk about my other symptoms... Granted he's a dermatologist but he just wouldn't talk to me at all and just suggested I might just have early onset female hair loss (I've been fobbed off with this "early onset" stuff before... My Dr flippantly said I sounded like I had early onset dementia when I told him about brain fog... I'm 26 btw and my last b12 was around 200 and my TSH is "normal" but far from optimal so you lovely people tell me, but yes early onset dementia is the most logical explanation!!
Sorry, this has turned into such a rant but I had to just get it off my chest! anyone got any ridiculous stories/things their doctors have said?
Kate.
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Katiepoopops
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"I could tell as soon as you walked in that there is nothing hormonally wrong with you." Opening words of first appointment with consultant endocrinologist.
Do you have the same doctor as me?! My doc also seems incapable of looking at my symptoms as a whole, and dismissed me last time (when I shared my private blood test results and concern about being unable to breathe) by suggesting I do yoga!
My serum B12 was around 200 and my TSH 3.22 last October, then active B12 was 40 and TSH 4.2 when I paid for private tests in December. I only recently discovered that an active B12 lower than 50 should have been followed up by an MMA test.
I'm afraid that persistence and educating ourselves seems to be the only path forward. You know if you don't feel well, do don't be fobbed off. Find out as much as you can, find appropriate science-based evidence, and when you are ready, go back to the doctor and demand action.
My b12 and tsh are very similar to yours. My free t4 is 13.1 (12-22) and I keep being refused further thyroid tests. How much money they would have saved doing those instead of sending me for an ECG and a dermatology referral!
I've had three ECGs! I've also had a chest x-ray, an asthma diagnosis and then un-diagnosis, and complete dismissal of my actual symptoms or my own opinion of what's causing them. My free T4 was around 12.5 (just 'within range') so that "proves" it's not a thyroid problem!
B12 is very low. <500 can cause neurological symptoms so you need to supplement 5,000mcg sublingual lozenges, spray or patches for 6-8 weeks to build levels then cut back to 1,000mcg daily.
"ThyCa is the good cancer" from my otherwise excellent thyroid surgeon.
"anyone got any ridiculous stories/things their doctors have said?"
"It's a touch of your age" - when my ankles started swelling at the age of 30
"her symptoms are her refuge from life" - I was 27 and it won't surprise you to know that was a psychiatrist
"I get tired too if I've done a 14 hour shift" - a cardiologist still in nappies
"The last patient's iron levels were lower than yours and she isn't anaemic either" - my GP, after I received a letter from a London hospital telling me I was anaemic
"You've got hard skin" - when I dislocated a bit of cartilege on my big toe as a teenager
"Come back when it's so bad you can't walk on it at all" - said by geriatric GP at university when aforementioned dislocation hadn't magically cured itself 18 months later.
"How dare you see an osteopath. You could have had cancer." Said by GP when I developed severe headaches in my early 20s and after he had assured me there was nothing wrong.
"She should be told to keep away from doctors and not allowed to use her intelligence to discuss it" - same trick cyclist that concluded my symptoms were my refuge from life.
"You're obviously a lot better" - said by current GP on the phone a year or so ago. I said I knew I was missing something, to see if I could get him to engage. His reply was: "you might be looking for something you won't find". I just (and I do mean just) managed not to say "well I certainly won't find it if I rely on you mate."
I suspect it's your consultant that is suffering from early onset dementia, not you. Certainly he seems troubled by a worrying inability to think for himself.
Quite a list rosetrees - good memory I think one of my worst - was on seeing a consultant with erythema nodosum in both legs that prevented me being able to walk after 2pm ( some 47 years ago ) - that he thought I could be allergic to cabbage !
I consulted with my neighbour who still had her Nurse Training book - it said check for TB - Cancer - Thyroid - Crohns. Well I now know I had three out of the four
I also had a surgeon who told me - when I tried to discuss the bleeding prior to the TB and Crohns diagnosis - that I did not know the difference between my back and front passage. Of course I discharged myself immediately. You couldn't make it up.
Oh yes and the GP that thought I would be fine once the babies had grown up and I could find some work to occupy my mind !! Twenty plus weeks in hospital soon followed - so no chance to find work
Since I usually avoid my GP, the only real classic I remember is: "You are no longer a young woman. You can't expect to do the things you used to". I was 34 and complaining of constant tiredness.
Oh and "If you don't take your steroid inhaler, you'll wake up unable to breathe" No steroid inhaler for more than 30 years - do they read the notes?
Hugs Katiepoopops, we all know the same old same old claptrap from disinterested GP,s and Endo's , anyway, thankfully you will find lots of helpful info on here from like minded sufferers, hopefully you will feel better soon xx
I could write a book about all the stupid things that have been said to me in my lon, sick life, but this is one of my favourites :
I was tricked into seeing a psyciatrist, they called him a 'pain doctor' (no comment). Two minutes after sitting down in his office, he announced : you have pain in your hip because your children have grown up and left home and you Don't know what to do with the rest of your life.
I told him he needed a psyciatrist more than I did, and left!
Hi, I'm new here and been hypo for over 10 years (on levo 100/75 mcg alternate days). After recently experiencing underactive symptoms eventually resulting in a huge panic attack, I went to the doctor and explained that the symptoms I had were virtually the same that I had before being diagnosed. As I was obviously anxious he gave me a card with 'italk.org' details on as he thought it would be good to 'talk' to someone and suggested 'mindfulness' as another option.
This reminds me of the time before I was diagnosed when I went to the doctor (not the same one) with all the symptoms and again I was very anxious and tense and asked for something to help calm me, she said she would prescribe me something as long as I went for counselling and I had to sign a form agreeing to that. Shortly after I saw another doctor who sent me for blood tests and all was revealed! I never went for counselling.
Back to present day again, GP ordered blood test which was TSH 0.74 - normal. I then asked for T3, returned to GP for results but the lab has not done T3. I've also had an ECG because of the palps and that was normal, however the GP is arranging for me to see a heart doctor!
I wonder how much the cost of this is compared to a T3 blood test!
I went to see my GP with all the usual symptoms, so ill I could not work, after explaining to her ,with tears in my eyes she said 'you look fine to me' , it was if I was asking to loan her lipstick. It took 18 more months for a blood test and diagnosis of hashimoto and premature menopause, this was after a very dignified blackout over the frying pans at a Tesco superstore. I suppose its one way to get some attention albeit a painful embarrassing one.
With a steadily increasing TSH, I visited my (old) GP with with some fairly serious but odd symptoms, and my GP merely said, "what do you want to me to about it?"
Thankfully, my husband was with me as I couldn't string my own sentences together, remember what I was going to say or discuss anything coherently (amongst all the other symptoms).
He soon set the GP straight.
Thankfully, all the "ologists" that my GP very begrudgingly eventually referred me too realised there were some pretty horrible things going on and we are slowly sorting things out.
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My doc also seems incapable of looking at my symptoms as a whole, and dismissed me last time (when I shared my private blood test results and concern about being unable to breathe) by suggesting I do yoga! 
I think one of my worst - was on seeing a consultant with erythema nodosum in both legs that prevented me being able to walk after 2pm ( some 47 years ago ) - that he thought I could be allergic to cabbage !
waste of my time Endo!
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