dr disagrees with me.

[joyce59]

as usual i had a run in with the gp last night. she said i dont have hashimoto thyroiditis as it is sub-clinical yet the endo i saw in april (i paid to go private) did use the word hashimotos so now iam more confused ,tearfull, and stressed then ever. i mentioned i had some neck pain but she assured me theres no way iam likely to get nodules and certainly not thyroid cancer yet the endo said there was a small risk of thyroid cancer (25-30% had it been left untreated) i have private insurance but iam unable to make use of it as she said she wouldnt consider doing me a letter to cover for insurance purposes. i could maybe in time get a private scan but she also said this would be pointless so for the time being its a case of wait and see what the future holds.

[humanbean]

I have read about some people who want a referral to an expert privately have had to do things in a two-step process because their NHS GP won't help them. See a private GP first, then get the private GP to do a referral to the person you want to see. Unfortunately I don't know how to find a private GP.

Your doctor sounds unhelpful and nasty. In your shoes I would find a new one.

[joyce59 in reply to humanbean]

thanks humanbean i did find a private gp at a bmi hospital but it didnt come cheap and the referral letter i needed in order to claim back from the medical insurance. i already had to change drs last year as the one i saw was rude and unhelpful.

[shaws Administrator]

So, in fact joyce59, she has left you in limbo in the meantime, worrying about being quite unwell and getting no sympathetic response from her. However positive she is the Endo suggested a few things so it leaves you without a proper diagnosis one way or another.

The very least she should have done as you're covered by insurance is to allow you to have a consultation which would put your mind at rest. It is when we are at our most vulnerable and unwell, we need support and advice - not refused.

It is easy to say not to worry but we do, first because we haven't a positive diagnosis and feel we're not going to improve over Christmas and New Year.

[e-mail] may have a couple of Endos who don't need a referral letter (I am not sure about this) but the Office is closed until 5th January so you could enquire then.

I hope you feel better soon and that your GP hasn't spoiled your enjoyment, even if you're unwell.

Regards

[joyce59 in reply to shaws]

thanks shaws sadly i havnt had a very good year as it is. both my daughters were in hospital within weeks of each other we had a carbon monoxide leak (lost all our budgies) and a few weeks later our garage caught fire so i will certainly be glad when this years out.

[shaws Administrator in reply to joyce59]

What an unfortunate year for you and your family. I'm sorry your budgies died but am glad everyone else escaped from that disaster. They've been mentioning for a long time about the danger of carbon etc. and we only got an alarm ourselves a few weeks ago. When the gas fitter came to check our boiler he also asked if we had an alarm too. I think a lot of people get caught unawares.

Let's hope the New Year will find an improvement in your health and any other circumstances.

[joyce59 in reply to shaws]

thats what the engineer said and its mostly the elderly who dont have one. i had to have a whole new system but in the long run this will work out cheaper. they also fitted an alarm for us many thanks.

[Clutter]

Joyce59, If thyroid peroxidase or thyroglobulin antibodies are over range you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's thyroiditis). There is no treatment for Hashimoto's although gluten-free diet may help reduce flares and antibodies. Levothyroxine replaces the low thyroid hormone caused by Hashimoto's.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

It would be very unusual not to have developed one or two thyroid nodules by the time you die. Small nodules aren't usually troublesome.

Early signs of thyCa are a lump suddenly appearing in your neck or throat, swollen lymph nodes, voice changes (may become deep and hoarse), difficulty swallowing, or stridor caused by obstruction of the windpipe or larynx. If you experience any of those symptoms your GP should palpate your neck and throat and refer you for an ultrasound scan if a palpable nodule is detected. Nodules >1.5cm should be biopsied via fine needle aspiration to rule out cancer, but 95% of nodules will be benign.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[joyce59]

thanks clutter i had both raised antibodies also slightly high haemoglobin. before i was treated my T4 was in fact just 10 our local lab range is 10-22 so seems it was neither here nor there. ive asked if they would be testing the anti-bodies again but the dr said they only test them once for diagnoses so not sure what they are now.

[Moolie]

O dear that doesn't sound good. I have had this problem - NHS bloods came back 'normal' and the gp said i would have to 'put up with' the tiredness etc and hope it goes away. I have a friend who has Hashi's and she advised private blood tests which came back showing my thyroglobulin antibodies 3x off the scale. I took the results back to the gp who did not argue that i have Hashi's or at least sub-clinical. However, last week i saw an nhs endo who flat out told me i do not have a thyroid problem because 'a raised thyroglobulin antibodies test on its own means nothing' (really??!!) and my thyroid feels normal. So now my med records will show that my thyroid is normal. He couldn't have been less interested in my temperature readings and the fact that they have improved since starting NDT, he didn't even write them down...if we don't fit into their little boxes, we are dismissed it seems.

Anyway, i will just continue with the NDT and other supplements and following a gluten free diet and taking the advice of people who are far more knowledgeable. have you seen the FTPO group on Facebook? Or the 'stop the thyroid madness' website?

[joyce59 in reply to Moolie]

thanks moolie if you ve read some of my previous posts you will notice i was taken off levo as gp said thyroid had ' healed' was of course rubbish as a few weeks later i became ill again. so it was back on levo.