Hi all. I've been to the doctors this morning and yet again have been dismissed. In the past few years I have put on weight that I can not lose, I have started to get migraines, I am cold all the time (although the have had two unusual hot flashes this week) I am so fatigued during the afternoon I can't keep my eyes open (a real issue when I have to drive 60miles to work) and over the last week I feel like I have something stuck in my throat. The response for this is to take muscle relaxants as I could have anxiety. I have been to the doctors before to report a pain in the lower right side of my back, this only happens in the evening yet has no triggers and this is unexplained although incredibly painful. I have had Achilles tendinopothy, and have reported breathlessness when walking upstairs and palpitations before, both things put down to a virus but still happen. I am a runner, I exercise at least 4 times a week and go to the gym. I have a band of fat around my waist which I can not shift and no amount of gym work will tone any part of my body up.
I have a BMI in the normal range (I work hard to keep it there) but can't get rid of any weight at all despite trying hard to do so. When I mentioned this the response was - do you have weight issues? I certainly don't have any at all but not being able to control my weight worries me.
My hair on my head is dull, dry, brittle and falls out easily. My nails are ridged and flake.
I have had bloods taken - in the afternoon and not fasting - my TSH came back at 1.9 well within the normal range.
I don't feel anxious or depressed but both were mentioned this morning both which makes me upset as I know that all this is more than that. Dr said she will review my notes and I have to make a list of my symptoms for when I come back - I have another appointment in the 11th.
Any ideas? Am I going mad or am I in the right place? All roads seem to lead to hypothyroid but I feel like no one is taking me seriously.
Thanks in advance xx
Written by
Melbeee
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If your doctor hasn't tested your Free T3 ask him to do this, or get your own from one of the labs. You will see the comment Thyroiduk makes about the Free T3 blood test. Maybe you can get the Free T4 done too, if you can afford it.
You put the code of whatever lab you choose and you'll get a small discount and Thyroiduk.org will be the Practitioner and they'll get a copy of the results which they will destroy.
How are your levels of B12 - VitD - Iron - Ferritin - Folate ? All need to be good and not just in range for you to feel well and for your thyroid to work well.
Many systems in the body overlap - and low iron can cause flutters - Low B12 can make you feel low and tired and much more....
What did she mean by 'weight issues'? Surely not being able to lose weight is an issue, and you'd just told her that. They do say some odd things at times!
If you feel you have a thyroid problem - and it certainly sounds like it - Don't give up. But next time you get tested, do it early in the morning - 8.0 am, if you can - and fast. That way your TSH will be at it's highest.
The problem doctors have is that they Don't know the symptoms of low thyroid anymore. Given your symptoms, she should at least have tested the FT4 with the TSH, because you could have central hypothyroidism. But, ideally, she would have done
TSH
FT4
FT3
TPOab
TgAB
And, possibly,
vit d
vit B12
Folate
iron
ferritin
The she would have had a really good idea of what was going on. But the world we live in is far from ideal.
Anxiety and depression are symptoms, not diseases. Her job is supposed to be finding out what they are symptoms of! Keep at her until she does her job.
Something else to consider is hashimotos. Hashimotos can cause thyroid related havoc long before it causes hypothyroidism. I have no idea why doctors test Tsh once and say its good. Hashimotos flares attack the thyroid (and other places). Some thyroid cells die and are released into the blood causing temporary elevation of thyroid values which then sink back down (and values would be normal in between...). I think it would be more accurate to test during a flare and then retest twice during the month to see what happens. A doctor here in the states said that it can be treated with low doses of synthroid when you need it. Just one Tsh test... Agh. So inadequate. Why does it have to be thoroughly broken before they try to fix it?
The TSH test only tests how much thyroid stimulation hormone is coming from the pituitary gland. Your problem could most probably be related to the fact the thyroid
gland isn't allowing enough hormone to be accepted ie T4 to T3 conversion. In my case my TSH tests were always normal (18 years) but unwell and the cause was the thyoid wasnt absorbing enough T3 when converted from T4. So I was hypothyroid. You need an intergrated GP who knows what they are doing. The rest are bloody useless.
Thank you for all your comments! I never thought about vitamin D. When I had my last tests done I noticed after doing some research that B12 was low, the levels in the UK are set too high and that under 500 (which mine was) B1 should be taken.
I went back to the doctors this week, with my list of symptoms, she is going to do more blood work and then said something rather strange, " If they all come back clear then there is nothing more I can do". I have booked my tests for 8am on the 21st so hopefully some light can be shed on this ridiculous set of symptoms. I want to join the RAF reserves and need to be fully fit before I do that.
I think that she assumes that as I am in the normal BMI range (which I am) then I should not be worried about not being able to loose weight or build muscle tone. I am a long distance runner and lift weights, the fact that my body shows no changes at all is very odd.
Anyway, no point getting down about it all, just need to keep moving forward! Thanks everyone, I will post my results when they are through.
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