Gp has agreed to treat me.

Ok quick recap. Many of you will know my situation. 

Symptoms sinxe last summer of fatigue, feeling cold alot mainly if it is cold but I feel it b more so than others, general lethargy and anxiety. Gp ran tests in  August and told me i was fine.

August 2015

TSH 5.35 (0.35-5.5) 

FT4 11 (7-17)

B12 was 212 and ferritin 15. Both I supplemented myself and are now up to 477 and 34. Climbing slowly. Gp said b12 was fine when it was 212 so I self supplemented. He treated ferritin but it'd been low for many years. 

I then in January went private as I became more exhausted and suffering from stress with my sons health suffering. My gp ran bloods again but tool them at 1.30pm at my house so not fasted. Tsh was 2.92 and ft4 10.2. 

January 2016 Blue Horizon test.

TSH 6.54 (0.27-4.2)

FT4 14.2 (12-22)

FT3 5.8

Antibodies normAl. 

Blue horizon test March 2016.

TSH 7.51 (0.27-4.2)

FT4 15.8 (12.22)

FT3 5.3

Antibodies normAl. 

I spoke to my gp this week.  He read my latest results and said in just 7 weeks that was quite a change from my January result. I asked why ft4 was climbing and tsh because normally t4 drops with hypothyroidism. He said it's obvious the thyroid is struggling for tsh to be climbing so quickly and ft4 is working hard to keep producing thyroxine at the fats rate the tsh is demanding it. He said eventually that ft4 will drop as the thyroid fails. I said right ok it made sense. So he said i on my have to wait 4 weeks to have a re test and if that tsh has even gone up a tiny amount he will start me on thyroxine. He said it was obvious with how bad my fatigue is there is a problem.  

I told him I have crash days often. I'm tired daily and feel weak. Taking care of 3 children and my home is a challenge. Last week I had some energy so I hoovered and mopped 3 times that week and took the kids on a day out and had a 4 day crash. No energy and felt very ill. He said it sounds very like cfs but more likely my thyroid is causing this body weakness and fatigue. He said do 1 more test then he has a case to say there's a trend, family history and he can go against the guidelines of waiting until tsh hits 10. About time.

He said to have the bloods done at the surgery in 4 weeks. He's accepting the bh results but said to save me money go for an NHS test. Thing is I've suffered anxiety and agoraphobia since being unwell and appointments especially blood tests I find very tough. I had a huge panic attack there last winter when I was fatigued and weak and having blood taken. Mental block right now I guess. So will doing a blur horizon finger prick one be ok? He will accept it but are they definitely reliable and accurate?

Thank you all for your support. It's been a long road to get a gp to listen.  I last saw him in January and he was saying anxiety was why I was tired and I kept telling him I'm on my anxious because I feel so ill and no one's telling me why!!!

Last time I posted a few weeks ago with my recent results mamy of you replied saying with a rising ft4 it was more likely my adrenals and stress causing this. I thought it could be as I've just come through a stressful time. I am very confused by the rising ft4 but I hope my gp knows what he's talking about before putting me on thyroxine. 

Thanks again.

Julie 

[Clutter]

Jingyd34,

Your Gp is correct.  Rising TSH is flogging your thyroid to produce T4 and that is why it has risen slightly but without higher and higher TSH the FT4 will drop and so then will FT3.

Blue Horizon labs are fully accredited so the hometests will be accurate.

[Hidden in reply to Clutter]

Brilliant thank you.

I read up on hba1c finger prick tests not being accurate so I did worry. I read up on hba1c as mine was 40 in December and my gp says I'm fine but I considered bh to test it myself.  I assumed finger prick tests were all ok.

[shaws Administrator]

I don't know why your GP wants to wait another 4 weeks which will seem very long to you.

Remember to get the earliest possible appointment and don't eat before it although you can drink water. Maybe make the appointment now for 4 weeks so you do get the earliest.

[Hidden in reply to shaws]

I will be doing a bh test fasted from home.

He said so he has 3 results showing a trend as his senior as they will question any treatment if a tsh hasn't hit 10.

He even offered to test my antibodies. A rare thing for the NHS

[eeng]

In some countries you would be treated with a TSH of 3 if you had symptoms. Something like 90% of healthy people have TSH between 0.5 and 1.5 but the NHS guidelines say not to treat until TSH reaches 10. I'm sure it would be different if 90% of hypothyroid people were men rather than women.

[HarryE in reply to eeng]

I agree! Mine only ever got to 4 & I was half dead. 

[Hidden in reply to HarryE]

I'm more than half dead haha!

[Hidden]

Yes I already have high cholesterol so I've told him I feel so ill I cannot wait any longer feeling this way so he agreed to treat in the next 4 weeks. It'd just the stupid guidelines he has to get passed. 

When I last posted about my latest results a few weeks ago many members replied saying they didn't think I even had a thyroid issue I'd my ft4 was 15.8 and rising.  Tsh 7.51 could be be due to other reasons but my gp didn't seem to think so. 

[Sherie7373]

Mine were treated as soon it was caught in was border line it runs in my family but they all ate crap and I was the health nut so in there 20s they were diagnodes I was 40 ..... I thought I was safe. . My poor niece is 10 and already has it

[TupennyRush]

Hi 

Not sure why your GP is waiting. They will have to ramp you up slowly on levo anyway and can test after you've taken it for a couple of months. As such if they treat with a relatively low dose (which they will to start anyway) they can see how you react and then it isolates the problem. Good luck

[linlow]

Rather than fit in with surgery times I usually drive a little further and have my bloods done at the hospital phlebotomy department.  In/out in no time and the sample exactly where it needs to be.  So much more convenient, you just need a form from your GP so they know what to test for