THYROID HELP- DOCS APPOINTMENT

Hi all newbie here, really in need of advice asap as I have an appointment with my GP this Tuesday and could do with some advice to go armed!. I'll try to condense my story I was due to have surgery last September on my stomach but in my surgery check I was found to be very anaemic and have a potential thyroid issue. I've been on iron tablets since and my haemoglobin has gone up from 7 to 12 yay! But I am still absolutely shattered all the time. Example is today have worked a shift, 8 till 4 and have only just woke up after falling asleep when I got home ( this is routine now. I only work 16-20 hours a week and spend the rest of my time shattered or asleep!) My GP said nothing about my thyroid result last year except that he wouldn't treat it or investigate it and I left it at that, blaming my anaemia for my fatigue. He didn't give me the results either. I was at hospital again on Thursday, another pre surgery check and the consultant asked if I had had any thyroid investigation or treatment as a more recent blood test in February had shown a TSH reading of 6 and a T4 reading of just under 10 and that they had advised my GP to start me on thyroxine. I don't know anything about thyroid issues so really don't know how to handle this with my GP especially as I have only just found out now nearly 5 months later that he wrote to my GP advising to start thyroxine. My GP has not been in touch with me. Any advice would be fabulous before I go and any help re my blood results. I am pretty clueless. Other symptoms apart from extreme fatigue are very sore joints and migraines 8 days out of 14 and anaemia if not on iron plus really fluctuating body temperature. Thank you in advance p.s my weight has increased by 3 stone in 2 years with no change to eating habits.

[ChristinaT]

Hi there, I'm not the best expert in predicting thyroid results but most people on here would Prob agree 6 is still hypo level. Have you had your B12, folate and vitamin D levels checked aswell? These are quite common deficiencies that tend to go hand in hand with hupothyroidism and cause fatigue if low. B12, folate and Iron seem to all work together aswell so if you haven't had these tested then please ask for these to be checked too. You may need your Levo dose adjusting, maybe T3 is also needed (but please don't quote me on that because I'm not as clued up on thyroid meds as others. Have they checked why your hypothroid?

[Hidden in reply to ChristinaT]

Hiya thank you for taking the time to answer :). I've never been medicated I've only just found out about the issue which is why I am goung to GP as my hospital consultant was surprised I hadn't been seen by my GP. My surgery is too repair a valve in my stomach which isn't working meaning if I eat I have a tendency to regurgitate my food surgery was postponed due to anaemia but this is where my potential thyroid issue was flagged, twice now

[ChristinaT in reply to Hidden]

Your very welcome ☺️. How have you been feeling prior to the thyroid and Anemia diagnosis? I would imagine not very good at all. Your gp doesn't sounds like they were being a bit dismissive 😒. You will have to chase this up with the doc, and now that you've been diagnosed as hypo they should be doing blood checks on you fairly regularly (poss every 3 months?!?!) and certainly if your feeling no better your bloods need doing again to see where yor levels are at currently. You kinda have to become your own doctor in a way, I'm sure other will agree they find themselves pushing for blood tests and checks from their gp's. Your gp must run further tests to try and find out why your hypothyroid. It could be autoimmune, and that needs to be established. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are common with hypothyroidism, so it doesn't surprise me your aneamic but you could do with the others I mentioned being tested aswell.

[Hidden in reply to ChristinaT]

Ty

[ChristinaT]

Also if you don't mind me asking what was the reason for the stomach surgery? Have they postponed it because of their findings of your bloodwork or did you go ahead and have it?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Hidden "Good morning Doctor. Did you receive the letter that Dr Consultant sent to you a few months ago following blood tests carried out in February which showed my TSH to be 6 and my FT4 less than 10? I understand you were advised to start me on thyroxine yet no-one from the surgery has been in touch with me and I don't understand why".

There's your opener! See what your GP says.

Have a look at the list of signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism that is on ThyroidUK's main website thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... , mark off any that affect you and take the list with you to your appointment. If he has anything to say about not looking things up on the internet then tell him that NHS Choices website recommends ThyroidUK as their source of choice for information about thyroid disease.

You don't have much time to educate yourself about hypothyroidism before your appointment but read as much as you can on ThyroidUK's website.

Ask your GP if he will repeat your thyroid tests to include TSH, FT4 and FT3, plus antibodies. When you go for the blood draw, make the earliest possible appointment, no later than 9am if possible as that is when TSH will be highest. You need TSH to be high to get a diagnosis. Also, it's best if you've fasted, just delaying breakfast until you get back home will be fine, also water only to drink.

Positive antibodies will confirm whether or not you have autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's.

Also ask for Vit D, B12, folate and ferritin to also be tested.

Ask for the results of all your tests done up to now, including the thyroid tests carried out by him last year. Make sure you get the reference ranges too. Don't let him fob you off, you are entitled to them under the Data Protection Act. You may be charged a small fee for printing but not all surgeries do.

Come back and tell us, in a new post, how things go and post your test results for members to comment.

As for your iron supplement, it is advisable to take it with 1000mg Vit C to aid absorption and help prevent constipation.

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

My ref ranges from memory were T4 (9-22 or 28 but deffo 9 as start ) I was just under 10 and TSH ( 0.4 - 4) I was 6 that's roughly from memory

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

More likely to be 9-22, we see 10-22 quite often on here. TSH obviously over range but some GPs don't treat until it reaches 10. However you have the letter from the consultant asking your GP to start treating you, he can't argue with that!

[Hidden]

Ty, yes I have the letter the nurse at the hospital underlined and starred it all! I had a blood test on Thursday ( no results yet ) but it was done at 1pm after lunch and breakfast GP will probably have those results by Tuesday. I will deffo let you know how it goes. I have many! of the symptoms but quite a few more which I really don't know if they are thyroid related. One biggy though is that seems contraindicated is my body temperature. It is not just cold but sometimes raging hot. Both extremes. Thanks again. I will go and my spouse is coming with me to describe just how crappy I have been with symptoms. I am a bit of a shrinking violet but they are not

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Hidden]

Ooooh, you have the letter, nice one 😁

I can't help with the body temperature, certainly feeling cold is a sign of hypo but feeling hot isn't going to rule it out.

Great that your spouse is going with you, that's the way I got taken seriously after two years of traipsing up and down to the doctors. Hubby said "Do something with her, I've had enough". Sad that sometimes it has to come to that.

Shame about the timing of the blood test but it's done now, just see what the results are and go from there. Put all details in a new post and members will advise.

[greygoose in reply to SeasideSusie]

Lots of hypos have heat intolerance, but I doubt a GP would know that!

[Hidden]

It could be that a copy wasn't actually sent, or didn't arrive. Some of these admin people do get things wrong at times. Totally say what Seasidesusie said though.

[MariLiz]

Hello divafidgin, sorry to hear that your GP has failed to act on the letter from the hospital. I think Seaside Susie has given you a good bit of advice on your approach to the GP. As the operation that you were due to have was on the stomach valve, which is allowing food to come back. This can be a thyroid symptom, and might actually be helped by having your thyroid treated. With underactive thyroid we often have low stomach acid, and this means the action to close that valve is sluggish. It sounds odd I know, but lots of folk on here are taking additional acid treatments to help their digestion. It seems as though it would be the last thing you need, but, if there isn't enough acid to digest your food, it ferments in the stomach.

I do hope you get thyroid treatment soon, and perhaps your operation might not be needed.

[Hidden in reply to MariLiz]

Wow.... so many things could be thyroid related! Ty

[silverfox7]

There are around 300 symptoms that can be thyroid related. Don't worry you won't get all of them! But look in the Thyroid UK site, loads of info and also a list of these symptoms. Print it off and tick those that you have. Useful to give to the doctor rather than remember from memory. I agree the stomach problem could well be caused by being untreated.

It's often helpful to make a list of questions you have for your appointment. Sonetimes in what you thing may be a stressful situation you forget all those things you wanted to ask about!

[Hidden]

Good news my appointment with GP went well, and in fairness to him he had not received any correspondence from the hospital about my blood work or anything else relating to my tests! He was absolutely sympathetic and I feel very fortunate. He has not quibbled a thyroxine prescription and I start my thyroxine on a trial basis immediately. He was immensely empathetic regard symptoms and has started me on various therapies to help other symptoms possibly related or not to my thyroid issue, including physio and acupuncture and various other things. He spent 35mins with myself and my better half and he was sincere and helpful. My faith has been completely restored in my care! Big thank you to my GP. Hopefully this is the start of feeling better! It is a minimum dose for 6 weeks but he is open for trying and changing dose etc. Thanks for all the help. Going for armed was excellent advice and I am grateful to all who advised me here.