Can anyone advise please. Having a routine blood test indicated that I was hyperthyroid, so GP said repeat in 3 months. Same result which he attributed to my family's "funny blood." 3 months later was a similar result, and when discussed with him on the phone he told me that my level of supplement was okay. I said that I didn't take a supplement and was asked was I sure! (my sister and niece are both hypothyroid.) I printed off a list of symptoms from Thyroid UK, marked over half which applied to me and added others and took it to him. He just about restrained himself from throwing it in the bin in front of me. I had my eyes tested as I have severe dry eyes. Another partner wanted me to see an endo but I had to say my doctor just wanted bloods repeated in 12 months. My ferritin levels are low, and there is no discernable reason for this, I think my last test showed a level of 27, my haemoglobin is fine. I don't know whether to push for treatment or leave well alone as nothing seems to be getting worse, and to be honest I don't want to go for blood tests and then be told repeat in 3 months. I have other issues which mean that blood tests are pretty painful, and anyway I don't want to waste my iron. On a lighter note, as I don't seem to be able to tolerate iron pills I modified my diet and added fruit cake and dark chocolate, and my iron levels did actually come up a bit. Any advice is welcome, we have a raft of blood relatives who have had thyroid problems, my father, both his parents, 3 aunts and I could go on. Dad started with overactive and after having some of it removed ended up underactive. Thanks to all.
Should I push for treatment?: Can anyone advise... - Thyroid UK
Should I push for treatment?
You need to find out the actual test results with their reference ranges and post them here ideally. Did you mean hypothyroid?
No, hyperthyroid. I think that may have puzzled my GP as all the other family members he has treated have been hypothyroid.
I think your GP possibly has something wrong with his eyes? Why wait 3 months? and why wait until things may not be okay? Don't become a victim of neglect please, I have the T shirt and health issues because of that. I had yearly blood test for a many years and was becoming more and more ill. Thanks to normal TSH readings. I started off very Hyperthyroid was given RAi x 2 and then told I'm fine for over 24 years. I wasn't and my quality of life as been appalling. Look out for yourself starting now please. You are very worth it x
Quite agree with these other two people. Is there any way you could see another doctor or get a second opinion? due to these so called doctors i now have more problems then ever. My mum too was overactive my aunt had thyroid problems and also my cousin had half removed yet my gp never even asked about other family members.
It all sounds so familiar.. but then again it is only 2016, what can we expect from medical science? Hang on though, Juno is about to land on Jupiter! now that's rocket science and intelligence got it there. Erm... x
Hello Seniorita,
I agree with what Mango555 says, it's been my experience too that my health went from minor niggles l could probably live with to chronic debilitating symptoms like nausea, severe 24hr vomiting and complete exhaustion, as l only have one kidney (donated one to my brother 8yrs ago) during a vomiting day l was being put on a drip due to severe dehydration as hospital worried my remaining kidney was at risk, l was terrified. It finally dawned on me l couldn't just accept my doctors diagnosis of severe migraine and under active thyroid that just needed.....monitoring? I was being given ever more powerful anti vomitting and migraine drugs so l finally realised l must take some action. I saw a naturopath 6months ago and tests revealed l was off the scale peroxidase antibodies (Hashimoto) vit d deficient, iron deficient, and intolerant to gluten and dairy. I started addressing these, excluding gluten and dairy alone has made a massive difference to my digestion, l sleep better and less headaches. I'm taking Nutri Thyro Complex, Nutri Thyroid and T-Convert. Vit D, Magnesium (helps with restless legs and sleep and am juicing (Jason Vales documentary Superjuiceme) which is free to watch on YouTube was a massive inspiration. I read everything, which you must do to try a find what works for, like Mango555 my doctor could barely hide his massive irritation that ld sought advice from a naturopath and showed him a brilliant book by Dr Barry Durrant Peatfield called Your Thyroid, even though l showed him my blood tests that confirmed diagnosis and that the supplements were making a definite difference, his hostile manner took me back. You can feel very alone with thyroid related illness but you have take charge or you'll either be left to "wait and see how it goes" every 3months or put on meds you don't need with all the side affects they bring. Finally, your iron levels WILL increase like mine if you start juicing with lots of green leaves but, you must remember that if you eat foods rich in iron (like spinach, meat eggs etc) that you should AVOID drinking tea with an iron rich meal as the tannins in tea will block iron absorption, where as vitamin C will help the body to absorb iron. I didn't realise this and drunk far too much tea with meals. Now l drink rooibosh tea with almond milk as it's the nearest substitute for regular tea. I'm not ok now by any means but lm massively better than a year ago. Get some tests done for you, it's an expense, but nothing is more important than your health, there are some amazing knowledgable people on here and lm so grateful and in awe of what l've learnt. Sadly l've come to the conclusion that l can't rely on my doctor for answers or for the right treatment that addresses the condition at source, as his mindset, like lots of traditionally trained doctors seems closed to anything outside of giving an array of various drugs for all the individual symptoms.
I hope you search to find some answers and start to get the right help for you. Good luck.
Please take Vitamin K2 mk7 with your Vitamin D and Magnesium (not with Oxide). If you don't the calcium gets into your blood not your bones ( another T shirt in my wardrobe, thanks to not being informed!) Best Wishes x
Please forgive me, I'm new to all this, I don't take any of the above. All I take is my medication for pain, and ranitidine for my stomach. I haven't been advised to take anything else.
Hi seniorita, I was responding to Holly333 regarding the Vit K2 with her Vitamin D. If you really have to take the Ranitidine , try not to be on it for more than a few weeks. I was given PPi's to suppress my stomach acid, I actually already had low stomach acid and this lowered it even more. Then I had H Pylori ( which thrives on low acid) and an ulcer in my stomach. I was on long term anti biotics at the time also which didn't help. Gut issues are common to people with thyroid issues I'm afraid. I am still battling to sort mine out. It is important to get the gut in order, because that is where most of our immune system is. It is good that you have found this forum in the early stages of your illness. Please don't take any rubbish or fobbing off from your GP. Ask for a full thyroid blood test including; T4, T3, Free T4 and Free T3, B12, Vitamin D, Ferritin and Folate. Ask for a copy of all the results when they are back. Post them on here and people will help you with some answers. I have gone gluten free for last 9 months, also avoid dairy and soy. I take supplements including Selenium, Pre and Pro biotics, B12, Omega 3, B complex, Garlic, Magnesium, K2 MK7, Vitamin C and Vitamin D3. I use Organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it), and this as helped increase my stomach acid .I make my own Organic bone broth and take Aloe Vera. Things have improved gut wise and my Hashi antibodies have lowered in this time. My main issue at the moment now is gall stones. I am on the waiting list to have my gall bladder reluctantly removed. Most of my issues have been because of prescription medication to treat problems that I would have been better off doing all of the above instead.
This forum as really transformed my knowledge and is constantly a source of help and advice. I do wish I had been aware of it a long time ago. But I know now and I will be for ever in the debt of it's wonderful, helpful members. x
The kind of dialogue you describe having with your doctor - which we are nearly all familiar with - could be dramatised into a dialogue for youtube. This would help promote our common situation. I've done this myself for other political stuff, but I'm in Australia. I wonder if there are a couple of people on this forum who could play the doctor and the patient and someone else to film. And someone to perfect the dialogue - or maybe a group effort?
Thanks for all the above advice. I'm still dithering. I think I need to get a print out of my blood test results so I can be advised about what the results actually mean. I am concerned that if I have treatment for hyperthyroid I may end up hypothyroid, as that seems to be what the doctors try to achieve. Currently it doesn't bother me much, I was most concerned about my eyes, and I've been reassured about that.
Seems to me that if he thinks you're hyper, he should be testing your antibodies. TPOab, TgAB, TRAB and... TSI. That would show him if you actually have Graves, or if you are on a hyper Hashi's swing. Or if you have both. No point in guessing when you can just do a blood test.
I agree - get some lab tests done on antibodies. It must be a worry when you know that genetically you're kind of up against it. I'm really frustrated for you that the GP won't update out-dated knowledge. Most decent professionals do refresher courses don't they? Well we have to in IT, or we'd all be using MS-DOS!!!
Worth taking advice on diet as it's quite right that an optimum diet plus the right supplements will damp down the worst of the symptoms.
We all have a pre-disposition to certain gut bacteria and those of us with auto-immune problems won't have the best gut flora. My favourite discovery is milk kefir as it is terrifically potent and has actually put my lactose intolerance into remission...which is quite an achievement. There is also water kefir - as you may well be watching the iodine while you're hyper. It's certainly worth investigating.
That's really interesting. My paternal grandmother, both of my parents, an aunt on my father's side, myself, my younger sister and both of her daughters have all been diagnosed with depression. Both of my paternal grandparents, my father and 2 of his sisters, both of my sisters and one of my nieces have all had thyroid issues. And it seems that my father's side of the family have silent ischaemia. That is just what I know about. The other thing that is common in Dad's side of the family is Rhesus Negative blood groups. I wonder if there is a link there. Thanks so much for the info, I will go and see the doctor and make his day.
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