Any advice please?

[Fluffyseal25]

Hello, i was wondering if anyone could give me advice based on their own experience please. I visited the doctor in may and was told my thyroid is on its way to failing. The serum TSH level on my blood test in may showed 7.37 mu/L when the range should be (0.27 - 4.2). I have been told to wait until september to have another blood test as going on tablets too soon before its failed can cause heart disease. My mum has an underactive thyroid which was diagnosed in her fourties but i already am starting to have it at the age of 24. The skin on my hands have recently started to become dry in patches and peel off, same with my heels even though i am moisturising. I am feeling exhausted but then at night cannot switch off and get like restless leg syndrome. I have pain almost all the way down the right hand side of my body, recently its gone up to my neck. Since april 2015 i have had really bad wrist pain which throughout months has also gradually progressed to the arm, shoulder, upper leg, etc etc. I even get pain on the right side of my head. The doctor thinks its fibromylgia and that the thyroid not working properly has something to do with my nerves. Has anyone else had similar symptoms?

[bluebug]

Actually not medicating you for thyroid issues can cause heart disease.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

Thyroid UK is one of the recognised charities on NHS Choices.

Though unfortunately you need two elevate blood tests a minimum of about 8 weeks apart before you are diagnosed by the NHS.

(I managed to write the post without swearing.) In future I suggest you come here and check what your GP says as it's clear s/he is either unable to tell you the truth in the way you understand or is deliberately misleading you.

[bluebug]

When you have your next test makes sure you have fasted over night and you have it as early as possible in the morning preferably before 9am. That way your TSH will be at the highest level possible. You can drink water.

Some GPs will not treat you until your level is 10 or over.

You don't have fibromylgia or anything else as you have untreated thyroid disease as your levels are well over the results range. Fibromylgia is used to class people mainly women to tell them to go away because the NHS wants to save money by not treating a chronic condition.

[Jazzw]

Bluebug's being very restrained.

So I'll say instead that your doctor is an idiot, who if found him/herself with a TSH of more than 7 would have immediately put him/herself on levothyroxine. You don't have to wait until September. Go back, explain how poorly you feel and ask for another blood test. Try to get your blood tested as early in the morning as you can, and preferably fasted - TSH is at its highest first thing.

You don't have fibromyalgia, and "nerves" are not causing your thyroid difficulties (is this guy even a qualified doctor? Goodness me. ).

But something else to check out is your Vit B12 level, which is commonly found to be low in cases of hypothyroidism, as is low Vit D and low ferritin - all of which will contribute (if low) to the pain you're experiencing.

If your doctor won't test, make an appointment to see another doctor in the practice.

[shaws Administrator]

Whoever told that rubbish that it is dangerous to take thyroid hormones needs to refresh his/her knowledge. Thyroid Hormones are not dangerous.With a TSH as high as yours you must feel awful.

The problem in the UK is that the guidelines which make most of us incandescent that they allow someone clearly hypo to go without a hormone which may be beneficial.

Our guidelines state that we should be prescribed until the TSH is 10 and whoever thought that one up must have been suffering with a thyroid dysfunction theirself as they couldn't think straight, I should imagine.

In other countries if a TSH is above 3 you will be given a prescription.

When your next appointment is due - make another one sooner than he/she suggested and say you have awful symptoms.

Make the earliest appointment possible and fast but you can drink water. When you are on thyroid hormone replacements allow 24 hours between the last dose and the test and take it afterwards.

Ask GP to test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate and thyroid antibodies as well. By reading this response plus others you will kow more than your GP.

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges and post if you have a query.

We have to read and learn and digest info in order to recover.

[Fluffyseal25]

Thank you all for your replies i appreciate you taking the time to. I think i will get a second opinion with another doctor if thats the case! Gosh he told me he wanted to put me on tabs but that its too risky and does not want to risk heart disease. When i had my blood test everything else was fine like my B12 etc which i did find strange. I had nearly the full works tested and the only thing that was not good was the thyroid

[shaws Administrator in reply to Fluffyseal25]

Always get a print-out with the ranges. Doctors will say 'normal' o.k. etc and we may be at the top of the range, i.e. 4 or 5 when we need a TSH of around 1 or lower and also have clinical symptoms which they ignore/dont know.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As Shaws says ..

Ask GP to test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate and BOTH thyroid antibodies (called Thyroid peroxidase -TPO Ab and thyroglobulin -TG Ab) as well.

Guidelines say that if you have symptoms and TSH above range but still below 10 than it would be a good idea to start thyroxine replacement, ESPECIALLY if you have high antibodies. High antibodies in either or both TPO /TG confirms autoimmune thyroid disease - called Hashimoto's. This is most common cause of being hypo thyroid

B12, Vitamin D, ferratin and folate levels are very important as they all need to be at very good levels for your own thyroid hormones to work well, and more especially when taking thyroxine replacement.

When you get the results (including the ranges - the figures in brackets after each result) put a new post on here and members can advise. Often doctors don't connect low vitamins and minerals as being relevant with thyroid issues.

If you do find you have Hashimoto's, you may find changing to a gluten free diet really helps reduce symptoms.

[Fluffyseal25]

Hello,

Not sure how to add pics so i have uploaded online and pasted link to it here:

This is my most recent blood test in May:

c7.staticflickr.com/9/8593/...

Also blood pressure was 88/60 mmHg

This is my blood test result from December:

c3.staticflickr.com/8/7534/...

It seems in september by my previous doctor my vit D level was checked and was fine at 487 ng/L, and TSH level was 4.24. I cant get a screenshot like the others as the old doctors didn't have this special online service

[bluebug in reply to Fluffyseal25]

Well the lab technician was doing his/her job by stating you are hypothyroid.

There is no B12 test results amongst those test results.

[shaws Administrator]

If no-one has responded to your personal question, I would copy and paste yours above onto a whole new post .

You should get answers to yours alone as posts are frequent and may be pushed off the front page.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Underactive thyroid if left untreated causes heart disease. I would go back and demand a trial of levothyroxine. Most healthy people have a TSH around 1. There is absolutely no medical evidence that treating someone with over range TSH causes heart disease, or osteoporosis. You could ask what your GP is going to do to make you feel better between now and September. If you are out of luck, make sure that you have your blood test fasting (just water) as early in the morning as possible.