Advice on London doctors and blood tests for hypothyroidism

[CTE18]

Diagnosed with hypothyroidism last September as had bad joint pain in hips and Blood tests showed T4 was 14.9 and TSH was 9.8. Was put on 50mcg Levothyroxine. Returned to docs after 10 months as had brain fog, hair loss, excessive weight gain, depression etc. and lately feeling sleepy all the time, often dropping off to sleep in afternoon. I take meds first thing in the morning. Described symptoms to doc who said I'd likely need an increase in thyroxine but latest blood tests last month were in "normal" range so no increase in meds. I know that sometimes there are periods where meds don't seem to work for a few weeks and I don't feel as bad lately but I just don't feel right and have no energy. Latest blood test is

Free T4 - 19.7pmol /L (10.5 -24.5)

TSH level - 1.73 mU/L (0.27-4.2)

As a newbie I don't fancy self medicating so can anyone let me know how they got on with Dr Wetzler or Dr Chapman as have read conflicting reports of both docs but price wise they seem affordable. Is it best to try and get blood tests done before appointment or wait until I see the doctor? Any indication how much blood test at the doctors cost? Any advice or personal experience would be great.

[PinkNinja]

Hi.

Sorry to hear you are still not well but before you go spending money on private doctors there are a few other things that could be checked by your GP first.

Firstly, there is still room for your TSH to come down so you might benefit from an increase in dose. Anecdotally (and according to some thyroid experts) some patients do best when their TSH is below one and their T4 near the top of the range. It may be that you benefit from a small increase in your medication.

Secondly there are several other things that can not only cause symptoms similar to hypothyroidism but can also affect how well your body can use your thyroid medication. It would be a good idea to get the following tests: serum iron, ferritin, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Remember that you are entitled to the results, including the reference ranges, of any tests you have. When you get the tests done please post them on the forum. Although they might be in the 'normal' range some of the reference ranges are very wide and you may benefit from supplementing. Make sure you don't take any of these supplements in the couple of weeks before the blood tests though or you will not get a true picture of what is going on.

Hopefully someone will be able to comment on the doctors you mention in case you do need them but hopefully you won't

I hope you find the solution very soon.

Pink

[CTE18 in reply to PinkNinja]

Thanks very much for all the advice and information, a friend recommended Vit D and B12 supplements which I've been taking but have stopped recently so as not to interfere with future blood tests. I also tried L-tyrosine but had a couple of sleepless nights and stopped in case that was to blame. I might ask my doctor first for tests you recommend. Before I was diagnosed the original blood test showed folate at 10.4 ug/L (3.80-20.00) and B12 at 434 ng/L (191.00-900.00ng/L) although I read on this site that over 500 is best for B12.

At least I now have some idea of what tests to ask my doctor for or get private ones done if not all are available via my doctor,

Thanks again,