Newly diagnosed and confused

[vm133]

Since being diagnosed with hypothyroidism 6 weeks ago and reading around, I am really confused about which of my symptoms are linked and, if so, are they being treated.

Blood test show I am menopausal.

A transvaginal scan following heavy bleeding showed I have fibroids - no treatment given

Blood test showed I had low vitamin D, very high cholesterol, on this blood test my TSH was in the normal range. I have gained a huge amount of weight, have dry skin and hair and am exhausted. Doctor tells me take Vit D supplements and wants me to take statins which I refuse as my mother had suffered from chronic muscle pain when taking statins.

A different doctor asks for another set of tests and says my TSH has moved and that I have hypothyroidism and prescribes 50mg of levothyroxine which I have been taking for 5 weeks - I am still exhausted. From my reading on here I have continued with vitamin D supplement and am now taking B12, magnesium, zinc and calcium. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Also when I look down, I feel a slight constriction in my throat which I presumed was something to do with being fat - I am now wondering if it is a goitre. Is it obvious if you have a goitre?

Also can someone give me an idea of the annual cost of being treated privately - I do not have a high income but am so fed up of feeling fat and exhausted.

Sorry for the rambling post but I am feeling slightly desperate today

[bluebug]

Hi there,

We actually need the results with ranges of your blood tests. If you are in the UK you are legally entitled to them under the Data Protection Act 1998 so on Tuesday go into your doctors surgery with ID and ask for a copy. It may take a few days for them give them to and they are allowed to charge you up to £10.

If the receptionist is snotty and asks why you want them tell him/her that it is:

a. Your legal right to have a copy if you want under the Data Protection Act 1998

b. You want them for your own health records.

c. What medical or legal qualifications does the receptionist have?

If they still refuse come back here and posters will tell you how to tackle this.

In regards to fibroids unless they are causing a lot of problems or preventing you becoming pregnant standard treatment is to leave them well alone and to deal with the symptoms. This includes dealing with any iron deficiency that is caused by having them. (And another reason to get your test results as you may need iron supplementation. Lots of GPs ignore this and it's simple to treat. ) This is due to most women having problems with them being near the menopause and once you go through menopause they shrink due to lack of oestrogen.

Private doctors are mostly NHS doctors who also work privately. Therefore there is no guarantees they will treat you even if you are paying as they have their GMC licence to maintain. Therefore what you want to do to save money and actually be able to convince a doctor to treat you whether NHS or private you need to learn about the medical conditions you have. To do this:

1. Share results on the forum when you are stuck

2. Read the links people provide for you to read up on the forum

3. Learn about statistics - there are loads of Youtube videos

4. Learn about the different ways research papers are written e.g. what sort of clinical trial is it.

This all sounds daunting and is but you have to be your own health advocate - I actually know 2 people, with different medical issues who feel they got ripped off by private medicine and if they had done their own research they wouldn't have gone down that path.