Interesting post by Dr Mark Vanderpump

[lynmynott]

Someone kindly put this onto our Facebook page. I think some people may find it very interesting and it may help them:

markvanderpump.co.uk/blog/p...

[shaws Administrator]

Thanks Lyn.

It is o.k. for Dr Vanderpump to write what many of our members experience(d) due to the Association's fixation upon the TSH alone for diagnosing - they remain undiagnosed and wouldn't be accepted in the Disability Act.

It's great if people are diagnosed.

What if people remain undiagnosed due to the position of their TSH? They suffer and are not diagnosed as Hypothyroid therefore wont come under the Disability Act. From the link in your post:-

Hypothyroidism can be adequately replaced in the long term with Levothyroxine and hormone replacement is not associated with any significant increased morbidity or mortality provided that a therapeutic target is reached.

I wouldn't have been accepted as coming under the Disabled Act as I was adequately replaced but severely unwell on levo. So I might have been seen to be a malingerer and diagnosed as 'all in the mind'.

Of course, it's useful for those who are struggling and have had a proper diagnosis. There have been a few comments this week about losing their jobs so I hope it is useful for them to have something to take to their employers.

[HarryE]

Adequate treatment would prevent any symptoms, if anyone got adequate treatment that is. Levo ain't it!!

I don't have any symptoms on NDT, but then I don't have to answer to doctors.

[lc1973]

This is interesting. Without wishing to cast a negative spin.. If i'm reading correctly then if i am undertreated by that i mean not adequately or optimally treated thyroid condition i am covered under the disability act in which case should i have told my employer i have a disability? But if im optimally treated or adequately treated (By who's standards?) i am not covered? Im not sure that (declaring the disability) would go down to well particularly as my job requires a high level of attention to detail and dealing with very very large numbers £, i think there would be some suspicion as to my competency although i do struggle admittedly to get my head around complex projects sometimes and at the most simple of situations but i have to keep that to myself and soldier on.

[jimh111]

Two points:-

The Act applies to any long term illness, generally accepted as lasting for a year or more. You don't have to have a precise diagnosis just recognition of illness and that it affects your day to day life.

It doesn't matter if your disability is resolved by treatment. This is a bit weird for hypo patients who are successfully treated as we would not have a problem. It applies e.g. to a person who has lost a limb and is able to get about with a prosthetic limb.

(As regards the photo "Dr Mark Vanderpump on Tue 14 Jun", Mark has become a lot more attractive than the last time I saw him).

[Treepie]

Note "normal daily activities" not employment activities but activities such as shopping,cleaning,cooking,walking,climbing stairs,carrying ordinary items.

Not sure that it needs a precise diagnosis although medical reports will often be required.

As I mentioned the other day Tribunal claims have fallen by a very large proportion since fees were introduced to deter false and daft claims but at the same time many genuine claimants are deterred.

[Hashi123]

Dr Vanderpump saw me back in 2015 where he confirmed my symptoms were menopausal, well his secretary did., over the phone. I was left feeling deflated and angry. I went on to suffer terribly until lI saw a fantastic heart consultant who took one look at me and diagnosed me with a Auto immune disease, Hashimoto, where my immune system attacks my thyroid. The problem here lies also in the treatment of thyroid disorders. They have to look at the presentation of antibodies and how harmful they can be to thyroid patients, even if the thyroid is presenting as normal! There is so much evidence now, so much information on how the immune system attacking ones body affects patients. Its therefore inexcusable that so many are suffering because consultants will not take any action until the thyroid doesn't present as normal. By that time the damage has been done. I myself have also been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome now and Epstein Barr virus which is known to cause auto immune in the body and lead to Hashimoto. There is so much more to this then a positive thyroid result, people are having to leave with awful awful health issues way before they get their positive thyroid blood results. Consultants need to dig deeper and not dismiss people with symptoms that present as thyroid but have normal results.