My experience of 60 odd years of a under active thyroid.

[elwins]

60 odd years of being on thyroxine, started on desiccated thyroid tablets, each tablet was different, went years without any check ups, so dosage never changed. When it was eventually checked found I was on completely the wrong dosage, should have been upped over the years. This was after changing to a new doctors surgury. Cannot remember much about the changeover to the thyroxine tablets we have today. But just wished we had a heel prick test for babies like they have today and perhaps it would have been picked up sooner. My mother was just told she was a fussing mum when she said something was wrong. Think I was born with it. You just have to accept it is for life. I think desiccated tablets produced from either part of a cow or pig but not shore. Everyone a slightly different strength. At the time I had a good doctor who reconned I had more knowledge about it than he did. But always did regular check ups. But I wished it had been checked better doing my school days and perhaps I might have done better at school, was always lazy and my thyroid was partly to blame.

[Camdentown]

Hello Elwins. I sympathise with your experience; medical knowledge improves over the years, but generally GPs seem disinterested in thyroid problems. The silver lining is that people who contribute to this site have more experience between them than most GPs, so you're in the right place for sensible help and advice.

[Chriskisby]

I am sorry to hear you have had hypothyroidism all your life and hope you are now adequately treated and able to make up for lost time. From a selfish point of view, as one who was diagnosed only 8months ago, it is comforting to know one can survive for so many years and regain a quality of life with the correct treatment.

[Summer64 in reply to Chriskisby]

That's very sad but things are improving. I think I had the opposite, overactive thyroid and wasn't picked up for years. I wish there was a blood testing device for us like there is for diabetics where you can just check a pin prick amount of blood and see how you're doing. Perhaps one day.

[greygoose]

Amen to that!

[Hillwoman]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Thank you very much.

Sounds like the medics have a long tradition of failing hypothyroid people.