Well I saw Dr Peatfield today at his clinic in Crawley. What a lovely man!!! For the first time since being diagnosed I feel confident that I can feel really well again! It was brilliant to speak to someone who really understands what you're going through! I showed him the letters I've received from all the endos that I've seen and he said they were ignorant and brutal!
I'be been on adrenal support since I spoke to him a month ago and after 20 days started on NDT again. It didn't work for me last year as my adrenals were shot! He's said to trust what my body tells me and to adjust the NDT according to how I feel. Every other doctor I have ever spoken to has made me feel stupid for suggesting adrenals might be an issue. Dr Peatfield picked it up in the first 2 sentences of our first telephone conversation!
He is everything everyone says about him and deserves all the praise heaped on him! Where would we be without him?
I feel that I am finally making progress after four and a half years!! Money well spent!
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Rita-D
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Hi Rita-D, so glad to read your post just now, and to hear that you are finally getting the support you need! I'm just at that stage of trying to find a sympathetic and knowledgeable doctor.
Would you message me to tell me a little more about your journey/your test results etc?.... and more about your experience of this doctor?... when and if you have time xxx
I was diagnosed in 2012, 6 months after I lost my husband to cancer and 12 months after my mother died. So it had been a terrible time with a lot of stress my mother because she was born deaf and the hospital couldn't understand how to communicate with her and my husband because it was 4 months from being diagnosed!!! It too 6 months for me to be diagnosed and this was only after seeing my GP at least 1 a month for the six months with all my symptoms to keep being told you're grieving. Well yes I was but I also had an under active thyroid gland!!! The GP only ran blood tests when I visited her without any makeup on and she could see how I'll I was!!!! It came back postitive for both sets of antibodies!!' So Hashimotos, no one has ever said Hashimotos disease to me though! I only know this from doing my own research. After 12 months of poor treatment by the GP she admitted she didn't know how to treat me as my symptoms weren't improving on T4 only or T4/T3 combined or T3 only treatment. I was so pleased to be referred. What a mistake to think that an endos would know better. I was made to feel stupid for doing my own research and especially when I mentioned adrenal fatigue!! Dismissed as no such thing and you've been reading the internet!! Worried that 1 auto immune disease might lead to others I voiced my concern! He ridiculed me saying if that was the case my clinic would be full of people with arthritis! This was the consultant! He gave me a prescription for 75mcgs of Levothyroxine.
I was followed up by an endocrine nurse by telephone who said all my symptoms were menopause related. I told her they disappeared when I increased the dose to 100mcgs followibg information that I found researching the internet and reading every thing I could about thyroid disease. At my next appointment they tried to reduce my dose saying I was over medicated ! Stupidly I listen to them and put on a stone in weight in a month. At my next appointment I told them I wantes to increase back to 100mcgs. They said I was at risk of atrial fibrillation and osteoporosis. I was repeatedly fed this information at every endos visit . I asked for a trial of NDT and was told it is not licensed and is not safe and can't be monitored. I ignored them and kept my dose at 100mcgs. All through 2015 I was monitored by telephone by an endo nurse who would call me after my blood test results. My TSH was very low 0.05 and was worrying them they said I was overmedicated but I felt great and was losing weight too. Eventually they did a TRH test to see if my pituitary was producing TSH - it wasn't. So I have hypopituitarism too!! They sent me for a brain scan to check for a tumour on the pituitary gland - thankfully there was none. I successfully managed to convince them that in the absence of any statistical evidence that I was at risk of AF or osteoporosis then I wanted to stay on 100mcgs where I felt well!! I lost 2 and a half stones in 2015 relatively easily through a largely paleo diet. In 2016, I started to get bulging of the eyes, which scared me. I had always wanted to go on NDT as this seemed more natural to me as it's broadly in line with what our bodies would produce when working normally, T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. So I sourced NDT abroad and started treating myself by weaning off T4 and slowly introducing NDT in line with guidance on this site and the Stop the Thyroid Madness site, havibgvread and researched as much as I could via books and websites.- for all of 2016 I wasn't seen by an endo (or as was usual, a registrar). They kept cancelling appointments. I did not do well on NDT although I was ordering private blood tests and I believed I needed adrenal support which I managed to source online with no improvement. At next endo appointment which they didn't cancel and which I had to organise GP blood tests before the appointmebtvsubce I couldn't get the blood forms of the Endo. I was told to come off NDT and tpngo back on 75mcgs of Levo. He was apologetic for all the cancelled appointments and for his secretary ignoring all my messages. I had to chase up for the blood results and when, after a month I got the letter it said he has told me to cease all Medication, which was a blatant lie!!! I complained about him and his secretary to PALS and decided I had to see Dr Oestfield to get some real help. The old good thing about the endo hodit is that I've been Referred to the eye hospital which I go to on 23rd March.
I wish you luck on your journey. It is not an easy road, Drs, family and friends will make you feel like you're just moaning. You need to do your own research by reading and learning S much as you can about this disease via books, the internet and sites such as these who are full of lovely people who have been or are going through this journey and will help you enormously if you ask them. I am do grateful for the support I've received here which has been far more than I have had from any NHS doctor on this journey. For the first time I feel hopeful that I can regain full health.
Oh you so much for sharing your story, Rita.... I'm sorry if it dredged up difficult memories for you. You've certainly been through an ordeal. It was helpful to read though, especially reading of your fortitude and determination in self treating (which I am).
What was different about Dr Peatfield? How do you feel helped? I'm so glad that after all this time you've found someone actually knowledgeable and supportive. I am thinking of getting to see him. I.m in Scotland, but my family love in Stockport where I think he runs a clinic? I've been ill for 39 years, but this latest batch of symptoms came on after the birth of my daughter. I'm an older mum with pre-existing heart condition. Plus I was horribly ill with hyperemesis throughout the pregnancy, then needed a caesarean. Been getting worse and worse over past 9 years.
Trying to make sense of it all. Only been on levo for a few weeks, but I feel I have an adrenal insufficiency problem too. Unsympathetic gps.... So having to go private. Would be so good to speak to a doctor about a plan of action!
Thanks again for taking the time to reply. I send you all my love, my fellow forum member, and hope life continues to improve for you. Xxx
I hope your going to ''moorefields'' for your eye problem , if you are you will be under Mr V. -- absolutely superb , brilliant and a really nice gentleman
Sadly Alan I'm not. I'm going to St Paul's eye hospital on Liverpopl as I'm in the north west. I've heard it's a good hospital. I just hope so. Fingers crossed. xx
You have been through a lot Rita, and experienced a lot of frustration on top of it.
"[...] with all my symptoms to keep being told you're grieving. Well yes I was but I also had an under active thyroid gland!!!"
I find it odd, with so much now known about the mind/body connection, that some doctors will acknowledge the profound effects of grief, but not the toll it can take on the body. They will ascribe symptoms to it, but not consider that the effects on the body of emotional experiences need addressing beyond waiting for the grief to pass. If you were a carer and lost two loved ones in a short period of time, your body would have gone through a lot of stress, which would eventually catch up with you. It wouldn't be surprising if that kind of sustained stress would take a toll on your adrenals.
*Chinese Medicine sceptics, stop reading ;)* I was in a period of deep grief and saw an acupuncturist for a painful physical condition. I hadn't seen him for a while and we were catching up on each other's lives. I told him about my loss, discussing it very calmly. Later in the treatment, torrential tears came out of me. I apologised, saying I didn't know where it had suddenly come from. He told me had inserted a needle into my lung spot, because our lungs are where we store grief. I suppose allopathic physicians feel they have nothing to offer, but they are doing their patients a disservice if they ignore real physical symptoms of illness because they think patients are struggling emotionally. As you say, both can be true and need acknowledging.
So sorry that you had to go through this experience. My whole life has been stressful in one way or another for reasons that my mother father, sister and brother in law were profoundly deaf- a condition that the medical profession has no idea how to deal with. Only my sister left now. As the oldest hearing child I was spokesperson for the family. Helibg them to deal with sometimes ver traumatic treatment from the health professionals. I took a hospital to the Carew Wuakit Commission for the appalling treatment that my northern on law received. He was told his immune suppressants may cause skincancer. No one checked to see if he had understood! He later died if secondary skincancer in his stomach. All this time he was regularly visiting the renal units every couple of months and no one picked up on it!!! He died 2 weeks after I was asked to tell him that he had terminal cancer! The hospital had to apologise for 9 different things and implement deaf awareness training!!! I had to do this as my sister still loves on that hospitals catchment area! You can get docenebts translated into about 50 different languages and the same for interpreters , but you just can't get an interpreter for sign language. That's why o knew mr adrenals were shot!!! But no one has ever asked about my life story other than a holistic practitioner!! They don't even look at you when talking to you a top busy looking at their notes or their computer screens rather than their patient!
I'm sorry to hear how your family has been let down by the system. I hope you take some comfort from knowing that you have raised awareness of this issue in a way that may make things better for others.
It was a private consultation. Dr Peatfield is vilified by the medical Profession because he doesn't follow their standard protocol of treating to TSH, instead he goes off clinical assessment and evidence of symptoms. He makes people well. The NHS keep people symptomatic to the detriment to their health.
I have been to see dr Peatfield on and off for 30 odd years and he is amazing. He fills you with confidence and understands how you feel. Which as far as I am concerned is the most important thing. Give him a try you have nothing to lose. Best
This is a wonderful account. Not what you've been through but how you kept persevering.
I'm sat in tears in my bed because I hurt so much and can relate to your fight. I did it once two years ago and now I have to do it again and it fills me with dread. I'm not making up my symptoms I achieved such good things last year when well and yet Drs just fob you off. I read of all the consultant referrals and wonder how they get them because my GP just never does.
Thank you for sharing. I have another dr appt today with diff GP to see if I can get any help
So sorry to hear that Nickinoo. It's very hard when Drs just don't listen and dismiss you, also when family think you're just moaning, even though they can see all the signs right before them. To be told by them you need to stop focusing on your thyroid and just get on with your life, and I'm tired too!!! It's just how it is so accept it!
It's very hard to keep going in the face of no support.
A friend emailed me the address of a counsellor with the subject heading RING HIM!!! This is the same friend who was diagnosed with sarcoidosis an auto immune disease who was put on steroids which caused weight gain and made her feel worse! I told her that she didn't need to take the steroids if they made her feel worse abd to read up on her condition. At her last appointment, she was discharged! She has not taken the steroids, is well and has lost weight! The Drs think they've cured her because she didn't tell them that she stopped the steroids!! She's forgotten that I told her to do this!
I am determined that I can and will feel well, so I keep persevering and reading everything I can and asking the advice of the lovely people on here who have been through and are still going through this terrible thyroid journey. All the advice about supplements and blood tests that I've received here has been absolutely correct!
I thank God that I found this forum. You have to be your own best advocate. Only you know how you feel. Keep reading keep researching and keep learning. You know more than the doctors, they have very little training on thyroid issues. Just keep going back until they refer you, but I have to say the endos are worse than the GPS, they certainly don't like to be challenged.
Good luck. xxx
Very good news indeed This sounds a lot like the way the Hertoghe doctors in Belgium work. I agree, it's money well spent. Happy to hear you are finally on your way to recovery.
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This sounds a lot like the way the Hertoghe doctors in Belgium work. I agree, it's money well spent. Happy to hear you are finally on your way to recovery.
Dr Barry Peatfield and Dr Skinner
Is Dr Peatfield still practising? 
Dr Peatfield
Dr Peatfield does he still have a clinic?
