My neighbour just showed me a newspaper article from 1996 about a woman with hypothyroidism who went undiagnosed for 9 years because doctors refused to believe there was a problem with her thyroid just because the blood tests said so. The poor woman was just about dead on her feet and even contemplated suicide, but they just kept giving her diet sheets for her weight gain, and told her she had PMS and depression ans even sent her to a psychiatrist! She eventually somehow got in touch with a couple of doctors who were investigating the misdiagnosis of thyroid disorders who persuaded her GP to give her thyroxine, and apparently the 'transformation in her health was astonishing'. The article was fairly sensationalist, but it beggars belief that 20 years on, doctors are still relying on an unreliable single blood test and not looking at the whole person and all their symptoms - shocking!
Nothing ever changes.....: My neighbour just... - Thyroid UK
Nothing ever changes.....
It's an absolute disgrace that it's no different. I am so grateful for the internet because I'd be dead by suicide or by the NHS drs slow death of bad treatment if any treatment. They have alot to answer for. Rotten.
One of our dedicated doctors, not an Endocrinologist tried, before this death, to have a Conference with all of our Endorinologist about the parlous state of hypo patients. One by one they refused, the last withdrawing the evening before. This Doctor, Dr Skinner a Virologist, was getting the 'drop-outs' from the NHS who remained undiagnosed due to their blood test results. This is an excerpt:
A World Thyroid Register has been formed to address the parlous situation of patients who are hypothyroid and have yet not been diagnosed and indeed patients who are being managed with an unacceptably low level of thyroid replacement. The situation has significantly worsened in the last one year pursuant to pronouncements in the United Kingdom from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners who inter alia have suggested that patients should not be diagnosed with hypothyroidism if the TSH is <10.0 and moreover that Armour Thyroid is a 'bad' preparation because the proportions of T4/T3 may not reflect the human proportions while contemporaneously suggesting prescription of T4 alone; this makes no sense at all.
Everything has to date failed including petitions with large number of signatures from hypothyroid patients and other concerned parties including solicitations to various Members of Parliament in the UK and a plethora of letters to the General Medical Council who do not seem to wish to embrace this matteer."
Dr Skinner died due to a stroke and his many patients believe it was due to about 7 appearances before the GMC for daring to prescribe and diagnose upon their symptoms. Not many other doctors in the world would have had about 2,500 testimonials from their grateful patients. It certainly wasn't his patients who pursued him relentlessly. I wonder who??? He, like most of the student doctors of his era, were taught symptoms and gave a trial of NDT if it was thought they were hypo.
Hi Shaws - what a shocking tale!
The article (from the Glasgow Evening Times) refers to a Dr Gordon Skinner, described as a senior lecturer at Birmingham University, and just having had an initial look at your link, it looks like it's the same gentleman. At the point he became involved with the case of the lady in the article, she had already been suffering for 10 years. It's pathetic that we don't seem to have moved on since then.
It is the same doctor. He also Consulted in Glasgow as well as Birmingham and he saved the life of Lorraine Cleaver who was a step away from suicide and who had her Petition before the Scottish Parliament. Three Scottish Women did it together but the strain was too much for two who had to withdraw. Dr S was fearless - if he was treating patients who needed treatment he prescribed and he also took account of the clinical symptoms. As does Dr Peatfield still.
youtube.com/watch?v=CVXvYrJ...
lorrainecleaver.wordpress.c...
Never mind all the other testimonials to the GMC in the same vein.
It is more than a Scandal as he had a friend who did a calculation of the odds - as I cannot access the site now - I believe it was 10million to 1 about being investigated. He appeared before the GMC about 7 times I believe. He was a very eminent doctor - one whom everyone would feel at ease with and down to earth. One of his patients was seeing another Endo who said to her 'we've got him now'. She promptly reported this to Dr S as she was also seeing him as well. Persecution wouldn't appear to be too strong.
We don't appear to have a doctor with such fortitude anymore.
His staff loved him and they said everyday was a happy day and they had fun.
Having been a patient of the late Dr Skinner I was devastated by the treatment he received from the GMC. He was a lovely, caring person who made a vast improvement in my condition. He is sadly missed.
As you say, nothing changes! Shame on doctors like that..
My reply above is to soreknees2016
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