GP only does one test

[beandrummo]

I visited GP on Friday due to recurring ear infection (have had a grommet for over 10 years) and asked about Thyroid results. I look like a panda with black rings all around my eyes and sides of bridge of nose. I have difficulty sleeping but I'm trying and I'm drinking plenty of water and eating healthily. He tells me Thyroid is fine at 0.9, exactly where it should be as I'm on 75mg Levothyroxine. I asked about T4 levels - not tested for this. Wanted to know where I was getting info from and to stop immediately. Should I have private tests done, he claims private companies are just trying to make money out of us sufferers?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Well lots of us here have been forced to do private tests as GP's (or labs) rarely test FT3.

Also essential to know if you have high Thyroid antibodies (Hashimoto's) and on thyroxine we need very very good levels of vitamin D, b12, Folate & ferritin.

These should be tested by GP, but often are not

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

The most popular/best value is Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven. Same bundle of tests, just different companies. £99 DIY finger prick test or option to get private blood draw. They often run money off offers

All thyroid blood tests should be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. Don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior, delay until after test.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

beandrummo

"Wanted to know where I was getting info from and to stop immediately."

Next time this crops us, your answer should be

"The information has come from the thyroid charity ThyroidUK, which NHS Choices recommend as a source of information about thyroid disease. I'm sure NHS Choices wouldn't recommend anywhere that was not reliable or inaccurate with their information."

As Slow Dragon says, both those tests mentioned are good and will give a complete picture of what is going on thyroid/nutrient wise.

[Camdentown]

If you have recurring ear infections have you tried going gluten free? I'm hypothyroid and have a real problem with ears when I inadvertently eat gluten foods. Might be worth trying.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Well, he can't know if your levels are "just where they should be" if you haven't had free T4 and free T3 tested. GPs are just there to make money out of the NHS's poor sufferers as they get paid whether the patients are satisfied or not.

[humanbean]

Wanted to know where I was getting info from and to stop immediately.

Yes, it would be annoying for your GP if you knew more about your thyroid than he did.

he claims private companies are just trying to make money out of us sufferers?

I've seen doctors privately on a few occasions. They made profits out of me. I've even had a couple of operations done in private hospitals, many years ago when I had health insurance as a perk of my job. The anaesthetists, the surgeons, and the hospitals all made profits out of those operations.

Why should anyone expect a private testing company to do what they do out of the goodness of their hearts? They are companies who need to make profits in order to continue doing what they do - which is to provide a service many people find very useful.

****

With just a TSH there are several things that might go wrong that your doctor would never find out by doing just the one test. Some examples ... Your pituitary might be under-producing TSH. You might have low Free T3 due to poor conversion. You might have low nutrients levels because people who are hypothyroid often don't absorb nutrients from their food very well.