Update on my ' waste of time' gp appointment ph... - Thyroid UK

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Update on my ' waste of time' gp appointment phone call

Mariaj123 profile image
4 Replies

Hello everyone

Just want to say that yet again another gp has come up trumps in showing their total lack of knowledge regarding thyroid issues.

My gp phoned me to tell me my t3 is 'just' out of range by one point ( *plasma free thiiodothyronine level (XaERT) 4.2pmol/L (4.3-6.8) ) . She then went on to say this is so small it won't effect your health as your tsh is in range *TSH 3.79 ( 0.34-5.6) and I don't feel I need to increase your levo.

I asked if she could prescribe anything to help my t3 to which she replied oh no that is a specialist medication and you need to see an endocrinologist and I'd need to refer you.

I suggested she took a look at my records and then maybe she would see I'm already under an endo who I'm due to see soon ( fingers crossed they listen to me)

Thank god for this forum otherwise we would all just be listening to doctors who have no knowledge when it comes to treating the thyroid.

There rant over !

Maria

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Mariaj123
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shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

If she is unaware that, if hypo, we need both FT4 and FT3 towards the upper part of the range, not FT3 falling off altogether. Optimum would be preferable to be around 6.

Email louise.roberts@thyroiduk.org.uk and ask for a copy of Dr Toft's Pulse online article.

Within it you will see the TSH level he recommends and it is below 1. Not somehwere in range as your doctor and many other doctors think is right - when it is definitely wrong if hypo.

Dr Toft was President of the British Thyroid Association and physician to the Queen when she was in Scotland between 1996 and 2009.

BWXX profile image
BWXX

Hi, I feel for you.

I have found the the GPs are just pen pushers and despite having spent many years at Uni, know little about nothing!

I have just been back to the Endo at the hospital, and after waiting for over an hour for my appointment, have been told 'I am within range'. I told him that I feel no different to when I was first diagnosed over 10 months ago, he says he is going to discharge me and my GP will continue to prescribe Levo and monitor me!

I wish I had the funds to be a private patient!

Zephyrbear profile image
Zephyrbear

I suppose that all depends on the quality of endo you see... I had a brilliant endo who listened to what I said, took notice of my signs and symptoms and, when it became patently obvious that T4 wasn't working for me, had the foresight to try me on T3 which literally gave me my life back within weeks! He has now retired and the idiot they have replaced him with is obviously a diabetic endo who was so interested in my condition that he ordered a diabetic treatment monitoring test for next year's review... The only thing he was interested in was whether the hospital, which is in England, or my GP surgery, which is in Wales, was paying for the T3 'as it was becoming very expensive'... On hearing my GP surgery was paying for it he just told me to continue doing what I was doing and almost marched me out of the door with this bloody diabetic test request... I despair!

BWXX profile image
BWXX in reply to Zephyrbear

I still despair, at no point have I been offered T3, which may people on this forum seem to use (although it appears that this is only prescribed by some doctors due to funding issues). It also appears that many people buy this privately. Common sense in my opinion would be to prescribe it and this would save money overall as less people would take up appointment time and spend less time faffing about with Endos who appear to be giving scripted answers (much like many call centres)!

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