That's me Told!

Talking to Doctor this morning about why TSH was only thing they had tested on Thyroid blood test. Haven't had Free T4 tested for a year. Was politely told a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and I'm fine!!

Wish I felt it!!

Di

[Nanaedake]

What is your TSH result then and have you got thyroid antibodies? Clearly you are not fine or you wouldn't be visiting doc. Find a new doc.

[Hidden in reply to Nanaedake]

Luckily he was only a locum. Phone consultation. TSH gone from 0.06 to 1. Don't think I have ever had thyroid antibodies done!

D

[Nanaedake in reply to Hidden]

Make an appointment to see an experienced doctor who will listen to you and ask for TSH, FT4, FT3 and thyroid antibodies to be tested. Thyroid antibodies are TPO and TgAb otherwise known as Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies and Thyroglobulin antibodies. You need to know whether you have autoimmune thyroid disease which accounts for 95% of all thyroid conditions because if you do it can affect absorption of vitamins and your gut and there are things you can do to help yourself and improve your wellbeing.

Also get ferritin, folate, B12 and Vitamin D tested. There are lots of papers evidencing that a high proportion of people suffering from thyroid conditions are vitamin D deficient. The other vitamins are also often deficient. Our levothryoxine does not work well unless all are half way in range with B12 at top of range.

[shaws Administrator]

If a little knowledge was dangerous. None of us on this forum would have recovered, are recovering.

If a questionnaire was put around surgeries, I think everyone on here could answer whilst I doubt the medical profession would.

[Angel_of_the_North]

That's why so many GPs are dangerous - they have little knowledge and great arrogance.

[spongecat]

What a terribly patronising thing to say. I'm afraid I wouldn't have contained myself and would have replied, "Well you step into my skin and tell me that you feel fine". Some people just don't have a shred of empathy and prefer to think their elevated status is god-like and that we should just shut up and go away x(

[Hidden in reply to spongecat]

Well, have just had a call from my surgery, lovely locum, says TSH at 1 is fine, B12 is fine. Keep taking 100 Levo. Put me on a calcium channel blocker I can tolerate so all good! Can't explain pins and needles in hands and feet and burning feet but suppose I can't have everything!! D

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Never mind 'fine'. What is the actual B12 number? Pins and needles is a symptom of low B12, and low B12 is a terrible thing to have, believe me!

[spongecat]

Hidden I would call the surgery and ask for actual B12 result (with the ranges). You are legally entitled to know under the Data Protection Act, none of this little knowledge nonsense "Fine" or "normal" usually means that the result is within the range but it's where in the range that is very important. The good thing is that B12 is a thing you can supplement yourself. I used to get rather frightening air hunger, a symptom of being hypo and/or deficient in B12.......which resolved once I started taking sublingual methylcobalamin B12. I was told my B12 was "OK" and it was right near the bottom of the range.

[Hidden in reply to spongecat]

It's 433 range (138-800). D

[Nanaedake in reply to Hidden]

Yes, you can have everything! Lots of us have improved our wellbeing to the extent we are now symptom free so don't take 'that's good enough' for an answer. Pursue causes of symptoms and I agree, make sure you get every blood test result and keep your own record or file.

Unfortunately the NHS will say 'fine' if you are anywhere in range with anything but if you look at the whole picture it might not be fine. Being in a range means the NHS does not have to treat so it's a cost saving cut-off range but not necessarily going to make you feel well. The NHS will treat if you'll die if they don't, but, it's not interested in you feeling well. We need to feel well to carry out all the demands on our lives.

[greygoose]

What he was actually saying was : please don't ask me questions, because I don't know the answers!

[maxart]

How unbelievably patronising. If this person really thinks testing for TSH alone is sufficient, they clearly know jack s**t about thyroid.

Seriously, this is very very cross-inducing 😡

[witchcat43]

When I once queried my results I was told 'well anyone can look at the internet' 😡

[gabby57]

Patronising, & wrong! Apparently the original quote is "a little learning is a dangerous thing" - Alexander Pope, 1709, An Essay on Criticism. How's that for a relevant title? (Thank you Google.)