ndt working: I have just returned from a hospital... - Thyroid UK

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elvera111 profile image
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I have just returned from a hospital app with a cardioligist . It was a follow up app from a hospital stay two months ago due to a water infection and a slight enlargement of the heart. He said heart had calcification deposits shown up.. When i asked him if i should stop taking my calcium tablets he said yes of course. I showed him a privete test i had done on my calcium levels wich showed very high. . He indicated that my parathyroid was not converting properly. Halleluha...I asked about breathing and could this be my problem. He said he didnt know but another point could be that because i have suffered from reflux a lot,. my eosophigus could be swollen and pressing against my heart..i am amazed my gp had convinced me i should keep on taking my calcium tablets.I have had good results from my t3 t4 tests since being on NDT but have not yet looked into calcium levels again. I have been on DHEA for 4 days also. I have been refered to a pulmanoligist who was reccomended by my endroconoloigist so if they are in liason it can only be a good thing. The cardiologist has suggested that instead of him arranging a scan for me it would be quicker if pulmanologist organised it as he would be looking into breathing issues.

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elvera111
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Nanaedake profile image
Nanaedake

You know, the best help I've had has been from a cardiologist too. They seem to know a lot about thyroid and they take hormone imbalance seriously too. Wishing you the best of luck.

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

First I am sorry you have had serious problems but thankful that the Cardiologist seems to be very good and I am sure the pulmanologist will be also. I am glad you NDT has made an improvement for you.

As you have mentioned breathing problems and Dr Lowe has stated that breathing problems can be caused by low T3 I thought I'd give you the following link and you can show to the pulmanologist.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

This is a response from the above link that someone received from an Endocrinolgist:-

'After I read this in your article, I took a copy to the endocrinologist. I asked him to let me try T3 to see if it would relieve the air hunger. He glanced at the article and then threw it back across his desk to me. He spouted out that breathing problems have nothing to do with hypothyroidism. He also said that if hypothyroidism had caused my air hunger, the levothyroxine (T4) he’d prescribed would’ve relieved it.'

Dr L replied to patient:

But you don’t have that time-permitting luxury. Your breathing problem is of immediate concern, and the disorder the endocrinologist is treating you for is possibly the cause of the problem. In view of this, it was entirely proper that you insisted he intelligently discuss the problem with you. And it was proper that you fired him for refusing to do so.

You also gave him a list of studies that verify that hypothyroidism is often the cause of breathing problems. The studies aren’t "nonsense" from the Internet, as he implied; they are reports by reputable researchers published in credible scientific journals. Therefore, he was obliged to sensibly discuss the issue with you. Some case law, in fact, bears directly on this subject: if a doctor is going to give an opinion on a medical topic, he has a professional responsibility to be aware of the scientific status of that topic. Apparently, the endocrinologist failed in that responsibility.

elvera111 profile image
elvera111 in reply toshaws

thanks very much for that very informative article. i have printed it off and will be showing my gp it

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator in reply toelvera111

It's amazing what doctors who are treating hypothyroid patients do not know, as I have read that most are experts on diabetes but don't appear to know anything about how metabolism works. The need for optimum thyroid hormones to relieve all clinical symptoms or allowing for a trial of alternatives to levothyroxine, i.e. T4.T3, T3 only or NDT which they have stopped prescribing but which have relieved the clinical symptoms of many members.

elvera111 profile image
elvera111

I sent a copy of above to my gp. I receeived a phone call from gp suggesting another calcium test. I had this done yesterday but on googling stuff about it i am worried i might have to have an operation on my parathyroid. I amhoping by stopping my vitamin d tablets it might come back a little lower.

Serum parathtroid 4.8pmol/L Didnt give ranges

calcium 2.732.1 -2.6

corrected cacium2.71 2.20 - 2.60

as its only slightly over could it be down to the vitamin d tablets. Should i be avoiding cheeese yogurt, butter etc because of the calcium in them

Cariad-y-Mor profile image
Cariad-y-Mor

Hi elvera111 - just wondered if you have to take diuretic medication ? I do and since I started having to take Vit D ( severely defficient dose) my GP told me my calcium levels may rise. As a consequence I have to have regular blood tests for calcium......and other electrolytes.

elvera111 profile image
elvera111

hmm funny you should say that. i was put on water tablets a few months ago. I have been having regular testing of electrolytes

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