Hi All
I am a long time reader but have only just joined...you're an informative bunch
But I am still so confused and I have an appointment with my GP at the end of the month so I want to be armed and dangerous, so I thought I would post my long (and possibly) boring story (With probably far too much information) and see what you all think. Am I being a hypochondriac?
In 1999 I had a partial thyroidectomy due to 3 very large nodules, my Endo told me I would need thyroxine for the rest of my life. Then I moved areas and my new GP refused to prescribe it as he said I didn't need it, my thyroid was working perfectly well.
I pootled along fine for about 10 years (TSH always about 2.6) until just after my 39th birthday and then my periods just stopped, i saw my GP who said it was an early menopause. Now we cut to 10 years later...
I'm still having an early menopause as I have the odd period (got to laugh).
In the last 10 years I have been diagnosed with IBS, Tendonitis, dairy sensitivity, gluten sensitivity, nodules in my joints (which I have had 2 operations to remove), depression, anxiety, possible sleep apnea, obesity, on the border of type 2 diabetes...oh it goes on and on...and no one will listen to me when I say it is my thyroid.
Everything was blamed on my high stress career, so i changed my career, took a massive pay cut and work a lot less hours, in fact I work from home twice a week, have a cushy job and really enjoy it, but apparently it is still stressful and I should take my anti depressants and my HRT like a good girl and stop annoying the lovely Dr and no I cannot have a referral to an Endo. There is nothing wrong with my thyroid. My last lab results were;
July '17
TSH 1.6 Middle range in the box
T4 11.4 Range 7.9 - 20.0
T3 4.8 Middle range in the box
February '16
TSH Middle range (She didn't have numbers)
T4 13.5
T3 Middle range
So apart from my T4 dropping there is little change.
So being the rebel that I am I found the email for the endo at my local hospital and emailed him directly...he wasn't happy and said my levels are fine and go away...in so many words.
My symptoms are;
Fatigue, waking up every 2 hours throughout the night, gritty eyes, my limbs feel like lead weights, headaches, brain fog, a new goitre which comes and goes (I know that sounds mad), scarce periods, cysts, skin tags, fluctuating blood pressure, I cannot lose weight, (despite following slimming world religiously for over 6 months now), I'm either boiling hot or freezing cold, brittle nails, losing hair, aching joints...
I get good days and bad days, but mostly bad where I just can't do anything except lie on my sofa...but apparently that's depression!
I know my own body and mind. I am not depressed, I am not menopausal, well I might be now, but you get my drift so I am not taking the flipping tablets the Dr tells me to take, I did for 3 years, it didn't make a jot of difference.
So, good people, am I a hypochondriac?
What would you do at your next Dr's appointment?