Is Hashimoto's a disability?

[PiggySue]

I am having difficulty walking again. Is Hashimoto's considered a disability legally?

[shaws]

Unfortunately, no but this is a past post:-

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

By your symptoms I think you need a new blood test (I am not medically qualified) and that levothyroxine alone may not providing sufficient T3 in all of your receptor cells. T3 is the Active hormone required for us to function and levothyroxine converts to T3 but not if dose of levo is insufficient.

Request a new blood test because if you were optimally medicated you should be able to function normally without pain/stiffness.

Your GP or lab may not do both Free T4 and Free T3 but should do TSH, T4, T3 and antibodies. B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. We have private labs that will do FT4 and FT3 and I'll give you a link and you can see why these two are very important but rarely done by the NHS.

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

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

Your TSH should be 1 or below with FT3 and FT4 towards the upper part of the range.

[PiggySue in reply to shaws]

I am awaiting the result of an x-ray as I do also have osteoarthritis.

I am now back on T3 only, sadly not Unipharma, which seemed to suit me best, but Thybon Henning. I have had to up my iron, because my hair was falling out really badly, I was breathless and tired again, but at least the T3 is helping my brain fog.

Of course the iron that I was taking for years, and seemed to suit me, Fersaday, is no longer made because they upped the price beyond where the NHS would pay it (even though I always paid for it myself as it was cheaper than a prescription).

I haven't retested my feritin but had got it up to 80 before they discontinued Fersaday. The one I take now was making me feel really sick, so I stopped taking as much and actually totally stopped for a few months.

I know that I need my feritin, B12 and Vit D at the right levels for the T3 to help as well as it did before, so trying to get back there.

I live in Oxford and often can't walk round, because there is very little parking and what they have is a long way (for me) from the centre. I was wondering whether it was a disability because of the blue badge requirements (I know that osteoarthritis isn't as it can be fixed with hip or knee replacement).

Thanks x

[helvella Administrator]

Disability is assessed by its impact rather than the underlying processes that cause that impact.

If you have difficulty in walking, that is the issue.

(If it were based on named disease or cause, we could end up in ridiculous situations, especially where there are several diseases/causes all acting together - some quite possibly not known.)

[shaws in reply to helvella]

Thanks Helvella for this information.

[mauschen]

What is a disability?

equalityhumanrights.com/en/...

"In the Equality Act a disability means a physical or a mental condition which has a substantial and long-term impact on your ability to do normal day to day activities.

You are also covered by the Act if you have a progressive condition like HIV, cancer or multiple sclerosis, even if you are currently able to carry out normal day to day activities. You are protected as soon as you are diagnosed with a progressive condition.

You are also covered by the Act if you had a disability in the past.

For example, if you had a mental health condition in the past which lasted for over 12 months, but you have now recovered, you are still protected from discrimination because of that disability."

[mauschen]

For more information on an international definition on functional disability, please check out the World Health Organisation

who.int/classifications/icf...

[Angel_of_the_North]

For employment purposes, it's not the disease that makes the disability but its effect on the person. So if you can't walk (or you are affected adversely in some other way every day), then it's a disability

[PiggySue]

Thank you all for your help.