Please recommend a good endocrinologist in Southampton

[Karola_80]

Hi All,

Can you recommend a good endocrinologist in Southampton or Hampshire area please?

Best if it will be endocrinologist I can see from Bupa.

My short story below.

I'm was diagnosed with underactive thyroid and Hashimoto 1,5 years ago. However I think I suffer form it for much longer. I was going to the GP and complaining how I feel for around 3-4 years before I was diagnosed. Fed up with the GP I finally went to my home country (Poland) and did some blood tests and have seen an endocrinologist privately. Since then I saw him every 6 months and had my blood test checked and levothyroxine dose adjusted. And felt much better!

Recently I got pregnant (hurray!!!) and the endocrinologist said I need to check my TSH and FT4 levels every four weeks to have the levo dosage adjusted. I have done the first test privately in the UK and the TSH was 0.5 and FT4 was well below the range, I have spoken to endo and he recommended to increase the levo dose to 100mg (from 75mg) and check the hormones level after next 4 weeks. He said that the TSH with pregnancy can be false low because of other hormones in the body.

Four weeks passed and I went to my GP to have it checked. I was told she can't check FT4 levels as to do this blood test I need to be referred by the specialist (she can't refer) and this is nothing what they would do in any thyroid hormones check at pregnancy check, she said they check just TSH. Not sure why, as the FT4 is the free thyroid hormone in the body...

My endo said it is dangerous for a baby brain development to have low FT4 levels and this is very important to monitor. Unfortunately I can't travel to Poland to do the blood tests and see my private endo every 4 weeks as I'm working full time.

Please recommend a good GP or a good endo.

Thanks

Karolina

[Clutter]

Karola_80,

Congratulations on your pregnancy. I'm sorry NHS monitoring isn't as good as you would get in Poland. Perhaps you could order your own thyroid blood tests and send the results to your endo in Poland. You can order home test kits via thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin... Medichecks offer #ThyroidThursday discounts.

If you want to see a UK Endocrinologist email [e-mail] for a list of member recommended endocrinologists. You will have to check with BUPA whether they are on BUPA's approved list.

NICE recommendations state that hypothyroid women who become pregnant should be referred to an endocrinologist so you might want to show your GP this link cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroid...

BTA guidelines recommend TSH of pregnant women should be in the low-normal range 0.4 - 2.5. It is assumed from this that FT4 will be in the upper range but as you've found this isn't necessarily the case.

Management of primary hypothyroidism: statement by the British Thyroid Association Executive Committee

13. The serum TSH reference range in pregnancy is 0·4–2·5 mU/l in the first trimester and 0·4–3·0 mU/l in the second and third trimesters or should be based on the trimester-specific reference range for the population if available. These reference ranges should be achieved where possible with appropriate doses of L-T4 preconception and most importantly in the first trimester (1/++0). L-T4/L-T3 combination therapy is not recommended in pregnancy (1/+00).

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...

[Karola_80 in reply to Clutter]

Hi Cutter,

Thanks for your reply it is much appreciated.

I will definitely look at the private testing in the UK and email Louise re the recommended endocrinologist list. Hopefully someone will be Bupa approved, as this is paid in my workplace anyway and I never got to use it. I have got a referral to endocrinologist from my GP, but I'll need to go private as NHS waiting list is long, I was told.

Thanks for all your advice once again,

Karolina

[Karola_80]

hi Reallyfedup, thanks for your comment, if you would remind yourselfe the name of this good endo in Gospot I would be gatefull for a message. Thanks. Karolina

[Missd66]

I'd be interested to know the name too if you remember it as I live in Gosport and it might be handy for future reference! I had a good NHS endo but the waiting list is so long now that a private on standby would be useful ☺

[Missd66]

Hi Karolina. I've messaged you ☺

[Alvide in reply to Missd66]

Hi Missd66 please could you message me name of private endo in Gosport if you have it or any other good endo in Hampshire. Many Thanks

[Missd66]

Don't know the private one in Gosport but I got referred by NHS to see Dr Kar at QA hospital. He was very good, kind and treats the symptoms, not just the test results. He even added T3 to my T4 as he agreed I had a clinical need for it. I don't know if he treats privately. Good luck

[Alvide in reply to Missd66]

Thank you so much

[Hidden in reply to Missd66]

Are you at a GPs surgery in Gosport as I was refused an endo visit by my GP at Willow Group?

Di

[Missd66 in reply to Hidden]

Rowner Surgery. It was years ago. Had to fight for it as they were only treating me for hypo but I was sure I had Hashi's. GP refused to test me for TPO antibodies so I had it done privately (£55 Cambridge nutritional sciences Ltd in 2011). Result was 3x upper limit. GP didn't believe it and sent me for their test which by then, result was even higher so they agreed to send me to see Endo. x

[Hidden in reply to Missd66]

Oh that’s a pity. My antibodies are fine.