GP says there is nothing wrong with my Thyroid

[BlueLagoon99]

Male, 68 years old, reasonably healthy apart from: -

Symptoms: -

Tired and lethargic all the time.

Unable to properly control my body temperature -

When the weather isn’t warm I feel cold unless I am physically active.

Very little exercise causes me to start sweating even when the outside temperature is below zero.

When I go to bed I have to expose my feet to keep cool. If I don’t I wake-up very hot after a few hours.

When the weather is warm I sweat a lot.

Medication being taken: -

I have a hiatal hernia and am taking Ranitidine for acid reflux.

I have (had) a high cholesterol level and am taking Statins to control it.

I have had 3 blood tests over the past 4 years and my GPs tell me that there is nothing wrong with my Thyroid Gland.

My GPs are also telling me that there is no one that they can refer me to.

Has anyone got any idea as to what is wrong with me, and what I can do about it?

Thanking you in anticipation.

[wowserclo]

I am no expert and I've only had this horrible illness for a year. That being said If I were you I'd go see another doctor maybe even a few other doctors. Find one that wants to help. (I'm currently in this process myself) and also to ask for a print out of bloods. I'm only starting to feel a tiny bit better after I took things into my own hands. My doctors thought it was a ok to leave me with a tsh of 4.8 and no life whatsoever! I'm currently trying to change my diet and lifestyle to fix my body best I can.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

BlueLagoon99 If you post your thyroid test results, with reference ranges, members will be able to comment.

[marigold22]

It could well be your thyroid. The reason we say get your blood test results is that there are ranges for all blood tests. With the thyroid tests, your GP particularly is most likely unable to interpret them. If your results lie within the ranges, they will tell you you are perfectly fine. However to feel perfectly fine, the TSH needs to be under 1 (range is something like 0.5 to 10), your Free T3 and Free T4 need to be in the upper part of the ranges. Try to get your GP to do another thyroid blood panel, then about a week later go into the GP reception desk & ask for a copy of that test. The receptionists will no doubt give you a weird look & maybe even moan at you, but you are legally entitled to have it. Then post the results on here for answers.

[BlueLagoon99]

Thanks for you help. I will ask for the results and post them.

May take a few days but I will do it. I need to get this problem fixed.

[Lovey123 in reply to BlueLagoon99]

Those are YOUR records. They have to give u a copy.

[marigold22]

PS If your GP refuses to do more thyroid blood tests if the last one was recent, you could still get a copy of the last one and post here. Good luck, it's ghastly feeling so unwell.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

How long have you been taking Ranaitidine?

Although this is not as bad as a PPI for affecting vitamin levels, it does still have some affects, especially on B vitamins and especially B12

peoplespharmacy.com/2017/02...

Suggest you ask GP to test B12 and folate

You might want to take good vitamin B complex plus B12 sublingual lozenges

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/hypochl...

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

Are you sure it's high acid, many actually have low acid causing symptoms

Check you vitamin D too

Private postal kit test £28

Vitamindtest.org.uk

[BlueLagoon99 in reply to SlowDragon]

I've only been taking Ranitidine for about 4 or 5 months but before that for about a year I was taking similar products (can't remember the names) that didn't work too well. I've been suffering the symptoms described for about 4 or 5 years now. Been to the GP about once a year for help but got none and just lived with it. At my Surgery they get a steady supply of different GPs and you never see the same one twice because they've moved on.

I'll follow your links and get some vitamins.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to BlueLagoon99]

Do the low stomach acid test as listed on Dr Myhill and on SDC lifestyle

[Anthea55]

I've got a hiatus hernia too. They told me to take Omeprazole which is for acid reflux, but I read the leaflet which comes with it and decided not to. I then checked up and found that I have low stomach acid.

Many medics don't realise that your stomach acid may be too low, rather than too high. You can have low stomach acid as you get older, also many thyroid patients have it and I expect there are other causes. Unfortunately the symptoms of low and high acid are very similar, but the treatment is entirely different.

With low stomach acid you don't absorb as much vitamins and minerals from your food as you need, so you can become deficient, which can cause problems.

Look at this link to Dr Myhill's site where she explains it

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Hypochl...

Near the bottom of the page you'll find the Bicarbonate burp test which is easy to do and gives you some idea whether you have it.

There are various treatments. I take apple cider vinegar in water or fruit juice before meals.

[BlueLagoon99]

Very interesting. I'll stop taking the Ranitidine and try fruit juice before meals. I can always resort to Gaviscon if the acid gets too bad. That seems to help for a while.

[BlueLagoon99 in reply to BlueLagoon99]

Forgot to add, I have been burping quite a lot these last few months.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to BlueLagoon99]

BlueLagoon99 No, not fruit juice. Anthea was saying take apple cider vinegar before meals, and you take the ACV in honey sweetened water or fruit juice.

It has to be organic Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother like this boots.com/biona-organic-vin... and build it up gradually from one teaspoonful in honey sweetened water up to one tablespoonful.

[Anthea55 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks, SeasideSusie, for making that clearer. If I put brackets in my last sentence above it shows what I intended, but so easily taken either way.

This is what I meant.

"I take apple cider vinegar in (water or fruit juice) before meals".

[Lovey123 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Bragged Apple cider vinegar is very good for you

[Lovey123 in reply to BlueLagoon99]

Be careful. Those proton inhibitors have rebound effect when u quit taking. Then u think u need to go back on.

[BlueLagoon99]

Okay, thanks for that. I'll get myself to Boots.

[Nanaedake in reply to BlueLagoon99]

A large supermarket or small healthfood shop will have organic apple cider vinegar. You might also find it helps to take some vitamin C, not at the same time! I take vit C in the morning and apple cider vinegar before my main meal. You can experiment to find what works for you.

[BlueLagoon99]

I'm waiting for the blood tests to come back from the hospital labs then I'll go and ask for the results then post them on here.

I've never had massive blood loss or anything other than a trivial a bang on my head.

[Loried]

Statins have been proven to cause diabetes!lots of side effects. Is Better to control with diet and krill oil, regular exercise may help.

[Loried]

Get your test results and go from there.

[Pookie2]

I had the same problem with my GP. I finally went to a functional doctor and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I moved out of state and found a naturopath. My naturopath said that I have a hiatal hernia which pushes into the thyroid. He suggested Apple cider vinegar, Apple or apple sauce in morning and evening. He also suggested to put a 2 by 4 under my mattress(between mattress and box spring). He also had me take an enzyme for 3 months. All this helped.

Unfortunately you need a Prescription for meds for hypothyroidism from a doc. I need to find a functional doc again. They look at symptoms and blood work. I hope that you get the right help soon.

[JMTS]

I was interested in read your story Blue Lagoon. Mary Shoman American Thyroid Health activist is a Thyroid sufferer herself, she is 61 years of age. . I can remember reading once where she said that there are literally thousands of people in the USA walking around with thyroid problems and they don't know that they have them - it hasn't shown up in their blood tests. I often wonder why so many people have Thyroid problems maybe it' s fluoride or chlorine it has to be something that is causing it. - I am in Australia and I used to get her newsletters regularly and I changed my address and I just haven't got around to contacting her You can Google her. perhaps all you sufferers should join up for her newsletter. The more sufferers read about the complaint the better perhaps we cud all band together to find the reason why so many people are suffering from it - it is alright to take their pills every day but no one to trying to find out why so many people suffer from it. For your other complaints try Tumeric (purchased from a Health Food shop) you have to have it with Crushed black Peppercorns mix well and put it in a jar and take a half teaspoon every day with a quarter glass of milk - if it is agreeing with you can take one teaspoon. I find it wonderful stops all my aches and pains as well.