I'm after a bit of help please. I have been struggling for a couple of years now with extreme tiredness which is getting worse and worse (so much so I sat down in my hotel room during a wedding in October during the day and have no recollection of falling asleep for two hours!). I've also struggled for years to lose weight and more recently, I have put on nearly two stone since the end of October despite not changing my diet and not eating anywhere close to the amount of calories I'm burning. I have constipation, sensitivity to the cold, stiff muscles, complete change in mood (easily irritated), and brittle nails.
I went to the GP back in August who took bloods and told me that everything was fine with my thyroid and put me on antidepressants stating that my mood could be making me tired. I have been going back every month for reviews and he is insisting it is "just depression". I'm at the point now where I am completely fed up and feel like I am being fobbed off and I have looked into private testing. I thought he had done all the testing so got a copy of my results from August from my GP to realise he has only tested TSH. It's making me feel like I'm a hypercondriact however I know in myself that there is something not right because I can feel myself getting progressively worse.
I am looking at two sets of tests, one being TSH, FT4, FT3, TT4, along with the two antibodies.
The other is all of the above as well as ferritin, folate, B12 and CRP. I have had all these done and just wondered the importance of these for diagnosis and whether they are worth having done?
My results in August were:
Ferritin: 53.4ug/L (13.0 - 300.0)
B12: 367ng/l (190 - 910)
Folate: 6.8ng/ml (3.3 - 99999.0)
CRP <4mg/L (0.0 - 10.0)
Would you recommend me having these tested again or shall I just be tested for the first lot?
Thank you for your help.
Written by
mclellans10
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If you can run to Blue Horizon Thyroid Plus 11 or Medichecks Ultravits its worth doing to have thyroid antibodies and vitD in addition to TSH, FT4, FT3 even though B12, folate and ferritin were recently tested.
First thing to remember is to have/take the test at the earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water). Make sure you are well hydrated a couple of days before and your hands are warm on the morning of the test.
The problem is that doctor have been advised that a TSH and T4 is all that is required to confirm someone has hypothyroidism/or hashimoto's.
The problem in the UK as well is that the recommendations from the British Thyroid Association is that no-one is diagnosed until their TSH reaches 10, whereas in other countries it is 3+. I wonder if they try to save money but prescribe other medications instead for continuing symptoms when the person needs thyroid hormones.
Thank you for the advice shaws - despite having these tests done at the GP Surgery (among many other I knew I would have to fast for), he never advised me of this.
I thought the GP may have done T4 as well - I knew they wouldnt have done all of them but was more shocked to find he just tested for TSH then dismissed me.
I completely agree with you - I feel like I was just dismissed with antidepressants thinking this may lift my mood and I would forget about it all however it has just made me worse. He has even put me on Mirtazipine and I certainly don't need help sleeping!
I have an appointment on Thursday with him and I'm praying that I finally get somewhere however I am not holding my breath considering I have now been visting once a month since August!
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