New member here, when is it ok to change endocrinologists? My current one shouted at me for self dosing with T3 that my previous endocrinologist prescribed me and he gave me a diagnosis of anxiety saying my symptoms of
Hard stool
Dry skin
Tiredness
Muscle spasms and cramps
Cold intolerance
Weight gain
Loss of appetite
Lack of concentration
Memory loss
Dizziness
Are not related to thyroid disease. I take 100mcg Levothyroxine and I was diagnosed hypothyroid in 2013.
Thanks
December 2017
TSH 4.70 (0.2 - 4.2)
FT4 14.9 (12 - 22)
FT3 3.5 (3.1 - 6.8)
Written by
Chenoa_Shepherd
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
What!? He said that about the results you posted above?
That's ridiculous. You are barely in range on T3. Hopefully someone will come along who can tell you how you can get in touch with Thyroid UK for a list of approved endocrinologists who won't be talking out of their backsides.
Oops. I see you posted new results. That T3 level is high. He might have had cause to suggest a small reduction. Had you taken any T3 that day before the test?
If you look back at posts we have had lots of people on this forum who have had their Endocrinologist shout at them about T3 or results. Even if your results are over range it is not an excuse to shout at you. An Endocrinologist is not qualified to assess your mental health so you don't have to accept their opinion.
If it's any comfort, Doctors kept increasing my levothyroxine and due to lack of bioequivalence in levothyroxine at the time I became overdosed and my results were somewhat similar to yours. I wasn't taking T3 and never have. Just plain old NHS supplied levothyroxine. It's possible to accidentally go over range regardless of the thyroid medication you are taking. People with Hashimotos thyroiditis sometimes find a flare up of antibodies take them over range. You can simply reduce your thyroid medication and retest in 6 weeks and adjust again if necessary to bring FT3 into range. Discuss how to do this with your GP.
Do you have autoimmune thyroid disease? Do you have raised antibodies TPO or TgAb? You can read about autoimmune thyroid disease otherwise known as Hashimotos on Thyroid UK's website.
The symptoms you list sound like hypothyroid symptoms and your December results TSH 4.70 (0.2 - 4.2) TSH was above the lab range so your symptoms make sense. Why didn't your GP or Endocrinologist increase your levothyroxine dose then? What reason was given?
Seaside Susies explanation and suggestions below are great. Do post your vitamin results when you get them. Did your Endocrinologist give you any explanation of why your results aren't following a pattern? If not, then it wasn't very helpful to leave you symptomatic without relief while giving no explanation of what is happening to your thyroid. Do read more about Hashimotos on Thyroid UK website. I saw 2 Endocrinologists who were unhelpful at best. This forum has given me better help and advice.
The endocrinologist said he didn't understand why my results weren't following a pattern. When antibodies first came back high a GP did tell me I have Hashimotos
That GP sounds more helpful than the Endocrinologist. I expect SeasideSusie is spot on when she says the Endo is a diabetic specialist. You can Google and find out what your Endo's specialty is. If you find your GP helpful then stick with them.
Sounds like a diabetic specialist then since it doesn't specifically state thyroid specialism. With a privileged education like that, no excuse for shouting at poorly patients, I would expect better manners.
The endocrinologist made it sound like I'm the only Hashimotos patient he has! He only agrees to taking of Levo so some knowledge of thyroid is there but not enough
Hmmm, that sounds familiar, you probably are!!! The rest have all decided to stick with their GP since he's behaved so badly to the thyroid patients. He clearly is NOT interested and only wants to deal with diabetes since that's where the money is in the NHS.
I think it's a strategy he is employing to get rid of thyroid patients off his list...treat them badly and keep them sick until they go elsewhere. Maybe you should stay just to ANNOY him (only joking - there has to be a light moment in this thyroid nightmare). Seriously, you just need to do what you think best for you. This forum helped me a lot.
Thyroid UK has a list of helpful Endo's they are not a recommendation but you might be able to see who is in your area. If you've got another one in mind though it sounds like you're making headway. If not, someone on the forum will give you the email address to get a list via Thyroid UK.
I often wonder who these doctors think they are. We are all human beings and deserve to be treated with respect. Just because he is a doctor doesn't give him the right to shout at anyone. I would have shouted back at him but I'm old enough to have the confidence to deal with these bullies now.
Looking at your results with the lower TSH and higher FT3 and FT4 makes me wonder if you have raised antibodies confirming autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's. Have you had them tested?
So there you are, confirmation of Hashi's which is where antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it. When the antibodies attack the dying cells dump a load of hormone and cause hyper-type "flares" where the free Ts can go very high and TSH low. These flares are temporary and things settle down again. That is the nature of Hashi's.
Unfortunately, most doctors either know nothing about this, or they dismiss antibodies as being of no importance so they then end up blaming the patient for the results and say they are abusing their meds or some such nonsense.
You probably have an endo who is a diabetes specialist, most of them are. There's not much point in continuing to see someone who is so ignorant so ditch him, you don't need him.
You can help yourself where Hashi's is concerned by adopting a strict gluten free diet and supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily to help reduce the antibodies.
(iron deficiency recurring since 2012, no iron but was on iron in 2016
Folate deficiency since 2018 - taking 5mg folic acid
Vitamin D deficiency since 2014, 800iu given, now taking 1000iu oral spray since March 2015
Given 3-monthly B12 injections started in Feb 2018 because haematology said level under 500 and I had symptoms of low B12. The injections do improve my symptoms)
Your could start eating liver regularly to help your iron. Maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content. Ferritin needs to be at least 70.
Vit D Council's recommendation is for a level of 100-150nmol/L. With a level of 55.8 you would be better taking 5000iu daily. See what your new level is and I can suggest what to take, along with D3's important cofactors.
Your B12 is being addressed so ensure you get your injections on time and if you feel the need to top up in between injections you could use sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges. When supplementing with B12 we need a good B Complex to balance all the B vitamins, eg Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B.
Is your folic acid daily? You've not been taking it long but some people can't convert folic acid and you may be better with a Folate supplement, the B Complex supplements mentioned contain 400mcg methylfolate although that might not be enough at this stage. See what your new level is.
Thanks. Folic acid is monthly. I think my ferritin might now be below 50 which would mean a new referral to haematology. If so I will make sure a new referral to haematology goes ahead.
I wonder if doctors ever think it’s appropriate to shout at patients who don’t have thyroid problems because their tests are out of range. Really not good enough...
I think many doctors don’t want us because 5hey know they’ll only get us well if they ignore prevailing treatment protocols, and that places them at risk of negligence claims
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten.
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I think I'll just go with a better endocrinologist. I have another one in mind
Been referred to Endocrinologist... Finally!
Endocrinologist 
Hypothyroid - When does a GP refer to an endocrinologist?
When to take Thyrocsin
