Recommendations for specialist in North West

[SalmonOfDoubt]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend who I should ask to be referred on to in the North West, Wales or Midlands? I’m near Chester but can travel.

From other posts I understand this can’t be discussed in open forum but I’d be grateful for direct messages,

For background I think I’ve been having mild hypothyroid symptoms for decades. Most of the females in my family have been diagnosed and treated. For years (since an auto immune issue in my 20s) I’ve had thinning hair at the front, thin eyebrows and eyelashes, facial hair on chin and throat, weight gain, drying skin and fatigue. Since child birth I’ve developed high blood pressure which is just getting worse and worse. Over and over again I’ve asked for blood tests and they always come back ‘normal’ or ‘low normal’. Once the GP admitted that 1 result was in range that would have been treated elsewhere in country.

Since reading the really helpful posts here I’m planning on going back to my GP and asking for print outs of my past tests, and paying for private ones.

Thanks in advance.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Before seeing a thyroid specialist its recommended to get full private testing, otherwise initial consultation is waste of time and money and you may get landed with much more expensive blood tests too

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies.

Plus very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

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

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.

All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)

If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).

About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are common too, especially gluten. So it's important to get both TPO And TG antibodies tested.

[SalmonOfDoubt in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for your reply and the clear ‘how to’ advice. Just what I needed! Currently online looking a getting a private blood test. May I ask another question? One company’s doesn’t seem to include TT4 while the other does but only measures inactive B12. Is one more important than another?

[Salphy in reply to SalmonOfDoubt]

Medichecks thyroid ultravit does tt4 and active b12. Sorry not sure about blue horizon havent used them for a while. But if its a choice between the 2 I'd go with active b12 over tt4. Hope that helps.

[SalmonOfDoubt in reply to Salphy]

Thanks for the advice. Am on the Medichecks Thyroid Ultravit page but no mention of tt4 so giving them a call as they include 5he active b12

[knitwitty in reply to SalmonOfDoubt]

I would also like to add Blue Horizon have a very quick turnaround, my son had a blood draw on Wednesday morning, we posted it before lunch in envelope supplied, he got his results via email this morning (Friday).

I had a Medichecks test a couple of months back and it was almost a week before I got the results, I may have been unlucky as I hadn't used them before.

My son had the thyroid +11 with BH and the following were tested:

TSH

FT3

FT4

TPO

TAg

Total T4

B12

Ferritin

Folate

Vit D

CRP

There was special offer on and it was £99 reduced from about £120.

[SalmonOfDoubt in reply to knitwitty]

Thanks KnitWitty.

Just rang Medichecks and no TT4 (unless I want to order menopause test as well) but they do test for active B12.

Blue Horizon do report TT4 but only inactive B12 (and fast turnaround).

Oh decisions, decisions. Think I may go Medichecks to get the active B12 and hope GP will do TT4. Realise this is a 1st world issue and I’m lucky to afford private tests but want to get it right this time to avoid more GP rebuttals and condescension.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to SalmonOfDoubt]

I use Medichecks, they do give total T4

I used to use Blue Horizon.

They are very similar, Medichecks tests active B12, Blue Horizon is standard B12