Ok today I went to see the doctor re painful joints, naturally he got the subject around to me losing weight, I told him after having RAI 15 years ago I went up to this size and have stayed this size no matter what eating habits I change, then I informed him all about the benefits of adding T3 with Levo letting him know that I have been studying this for a few years, he said that the cost of adding T3 would be over £800 a month so h I couldn’t have it, so I talked about NDT which as we know is natural desiccated thyroid now he was around my age 59 but he said oh I’ve never heard of that.....
I must have gone in with STUPID stamped on my forehead.
He was hen enlightened me that if I ate no food I would loose weight Oh well at least I came away more knowledgeable about how to loose weight.
I give up
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Thelindyloo
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Thye are embarressingly ignorant and contemptious of thier customers. He has stupid stamped on his head forhead not you. I am very glad of my own GP who is a sensitive kind chap but mostly they are a vile profession full of ignorant arrogant people. I would be inclined to write to you GP asking if he could put his advice that you should stop eating in writing and ask him to reffer you to a dietrician so you can discuss his advice furthur and put it into action, just to have the fun of watching him back peddle.
Also when you are dealiing with people that rude and ignorant do you really want thier treatment anyway. Treat yourself I am sure you are far more qualified, at least you have heard of NDT which I would imagine you would do well on.
Plus he's talking out of his a....e about cost of T3
On NHS a typical dose of 15-20mcg daily in addition to Levo would be £200-260 per month
Private prescription for 100 x 20mcg from Germany is 31 Euro (works out at under 10 Euro a month)
Suggest you get full Thyroid and vitamin testing privately. Come back here with new post with results for advice on next step
Important to get vitamins optimal first.
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies and also 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 or vitamins
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. When on Levothyroxine, don't take in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after test. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
THS is often particularly unreliable after RAI. Essential to test FT4 and FT3 plus vitamins
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,
"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.
In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.
Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.
This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."
You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor please email Dionne at
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
Professor Toft recent article saying, T3 may be necessary for many otherwise we need high FT4 and suppressed TSH in order to have high enough FT3. Note especially his comments on current inadequate treatment following RAI
I don't know why you even bother talking to Dr. I don't know why I bothered either.
Word to self, I will not talk to Dr. Just present with infection, rash, or wound ask do I need prescription meds?
Antidepressants? No thank you.
Sorry to have bothered you.
Then, do more of what I'm learning to do. Get pharmacy advice, buy own medication, treat myself, talk to people on HU, and if emergency ill health issue go to a/e.
Slowly, but surely, doctors are in the business of no help practice.
Of course, I can only go by my experience since my own thyroid crises! Perhaps other conditions are respected and understood by Drs.
Please don't give up, only on the doctor, that is. Source your own NDT to feel well again.
I'm fat. It happened very suddenly and coincided with me becoming very ill, probably some sort of thyroid/adrenal crisis after crap thyroid ignoring by the GP. Before that I was tall, fit, happy and pretty and slim enough to appear naked on a calendar (a Calendar Girls fundraising calendar) and receive many compliments. I sometimes get that calendar out and look at myself in it. I can't recognise myself.
My illness has robbed me of a good 4 years of my life. I've been ill longer, but was able to cope back then. I have a private hormone specialist for menopause and my GP. My GP is a nice woman. But told me the last time I was in that I probably couldn't have a knee replacement for the arthritis she said was making my knee swell, because I was too fat for the surgery. My swollen knew has gone back to normal and isn't a problem now and my friend, who is literally twice my size if not more, has 2 replacement knees! She ended by telling me I needed to loose weight. Whilst I have a weirdly not quite reacting right thyroid going on!
My private menopause doctor has a very poor bedside manner. She is vociferous in telling me to loose weight. Keeps pushing a low carb diet. Keeps telling me if I don't loose weight I will become diabetic (I'm not there yet). I come out of her appointments feeling bruised and ashamed. She too knows about my thyroid. It was her who first started me on Levo last summer. I dread going to see doctors these days. They stress me, then do sharp intakes of breath about my BP, my diabetes risk and my weight and both of them should understand that I still have an inadequately treated thyroid with a last measured TSH of 7.3!
Also, they just don't get it. I am so depressed at what has happened to me that I can't possible control my eating cravings or anything. The only nice thing that happens to me now in my life is my dinner that my husband cooks every night. And they want me to chuck the potato or rice or pasta off the plate and stick with protein and greens. Food is more than the sum of it's parts. I'm not stuffing my face with sugar all day long. They need some serious training in how to be nice to patients.
If they want you to lose weight (I’ve lost the extra ‘o’) they could try getting your thyroid medication correct. Once I was optimally medicated I found that I could lose weight fairly easily. I have resigned myself to being a rounder, larger person than the tall, skinny woman I used to be. I’ve chosen my face over my figure.
I had a telephone appointment with GP and was asking about dizziness and loss of balance and she said I can't answer that speak to the hospital ne t time you go. I came off the phone and said to my husband well that was a complete waste of time!!!! . Apparently all is ok as my levels are normal 😁 I give up!!!!
What really annoys me is you tell them how drained you feel no energy feel wiped out all the time not much of a relationship with husband etc etc and doctors reply is to diet and exercise I mean is he deaf or just ignorant 🙇🏼♀️
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Why do doctors fail? 
my family dont even taken my illness seriously ,so why would the doctors?
i am flabbergasted! even in Australia are doctors who go strictly by the guidelines and refuse t3
Why do I feel so awful?
why do doctors look at us like we are nuts
