Advice Please, Trying to guide Daughter on way forward!

[BizziB]

Hi everyone, posting to try to find info for my 25yr old daughter. She's had part of her thyroid removed 4 yrs ago and had follow up blood tests since. All have come back as being within the threshold but at the lower end. However she has been having 'classic' symptoms (weight gain, anxiety, sleeplessness, acid reflux etc) and never been given medication. She has attended these visits by herself but feels that she's not being listened to by the gp, is this normal? We are willing to push for a private consultation to enable her to feel better as she's just feeling over- anxious and don't want it to affect her final year at uni. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

BizziB

All have come back as being within the threshold but at the lower end.

If you're talking about FT4 test then it sounds like she is undermedicated.

If you post your daughter's test results, with their reference ranges (important because ranges vary from lab to lab) members will be able to help.

She may not have had all the tests advised but post what she does have, ideally we need to see

TSH

FT4

FT3

Thyroid antibodies

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

Also, say what dose of Levo your daughter is on, and the reason for partial thyroidectomy.

[BizziB in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for the quick response! I'll see if she can find them but not sure is she's asked for them tbh. The partial thyroidectomy was due to a lump that the ent surgeon wasn't sure if it would turn into something else. He did say it was her choice to either have it removed or just to keep having regular invasive checks - she opted for the former thinking that it would be the end of it. She has not been on any medication at all ever, is this normal?

Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to BizziB]

BizziB

She has not been on any medication at all ever, is this normal?

That would depend on whether her test results indicated that her TSH was over range and her Free T hormones (FT4 and FT3) were low, and whether she was experiencing symptoms.

Nothing surprises members of this forum any more, doctors are notoriously ignorant about treating thyroid disease, even those who are meant to be specialists. Endocrinologists generally are diabetes specialists who know very little about thyroid, actual thyroid specialists are a bit like hens' teeth.

Your daughter can ask at her surgery's reception desk for a print out of her test results, get as many as possible. In the UK it's our legal right to have our results and not be charged for them. The surgery may need a couple of days to get them printed.

[BizziB in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks seaside susie, I'll get her to chase these and post when she gets them. Regards!

[shaws Administrator in reply to BizziB]

All blood tests for thyroid hormones have to be at the very earlist, fasting (she can drink water) and if on thyrod hormone replacements she should allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take afterwards. Dose should always be taken wih one full glass of water and wait about an hour before eating.

Food interferes with the uptake of hormones. Most take dose when they get up and wait an our before food. Some prefer a bedtime dose, in that case you'd miss night dose and take after test and night dose as usual. Night dose should also be taken on an empty stomach so food should have been taken about 3 hours previously.

Because surgeries are so busy these days I think it advisable to make appointments well ahead so we get the earliest.

GP should also tst B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

The aim is a TSH of 1 or lower with a Free T4 and Free T3 in the upper part of the ranges. The latter are rarely tested but we have private labs which will do so.

Always get a print-out from the surgery with the ranges for her own records and can post if she has a query.

[BizziB in reply to shaws]

Thank you. I will get her to look into this. Regards