Hi all
Recently started thinking that perhaps my tiredness levels may be beyond what is "normal". Having done some research I realised I have a lot of symptoms of an underactive thyroid. I'm just not sure where to go from here. Do I go to my GP and explain my symptoms? Do I tell them I suspect hypothyroidism? Slightly worried they will just fob me off and think I'm a hypochondriac...
Yes definitely ask gp for thyroid test. My exhaustion was what triggered me being tested.
I would also test B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD. If low in range they could be the cause of your fatigue. B12 is good around 500 - Folate and Ferritin mid-range and VitD at 100+. Docs will declare you normal/fine/ok if you are in range - it is where you are in the range that is key. 😊 Always obtain copies of your results with ranges - so you can monitor your progress and see what has been missed ! Makes posting here heloful too ...
Rebster. get you thyroid bloods done as suggested. You may well be told that your results are normal or than you symptoms are mental health related but get back to us with the results of your blood tests and we can advise further. Sadly thyroid care in the uk is very very poor and the interpretation of blood results by most doctors here very basic and inadequate. There is a lot that can be done to get you better and if you are lucky you will get that on the NHS but keep coming back to us until you feel better.
Thanks all. Going to ring the gp tomorrow for an appointment, will see where things go from there. I'm sure something is not right as been doing some cleaning today and just wiping down the kitchen surfaces left my arms feeling really tired and pained...
That is exactly what I did. A friend of mine told me of her son's thyroid problem - described his tiredness, not wanting to get out of bed etc. - and that is what came to my mind when I started to get tired beyond belief. I went to the doc and said, " Could you please check out my thyroid because I am tired beyond belief." He put his hand to my throat and said, "Well you could be right, I can feel nodules. They are probably benign but lets look further." And a few weeks later I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Now, I am not suggesting this will be your problem but do go to the doc and suggest he checks out your thyroid. You will probably get a blood test first. Post them here, make sure he requests TSH, FT4, FT3, and the antibodies. That will save you a few weeks of more tiredness. If he will not do those items get them done privately right away, and post them here.
Your Very Inspirational . You give Many Hope .
Update: Managed to get in with the GP today. GP clearly sceptical of any physical health issues, thinks depression far more likely (I'm very familiar with depression symptoms, and am quite confident I'm not depressed.) Also suggested physical weakness is due to lack of exercise. Nonetheless, she did agree to blood tests: FBC, Ferritin, LFT, Serum Folate, TSH, Urea & Electrolytes, Vitamin B12. Slightly frustrated as only thyroid test in there seems to be TSH unless I'm missing something but will see what comes back and go from there. Now just got to wait a week or so for blood test appointment and then more than likely another week for results...
Wondering Where To Go From Here
Unsure where to go next? Hypothyroidism?
WHERE TO FROM HERE
Where do we go from here...
Where do I go from here?
