Hashimotis frequency of blood testing . I'd like your advice please.

[A1Amber]

How often should blood be tested if you have Hashimotis?

I have been on Levothyroxine for 6 years now. 200mg at present. Last year I felt awful. Dry skin. Swollen eyes . Swollen tongue. My GP test said 'borderline retest in 6 months. I used a private test the remarks which came with the result suggested my GP raise my dose. He refused. He wanted to send my private results to local hospital endo. I refused and saw private endo - he wrote to my GP and prescription altered. Almost a year later my symptoms are returning. The receptionist at GP surgery said I cannot have blood test until September. Any suggestions. I don't wish to pay £200 When I have hoarse voice swollen tongue etc.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

A1Amber

If your hypothyroidism is stable, normal protocol is to retest once a year.

If you become symptomatic then one would expect a GP to test and check levels regardless of when your next annual retest is due.

If you want to do a private test, and thyroid tests are all you want (as opposed to a full thyroid/vitamin panel) then Medichecks do a Thyroid MONITORING test which does TSH, FT4 and FT3 only and that is normally £39, discounted by 10% with code THYROIDUK and sometimes on special offer on a Thursday. It's currently on offer at £31.

medichecks.com/thyroid-func...

Blue Horizon do an equivalent test - Thyroid Check PLUS THREE

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

But of course, your GP would have to accept those results to make a dose change an it seems that he's not necessarily amenable to that in which case you'd have to push for your GP to do his own test.

[A1Amber in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for your reply.

My GP said all underactive thyroid is Hashimotos also known as Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.

I'm a patient. I don't want a battle if I don't feel right.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to A1Amber]

My GP said all underactive thyroid is Hashimotos also known as Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.

Your GP is wrong.

The majority of hypothyroidism is autoimmune, said to be approximately 90%, but certainly not all.

Other causes of hypothyroidism:

Surgical removal of the thyroid due to cancer.

Genetic - where the thyroid gland doesn't develop properly.

Glandular fever/Epstein Barr virus.

Major trauma - particularly to the thyroid area/neck/head.

Some surgeries.

Pregnancy.

Environmental - deficiency of iodine and possibly other minerals. Environmental toxins - flouride added to drinking water being one of them.

Certain drugs - particularly lithium.

Secondary hypothyroidism where the problem is due to the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland.

And of course iodiopathic.

Here are a couple of short articles which lists some causes of hypothyroidism:

endocrineweb.com/conditions...

everydayhealth.com/thyroid-...

I was diagnosed hypothyroid in 1975. My hypothyroidism is not autoimmune, I developed symptoms not long after the birth of my second child 46 years ago (when I was 25 years old). My mother suddenly developed hypothyroidism around the age of 60, hers was not autoimmune. My sister-in-law developed hypothyroidism when she was in her 40s, hers is not autoimmune. What we do all have in common is that we all come from Birmingham and it was the first city to to have flouride (which is industrial waste, not natural flouride) added to it's drinking water in the early 1960s. A study showed that Birmingham had a much higher incidence of hypothyroidism than Manchester which didn't add flouride to it's water.

We are all patients here, none of us want a battle, we all want to be optimally treated but understanding of hypothyroidism is very poor in the medical world, which is why this forum has over 100,000 registered members who joined because they were not getting the right treatment and decided to help themselves in their quest for wellness.

[A1Amber in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you. I have an appointment tomorrow.

[m7-cola in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for this most interesting and informative post.