Update to my post ( I’m new here) Just been to see my GP !

[Lexa22]

Went to see GP this morning, he refused to give me a 3 month trial of thyroid medication and refused to send me for an ultrasound of my thyroid but has referred me on to an endocrinologist, who he thinks will not see me anyway!! Just getting me out of the door wasn’t he ! So how do I go about buying some thyroxine medication myself, I’ve got the list of clinics, is the one in Winchester any good? Or can I just buy it on the internet. Are any of the supplements like Nuti Thyroid or Thyroxite Advance of help? To make things more complicated I am going to live in Vietnam for the next 2 years so need to be able to take medication with me, unless any of you know whether I can buy it over the counter out there.

[greygoose]

Sorry you didn't have any luck with your doctor. But not really surprising. None of them know that much about thyroid.

Yes, you can get levo on-line. Hopefully, someone who knows will PM you the links, but we're not allowed to give sources on the open forum. However, if I were you, I'd do a second test in a couple of months, just to be sure the first one wasn't a fluke - especially as you were taking biotin before the blood draw.

I would not take Thyroxite Advanced if I were you, it's one of those money-making multi's that companies make to draw in the suckers. Multi's are never a good idea, as SeasideSusie explained in your last post. It contains iodine, for one thing, and as she said, you should never take that without knowing if you need it, because it can make things a hell of a lot worse! Nutri Thyroid is a glandular, with no hormone, might or might not help, but cannot replace proper thyroid hormone replacement. I had a rather bad experience with it, personally, but we're all different.

I'm afraid I can't advise you about Vietnam, but my son's been there several times and says their health system is brilliant. So, maybe you stand a better chance of getting diagnosed over there. In the UK, they will insist that the TSH has to be over 10 before they will diagnose. Could be that Vietnam is more enlightened in that area.

[Lexa22 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for the advice. Do you think I should go to one of the clinics on the Thyroid UK list first or just buy some levo on line and do my own trial for 3 months? I will definitely give feedback on medication available in Vietnam.

[greygoose in reply to Lexa22]

Obviously it would be better for you in the future if you have an official diagnosis on your records. The questions is: will going to one of these clinics get you a diagnosis? I don't know. If your TSH is under ten, with no antibodies, probably not. No reason why you shouldn't try, though. If that fails, then get your levo on-line.

[Lexa22 in reply to greygoose]

Ah, hadn't thought about getting a diagnosis . The GP was sympathetic and agreed that all my symptoms did seem to point to Hypothyroidism but my TSH is below 10 basically.

I thought these clinics were prepared to treat symptoms and just not rely on blood tests. I haven't had a PM yet about buying it myself, ( I don't think, I'm new to this forum etc). Thanks again.

[greygoose in reply to Lexa22]

It's rather rare to find a doctor that will diagnose and treat on symptoms. That said, I have no personal experience of these clinics, I just know the general trend in the UK.

If you have a PM, you will see a number 1 appear at the top of the page, next to the number that indicates you have a response in your thread. I will send you a PM so that you can see.

[Lora7again in reply to Lexa22]

They certainly like to see us suffer ... most healthy people have a TSH of about 1 or under .... mine is 0.70 at the moment and I feel very well but don't sleep much. I have been like this all my life and as a child only slept about 5 hours a night.

[greygoose]

I've just seen on helvella's list:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu......

that levo is OTC in Thailand. Maybe you'll be able to visit Thailand occasionally whilst living in Vietnam? I see he has no information about Vietnam, so maybe you'll be able to help him, there.

[Nanaedake]

More to the point, what did your GP say about your over range ferritin and did he do a full iron panel?

Your GP could be right that thyroid hormone is not your problem since you've got no thyroid antibodies and inflammation can raise TSH. Perhaps it's worth ruling out other causes before self-medicating? You really don't want to take levothyroxine if you don't need it.

I have hardly any thyroid for the last 10 years or so and never lost a hair despite ups and downs with thyroid hormones and levels a lot worse than yours.

Really important not to jump to conclusions as you may miss the real root of your symptoms. My guess is that at the end of the day, you just want to feel better so you need to get to the root of your high ferritin and raised CRP.

If a retest shows higher TSH and below range Frees that would reveal a thyroid problem and you would get a diagnosis. I would ask your GP to explore the reasons for raised ferritin and inflammation.

[Lexa22 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thank you so much for the advice, I’m not rushing into anything yet. The GP wasn’t bothered by the ferritin level, said it was well within the NHS range , so we did forget about it ( husband came with me for support) . The medichecks Dr did say to get re tested in 8 weeks so I’ll do that. In the meantime I’m just researching as much as I can. High ferritin levels can cause unexplained fatigue!!

[Lora7again in reply to Lexa22]

My ferritin is above range and is 300 but my GP says to come back when it is 800 and he will investigate. Mine is inflammation because my CRP is 9 now.

[TSH110]

If you do get an endo appointment you should check the ThyroidUK list to see if they are listed. Your doctor sounds awful. You may find going to Vietnam is the best thing you can do for your health. I use Thai NDT - ThyroidS which I have found very efficacious you may be able to get that but OTC Levo is very good news - hope it is the same in Vietnam.

[Lexa22 in reply to TSH110]

Hi TSH110, thank you so much for your post. I didn't get the endo appointment so I am back to square one. I have just ordered another Medichecks blood test so I will post the results and go from there. My husband is already in Vietnam and you can buy Levo OTC. I think once I am settled I will see a Dr out there etc. Trying to get myself organised for the move when I feel so rubbish is pretty hard though. I will let helvella know of OTC medication for the list. Thanks again

[TSH110]

The warmer weather might help too - I assume it is warm but I don’t really know for sure. The doctors there might be more on the ball about the advantage of treating it ASAP not like the nonsense we get here of TSH having to be 10! As if any abnormal levels of such important hormones would be without health consequences for the individual concerned, they seem to be complete idiots if they can’t even see what appears to me to be nothing more than plain common sense. What real understanding must they have of the human body? Sweet FA. I shudder to think they got qualified to mess with people health with such bold displays of ignorance. Wish I could get £100k a year to do nothing and say no to every reasonable request of me to apply my training, skills and expertise to a help solve problem at work.

Sorry you are struggling to get sorted for the move just try and take it steady. I found lists helpful so you can refer back rather than try and remember it all in your head. Mind you just packing for a weekend used to kill me before I got treated it could take me a whole day 😳I was very overt by then hopefully you are not as seriously brain fogged as I was at that juncture! Hopefully if you do forget something you will be able to buy it out there.