I was going to apologise for creating another post but then realised thats actually daft ..i am gaining more info from being here than i have in bloody years from the medics ..
I have a (nother) question ..
I have my appointment tommorow ..its been a difficult week having to wait for it knowing what i now know ..i have been feeling highly anxious about it.
Partly because im scared about the other results but also how im going to be telling her about my results.
Is she going to argue and poo poo them ?
How do i deal with it if she does that ..
I am very interested in how you folks delt with your first appointment after finding out privately and how were you responded to ?
I was in just your situation a few weeks ago - approaching my GP with a set of privately done blood tests. I too was really anxious.
However she really surprised me by apologising very sincerely that I'd felt I'd had to have the tests done privately - saying she would have had no problem doing them through the NHS for me. She accepted the results of the tests with no hesitation and I have now been started on levothyroxine.
So you never know - your GP may surprise you too! (In a good way).
Wishing you all the best for your appointment tomorrow.
I've been seeing this particular GP for nearly 8 years, on and off, and she knows what I've been through over that time. She's always been kind and approachable so that's why I'm sticking with her for the time being - and hoping she'll do right by me now we know I have Hashi's.
Thats really really positive ..a doctor like that truly is like goldust !i think thats also part of the problem ..at my surgery you just get what your given.
Its almost impossible to see the same person so you never get to build up a trusting relationship which for me can take a very long time at the best of times.
Ahh it sounds to me like she has your back so im sure she will
I ve found the online booking system to be useful. I now go through to find when preferred Dr is available. Sometimes I have to wait, but in some ways it's made me less reticent about booking an appointment. If its 3 weeks away, I book it then think about whether I needit later (rather than the usual procrastination and avoidance techniques ive used previously).
You can assist your GP by guiding her along when you've had good answers from members. It will also benefit other patients in her surgery who're struggling.
Its very good that she listened to you and was receptive. Many others aren't and I think the main problem is how 'they're taught' about dysfunctions of the thyroid gland. The greatest fault is diagnosing according to the TSH (especially in the UK when it has to rise to 10) instead of including clinical symptoms.
It is not their fault about being unaware of the dysfunctions of the thyroid gland, and it should be quite easy for them to learn of the clinical symptoms of a common autoimmune disease. If we could be diagnosed according to our clinical symptoms and if TSH is around 5, instead of making patient wait until it is 10+.
I am concerned about the fact that i will have to wait until my thyroid gets to that level as not only have i alread been unwell for a long time and have had many crashes.
The last year has been awful functioning wise even though my Tsh T3 etc seem "normal" at the moment ..
I really cant imagine how ill people must feel at those levels and im dreading it myself.
And yes she is really good probably better suited to functional medicine than GP ..but thats just my opinion.Trouble is you find a good'n but then their hands are tied arn't they.
Hi thankyou oh wow yes that really must have been quite a surprising reaction..She sounds like a decent doctor.Im glad you had that result and i hope you are starting to get some benefit from the thyroxine.
It gives me some hope also although from what ive learned i wont be offered anything meds wise as thyroid is not sick enough yet.
Im ok with that i just dont want or need to be patronised or dismissed as im feeling a bit delicate for all that malarky at the moment.
The thyroid situation is all completely new to me so i wasnt sure how my sitiation is usually looked upon by GPs if that makes any sense .
Thankyou khaw Yep i do often feel apprehensive then i never say what i want to say or how i want to say it.I spend most of the consult trying not to sound defensive lol ..and yes i will update on this thread
Good luck tomorrow. If there are specific things you want to make sure you say, I'd suggest writing them down so you don't forget. And although Victoria is no longer on the throne, if your GP is snotty or condescending, it's often worth taking a man with you to your appointments. They can also re-inforce what you say "yes, I've noticed she's become much more tired" - that sort of thing.
Haha thankyou.. no man available at this present time (thats a good thing at the mo) but someone is coming with me ..so i will have some kind of moral support.
I have written down some stuff too if i remember to refer to any of it !🙄
Well, my own experience of being diagnosed with hypothyroidism was a nightmare. I even had an unnecessary operation before that.
Just be straight and tell her what you've done as you know there's something not right with your health. That you are aware that we can be very symptomatic even if undiagnosed. Give her a copy of your results and you can also state that you've been given advice from Healthunlocked Thyroiduk.
Before blood tests were introduced (makes lots of money for the suppliers) we were diagnosed upon our clinical symptoms alone and given a trial of NDT (natural dessicated thyroid hormones). If we improved we were hypothyroid and gradual increases until we felt well again. Much easier and less costly for the NHS.
The fact is that abroad we'd be diagnosed when the TSH goes above 3+ with clinical symptoms. In the UK we've to wait until TSH reaches 10 - for whatever reason I cannot fathom.
I you might get dismissed like I was by a few Doctors you can always self medicate as a last resort. Sometimes we have no choice because Doctors cannot help because of NHS guidelines. Having said that your Doctor might help you.. you never know.
I felt the same but after rotting in bed for 2 years I had no choice. My hair was falling out and my nails were lifting off their beds, I had blurred vision, my feet were swollen and my skin was very dry. I was very depressed and could not be bothered to shower or get dressed. Sometimes we have to take our own health into our own hands when GPs refuse to help us.
Hi everyone ..firstly thankyou all for your lovely replies and the time taken to give them .
Thankyou Shaws and im sorry to hear you ended up being operated on when you didnt need to be that is insanity !
Right ok ,
so i spent a good half an hour with this doctor.
I allowed her to read my results out and she proudly announced that everything was normal.
I then hit her with the news of my test results .
I could see she was slightly defensive at first and she began to say that she couldnt really accept them as number 1.
She doesnt have the medical knowledge to medicate me on the basis of those tests and number 2 she questions the validity of them due to them being a finger prick test rather than a veignous one (not sure if i have spelt that right )
Hower she is very enlightened and holisticaly minded compare to the vast majority and admited herself that she just doesnt know as its not her area .
She has refered me to an endo and says if i get dismissed by then we will go back to the drawing board.
I made it clear that i was not expecting her to medicate me but that im very concerned that ive been left like this for years and been fobbed off so much .She is very undeestanding of why i feel that way .
We talked alot about the system and the problems we all come up against because of it .
I believe that if i wasnt her patient she would probably admit herself that the whole thing is wrong .
I know she agrees with me basically and made it clear she fully believes me and my symptoms .
I said its plainly obvious due to my long and complex history.
And that i wonder what else is going to be "in my imagination" in the future..cancer?heart disease?
She offered to retest my antibodies which i declined .The reason why i declined is that after everything i have read these levels can fluctuate and i dont want them to be able to turn round and say my medi checks test was wrong .
However i dont know if i did the right thing there or not.
The rest of my numbers for everything else are good.she said my ferritin was ok but unfortunately i forgot to ask what that was.
My T4 is lower than the last test a year ago but only by 2 %
Some good news for me is that my tryglicerides ?have come down from around 3.7 i think she said to 2. 1 ?if i remember correctly so i attribute that to my plant based diet.
I will ring up and get the other reults over the phone for my own clarification.
So i am now on the waiting list to see an endo which could be months or more from what i understand and in the meantime i am now questioning the medi checks results even tho i know i have been massively symptomatic for years with no other definitive answers 🙄
I did also tell her i have spoken to thyroid uk and that medi checks use the same labs as doctors do (i think thats correct?) Again she questioned the finger prick method .
I'm very glad to hear you had the opportunity to discuss things with her at length rather than been rushed out of the door in ten minutes.
And it sounds like she's open and willing to listen to you - always great qualities in a doctor. But of course it's frustrating she wasn't able to act on your results in the way you'd hoped.
Don't give up - I think most of us on this forum have had a very long journey to getting diagnosis and treatment!
Really i wasnt even thinking about meds or anything like that .What i wanted was to be taken seriously .I guess i was hoping for a "oh yes i agree with those results makes total sense"lol.It had been my main worry that they would be dismissed.
And while she didnt exactly do that ,there were a few questions fired at me about "what private doctor am i seeing" etc etc so that when i said no one it was through medichecks i kind of knew at that point it wasnt gonna be easy by her reaction.
However i completely understand that she felt out of her depth just to start prescribing as she has very little knowledge on the subject which she freely admitted .
So do i for that matter i have absaloutley no idea where i am now.
Yep ive read so much on here and other places .Theres a huge amount of us struggling with the exact same issues its craziness but not something that surprises me at all .And to be honest makes me feel more frustrated.
I just hope things progress for all our sakes.
Thanks for your reply and same to everyone ..youve all been amazingly kind.
I am sure your antibodies will be above normal every time they’re tested so I wouldn’t worry that they wont treat you if theyre low. I’d let them test that and get it permanently on your records - Hashimotos! x
I knew a little about thyroid and things as have been suspicious about it for years knowing it runs in my family but i knew nothing about hashimotos at all and never even considered it would apply to me.
Now i know.Im just grateful for having come here to be honest .
No one in my family so why have I got it? But know I felt ill for many years and patronising GP’s smiled and offered me antidepressants!
Antidepressant pushers!
Then they put that I have Depression and am on Sertraline on all my records and referrals when I never was and just verbally apologise for the mistake.
Instead of doing their jobs! No faith in them.
They phoned me on a ‘routine’ telephone consultation to tell me so casually that my Thyroid was dead! And I need medication for life.
My step son is a medical student and I worry that his ego will get too big and he will stop listening and close his mind.
My partner is very supportive I’m lucky that way.
The people on this site who contribute tirelessly for years are worth their weight in gold and deserve a Knighthood ! x
Hey michelle i have only just seen your reply .Sometimes things dont seem to come up on the notifications.
I couldnt agree with you more about all the points you raise,I wouldnt publicaly post just how deeply resentful i really am at the medical "profession" as i would probably get banned for repeated use of foul launguage and extremist behaviour 😂 i have been harmed relentlessly by them and this now is the final straw.
I kind of feel like "no more missus nice guy" at this present time.
Im really sorry you have had similar experiences.
I mean writing that on your notes is blatant evidence that they A .dont even know who you are because they literally cant remember your consultation which could prove how much they dont care and dont listen
B.Have mixed you up with someone else .
C .want to make the numbers up to big pharma so they can get their free lunch and pen .
Maybe you will be able to educate your son in law if he is receptive?
That would be great !
And completely agree with you about the people here too.
Amazing how people who are unwell themselves can be the most passionate about informing people and so kind giving to others.x
Just phoned up to get clarification on the bloods and spoke to a rude and very assy nurse who kept telling me my TSH thyroid results were "normal"
When i pressed for the other parts of the thyroid test she kept saying "your thyroids normal"
I kept pressing and eventually she gave me T4 results which she also reiterated are "normal" she likes that word a lot !
T4 is 9.9 mmol according to their tests.
I didnt ask her for the range as i was worried she would start shouting at me for daring to want to know what my own body is doing or something .
You are entitled to your results because it is the law and you can also view your medical records as well. Can you call in and ask for a print out of them? If she starts shouting you could actually shout back and tell her what I have just said.
Thankyou Lora7again .
Im just looking forward to getting to this Endo so i can get it all clear in my own head and hopefully stay away from the surgery as much as possible lol
My surgery GP’s ask me if I have any more private blood results and add them to their computer records. I’ve shown them to a private and NHS Endo and a Rheum specialist. None have batted an eye. Just examined them like NHS ones.
Only one they didnt agree with once was TSH results from Medichecks but that was the result not that I’d had them done. And if fact on that occasion I agreed with the doctor because the result drastically didnt correlate with others x
No I havent got a clue as I’m just a year in so still learning. But happened again to make it worse.
My TSH was going down slowly in line with being titrated up on Thyroxine. On 75mcg the NHS said I was down to 6.1 but Medichecks said 1.0 which GP dismissed as I was still very poorly. Also to add to this I had taken my Thyroxine before Medichecks in error but not before the NHS one a couple of days later!
Next one at 100mcg my NHS result said 4.3 and Medichecks 0.something. I didnt show the doctor and was titrated up to 125mcg which I needed x
I cant understand the ranges yet. And I’m not unintelligent but have terrible brain fog. I still think I’m hypo. Having NHS bloods Monday including Pitruitary tests x
Well just anxious about whether the antibody tests were true i guess ?
I have just checked my medi checks results against the NHS ones i got today and the NHS actually puts my feee t4 much lower than medichecks have and i did both bloods a week apart .
Ahh well we are in a very different boat in as much as i have no answers at all and i am not medicated.I am at the very beginning of all this just scrabbling around trying to find answers.
The doctor was great but refused to accept that my results from medichecks were definitive and talked about possible mix ups and being in the low percent of people that have a false reading etc etc.so thats why im still full of confusion.It really feels sometimes like things are being concealed but that could just be my deep mistrust .
I give up !lol
Ahh the brain fog is awful i totally relate .Wishing you the best of luck with your tests on monday !
Dont let them put you off investigating. I believe Ive been ill for years. Poor health for years. I trusted them. I will never trust medics again!! Liars! x
Yes and here we are daring to try and take control of our own lives and health so that we may not only feel better but also save our ailing NHS money in the future by staying as well as we possibly can while we age.
I havent read your history, but if you have high antibodies, then your T4 could genuinely fluctuate in a week.
I suppose your Dr may be correct about mix ups and false results, but that coukd also be tge case with NHS results. I dont know the difference between a finger prick test and a blood draw, but I ve never noticed it queried on here before (just the some patients personally prefer one or the other).
With regard to referral to Endocrinologist, you can email Dionne (someone will be along with an email address) and ask for the list of Endos who seem to be sympathetic/proactive, then if you see one that you can get to, you can ask a new question on here about what peoples experiences might ve been with that Endo. Once satisfied, you can ask to be referred specifically to that Endo. Otherwise, you might end up with the nearest to you, location wise, who may or may not specialise in thyroid work.
i think that s how it works anyway.
Apologies if I repeating info you already have.
Edited to add: blood results can also appear different if different lab ranges are used. You can get round that by using percentages. Ask, if you need help with that.
Thankyou very much for your reply .very informative.
I wasnt aware that the T4 could fluctuate as well. I was assumimg it was just a general decline until it burns out but i know very little about any of this generally so need to apologise at all.
I was aware of the differing ranges which is something.
it will be a long time i expect untill im tested again anyway since i have no follow up with the doctor.
As for the finger prick vs draw situation i did ring medichecks yesterday and apparently it has now been proven that a finger prick sample is no different from taking it from the veign if its done properly .
I didnt use the alcohol swab on mine just to make double sure there would be no contamination just washed hands .
From what i gather they have ways and means of testing your sample to make sure it is optimal anyway.
Why don't you write down everything you want to ask the Consultant and print off some information to back up what you are saying. I did this with my GP but I didn't get very far but a Consultant Endocrinologist might pay more attention to your symptoms etc especially if you have information to back up what you are saying to him.
I will certainly do that when i get to see them.I doubt that will be for some time.
I have a very long complex (but vague) medical history going back atleast 25 years.(hence the fibro diagnosis) There should be enough evidence in there to sink a ship along with the raised anti bodies x
Hi michelle do you mean with the doctor ?i wrote another biblical lol post about it up there ^^^ somewhere yesterday thanks for asking.Hope you are doing ok x
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..so much doctor anxiety ! lol 
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