Hi everyone. I’m waiting on nhs results for thyroid and parathyroid. Also waiting on blue horizon test results. I’ve been suffering fatigue, tinnitus, muscle twitching weakness and generally feeling awful since January. I have developed atrial fibrillation and have low phosphate also. Previous to this breakdown of health my only complaint was an ingrown toenail in 35 years!
I want to know how to go about pushing for a trial of medication for hypo/hyper thyroid to see if this improves my health. Is this even something my gp would go for? Am I better to go private? Would a short term trial have any health implications? If I was border line normal hypo would I ask for medication to increase and borderline high normal ask for Mes to decrease.
I feared I may have chronic fatigue but I don’t fit the symptoms
Thanks matty
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Mattydonald
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I think all one can say at this point is: it depends on the results of your blood tests. It's impossible to reply in a vacuum, we need solid facts to reply to all your questions. And, it also depends on the GP you see, how much he knows about thyroid, and how he feels about thyroid hormone replacement. All GPs are different in both respects.
So, when you've got all your results, post again, and don't forget the ranges. Bye til then.
Ok thanks for the reply. It was just so I was armed with as much info as possible when I have the telephone appointment on Tuesday so I know what is and isn’t possible.
Yes, I take your point, but as you have no idea whether you might be hypo or hyper, it's very difficult to answer.
Basically, if you are hypo, your results would be thus:
High TSH, low FT4/3 (if they're even tested!)
If you are hyper, your results would be:
Low TSH, very high FT4/3
But, there are many, many variations on that. And, if your doctor has only tested TSH, it's not going to tell us much unless it's very high - in which case, one would assume you're hypo - but even that can be wrong. It is complicated.
Also, for a complete picture of what's going on, you need antibodies tested. A 'diagnosis' of hyper, without antibodies, is worthless.
But, in any case, if your results suggest hypo, no way is your doctor going to jump straight in with a prescription. He will want to retest at a later date, to confirm the results - he'll probably say three months, but six weeks is adequate. So many things can affect results - like an infection, for example - that it would be imprudent to do otherwise. So, you'll have plenty of time to get back to us with the results.
There is a complicated relationship between calcium, phosphate, vitamin D and PTH (parathyroid hormone). Without help from a competent doctor I wouldn't suggest doing anything about these, particularly given that you have no test results available.
The muscle twitching you have could be caused by issues with your levels of calcium, vitamin D, phosphate and PTH.
But it is also true that you could have muscle twitching from low sodium, low potassium, low magnesium, low iron, and/or low ferritin. Without test results for these though I would suggest not trying to supplement any of them. You simply don't have enough information at the moment.
You should focus on getting the results and reference ranges of any tests you've had over the last few months, or whenever you first started seeing a doctor about your health problems.
You are entitled, by law, to get copies of your medical records including test results. You could first of all ask for access to your medical records and blood test results online. You don't need to see or speak to a doctor to do this. The receptionists can arrange it. They can be awkward though, and start asking questions that legally they shouldn't ask, such as "Why do you want access?" You don't have to answer but it is easier to just say something innocuous like "I'm just interested in being as healthy as possible" or something equally bland.
You need to provide proof of identity to get access to your records in any form. Usually this might involve taking a passport and a utility bill with you to the surgery. In the middle of lockdown though I'm not sure how they would expect you to provide this proof - you'd have to ask.
If you can't get access to your records online (not all surgeries are geared up for it) then you should ask for a copy on paper or possibly sent via email. You want the actual test result numbers and ranges, not just a page of tests that says "normal" or "high" or "low".
If you have problems getting hold of your info come back and write another post. We can provide info on your legal rights and how to write a Subject Access Request.
Thanks very much. I had initial tests around February when I first visited gp, I had tests when I was hospitalised, I had tests yesterday which I am waiting for results for and I also am waiting on blue Houston results so I will get them all together and post them. I appreciate your detailed reply!
Over 3-4 weeks In January I had strange sensations in my throat, like lump in throat when swallowing and sharp stabbing pains then that went away but I was left with fatigue and most recently muscle twitching has developed. I understand it’s impossible to diagnose but once I found out I had low phosphate it lead me research the endocrine system.
All test results are normal but I now understand You aren’t to accept this “normal”
Just to give you an example of the problems with "normal"...
Ferritin (iron stores) is commonly deficient in lots of people around the world. In many cases doctors will describe all the following as "normal"
Patient A : Result = 13 Ref Range = 13 - 150
Patient B : Result = 85 (i.e. roughly mid-range) Ref Range as above
Patient C : Result = 150 Ref Range as above
There are also plenty of doctors who will declare all the above results as "normal". Some would even declare a result of, say, 10 as "normal" on the basis that it is "close enough".
But you have to ask yourself, which patient feels best? That would probably be Patient B with the mid-range result. The one who feels worst would probably be Patient A.
Doctors aren't in the business of making people feel well though. They are just in the business of getting their numbers in the reference range. I say this because comments of this type have been given by GPs and endos to lots of patients with thyroid problems.
I try and keep my own ferritin as close to mid-range as I can. It has a huge negative impact on my health if I allow it to drop to any great degree.
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