Hi am new to all this ... so for years I’ve never felt right ... extreme tiredness , feeling constantly run down , heavy periods , hair loss , weight gain to name the ones that are on some days are debilitating 🙁. I’ve had my thyroid and full blood tests every year and always come back normal ! Nothing else done. Well I can’t carry on anymore feeling like this . I need to fight to get heard I have a phone appointment with a doctor next Tuesday . Any advice on how to proceed of everything shows up ‘normal’?
Many thanks
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Beautypink
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Important to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin too
Low ferritin is likely with heavy periods
Roughly what age are you?
You are legally entitled to printed copies of your blood test results and ranges.
The best way to get access to current and historic blood test results is to register for online access to your medical record and blood test results
UK GP practices are supposed to offer everyone online access for blood test results. Ring and ask if this is available and apply to do so if possible, if it is you may need "enhanced access" to see blood results.
In reality many GP surgeries do not have blood test results online yet
Alternatively ring receptionist and request printed copies of results. Allow couple of days and then go and pick up.
Important to see exactly what has been tested and equally important what hasn’t been tested yet
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin levels and thyroid antibodies if not been tested yet
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
The first thing you need to do is ask for a print out of your test results - don't accept verbal or hand written results as mistakes can be made. We are legally entitled to our results here in the UK so ask the receptionist (never the doctor, they don't like us knowing) for a print out.
When you have these then post them on the forum, along with their reference ranges (these vary from lab to lab so we need the ranges to interpret your results) and members will comment and make suggestions where necessary.
Just because a result is within range doesn't mean everything is "normal".
For a full picture of thyroid status you need to test:
TSH
FT4
FT3
Thyroid antibodies
and its very likely that all these tests haven't been done.
If you can obtain your results before your appointment and post them for comment, it may help.
I am hoping the doctor will arrange a blood test after I speak with her but if they don’t do all what’s needed might be better I go private ? But then who will evaluate the results ? Can I then take the results to my doctor? Sorry have no clue . I think o had a full bloods in feb this year . I will phone and get a copy of them .
We have recommended private labs, most popular are Blue Horizon and Medichecks for full thyroid panel including antibodies, they also do a test bundle to include thyroid and vitamins.
Some doctors accept private results, some wont, but even if they wont if there are some abnormalities with the results it's your opening to invite your GP to repeat the test themselves.
Step 1 - get your actual historic blood results [and lab ranges].
a) that will tell you what has actually been tested - ie just TSH, or TSH and free T4, or the full set of blood tests you actually need [I'd be amazed if it was more than just TSH and free T4]
b) you will see where you sit in the range - words like "in range" and "normal" are pretty meaningless - it's where you are in the ranges that matters
If you are not yet taking thyroid meds, you have probably only had TSH tested. Your GP won't give you thyroid medication until TSH is well over-range - either more than 10 [at which point you will be really, really ill] or over-range but with high thyroid antibodies. In many other countries they would treat you when TSH is more than 3.
But TSH doesn't tell the full story: it is just a message from the pituitary to the thyroid gland to produce more hormone - so TSH gets higher as thyroid hormone production gets lower. Ideally you would also have free T4 tested - the inactive thyroid hormone - and free T3, the active thyroid hormone free T4 converts into, and which is needed in every cell in your body.
And really you would also have key nutrients testing - ferritin folate, vit D and B12.
So my step 2 would be to get a full set of blood testing done - on an empty stomach, as early in the morning as possible [TSH is highest then] - so that's TSH, free T4, free T3, thyroid antibodies, folate, ferritin, vit D and B12. If the GP won't test them, you will see LOTS of posts here about private testing. Then post the results - as a sep post - and the lab ranges, as these vary from lab to lab. If you can't [yet] get thyroid meds prescribed, at least you can work on any nutrients that are too low and take supplements as necessary.
And if this is all a lot to take on board, I'd suggest you have a good rootle around the Thyroid UK site and at helvella 's excellent glossary [pinned on the right] so you get to know the technical terminology
You absolutely DON'T want to tick the box (if available) for a "doctor's comments" with a private test - they're never helpful. Instead, post the results here, for the lovely people to help explain to you, and go back to the GP armed with the replies
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