Does anyone live in Darlington?

[singingtoad]

I've had some doctor bother lately. My first question is, does anyone here happen to live in Darlington?

[Simplyred57]

Hi yes I live on the outskirts .

[singingtoad in reply to Simplyred57]

Hi Simplyred57Thank you for replying. Darlington is a great town, I think. There seems to be just one medical practice in Darlington with better than 3 stars from patients, and that is Orchard Court, near the hospital entrance. I haven't asked yet whether they are taking new patients by transfer, or whether I am in their catchment area.

[Simplyred57 in reply to singingtoad]

Worth a try , I have a very good surgery in MS George , but even they get it wrong trying to reduce my meds by TSH so I saw an Endo privately in Durham and now see him on NHS , thankfully he tells my GP surgery the thyroxine I need to be on, he also asked my GP to give me private prescription for T3 - good luck 🤞🏻

[singingtoad in reply to Simplyred57]

Thank you. Your story is really helpful. I shall make sure to save it.

[JAE69 in reply to Simplyred57]

Hi Simplyred57, please can you tell me the name of the endo you see in Durham? Private message as requested by Health unlocked. Many thanks

[Ralphetts]

I'm about 20 mls away in The Dales

[Maddyisla]

I live in Gainford x

[singingtoad in reply to Maddyisla]

Hi Maddyisla,Gainford is a beautiful place to live. I am on that side of Darlington and actually attend the lovely parish church in Gainford, and bird-watch along the river walk. I see the Gainford medical practice gets half a star more from patients than mine! - Not significant, really.

[Maddyisla in reply to singingtoad]

Hi singingtoad, I use Gainford doctors and they’re v good, I have Hashis and I ‘m new to all this, i use Blue Horizon to check levels, and they usually have a thyroid special on a Thursday! If you want a private Endo I’ve been recommended a chap in Harrogate by several people on here. I would be lost without this forum x

[singingtoad in reply to Maddyisla]

Thank you for that. It is good to know that you are well supported at Gainford surgery - friends there don't seem to have any problem with them. - I'd have to move house though!! That isn't out of the question - purely because of my problem with my current surgery - but I do like where I live now.I'll keep Thursdays in mind, for Blue Horizon! Thanks.

Currently, I'm not dead set on seeing an Endo again. The only reason would be to gain more protection from ignorant G.P.'s ! I don't have a problem with my current treatment, only with doctors!

[Angel_of_the_North]

I can recommend a plumber in Darlington, but sadly not a doctor

[singingtoad in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

He hee! Well, I may even need to get back to you about that because my plumber isn't available any more!

[pennyannie]

Hello Singingtoad :

I do not live anywhere near you - but reading your profile the comments apply to all of us and why we all here supporting each other, and why Thyroid UK the charity who support this forum continue to challenging the guidelines and computer dogma that most doctors tend to take as written in stone.

As you have Hashimoto's AI Disease you will need more support rather than less, and as your gland becomes less productive, full spectrum thyroid hormone replacement a logical step which will need to referral to an endocrinologist.

You are not alone and there is support on here, but we do need to see some results and ranges on which to offer considered opinion.

Do you now have access to your results and ranges, ?

Though sadly in primary care you may just be monitored on a TSH result which really doesn't tell us anything.

Many of us have been forced to resort to private blood tests as detailed on the Thyroid UK website and we need to see at least a TSH, T3 and T4 but it makes sense, at least once to run the full thyroid bloods to include antibodies, inflammation, and ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D.

Just start a new post with the results and ranges and it will all be explained to you and what you can do for yourself if there's little support from your doctor's surgery.

[singingtoad in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you for your care Pennyannie. I'm sure I am on full substitution, and the situation has been very stable for years. My gland doesn't work- conclusion from my GP in my old neck of the woods, and my own conclusion also. It is nearly 40 years since illness started.Once I have been feeling un-stressed for a few weeks, I will be purchasing a private test, and getting it reported to ME. The hospital lab here doesn't even measure my very low TSH, whereas the labs at Blackburn and Manchester (before I moved) did measure it. This lab is lazy, and the surgery can't send my sample anywhere else. I don't know this lab's reference ranges.

[pennyannie in reply to singingtoad]

Ok then, when you're ready just DI for yourself and forum members can explain anything you are not sure of in due course.

There are a list of private companies on the Thyroid uk website who can process the blood test for you ;

if supplementing anything, stop for about a week before the test so we can see what your body is actually holding onto and fast overnight just taking in water, and arrange an early morning blood draw and take your daily T4 - Levothyroxine after the blood draw.

[singingtoad in reply to pennyannie]

Hi againWhat sort of supplements would need to be stopped? Selenium?

Timing of blood sampling is something I've been re-thinking. Ever since changing to twice per day thyroxine, I have aimed to get an appointment right in the middle, so that it informs me - and my previous doctor - what the average is. But at this surgery, this is not helping me keep the right side of doctors! A fasting sample, before my morning half dose, would give a FreeT4 maybe a couple of points lower, (not as low as someone taking thyroxine only in the morning, of course).

Whereas my previous surgery would challenge me about wanting a thyroid bloods appointment middle of the day, then accept my explanation, this disorganized lot here don't bat an eyelid: they don't have any protocol.

[pennyannie in reply to singingtoad]

T4 - Thyroxine is a storage hormone and most people take it once a day in the morning, though have read of people taking a weeks worth at a time, whilst other people take it at night, and others split the dose.

There are several brands of T4 - Levothyroxine, some with different fillers, to cover most patients intolerances, there is a lactose free version and also a liquid form,

If you take your medication before the blood test, your result would give a " false high " level of T4 and should your T4 be measured you may get told you need a dose reduction in T4.

We suggest an early as possible morning appointment because that is when your TSH will at its highest and since most doctors dose on the TSH result alone, the higher it is, the more chance you have of a dose increase in thyroid hormone replacement.

It's common to be dosed on a TSH only reading, and very many hypothyroid patients are kept undermedicated by using the TSH reading, so the higher your TSH the more likely you'll be to get a dose increase in T4.

It is common for hypothyroidism patients to be undermedicated and to ensure you present with the best possible chance of being dosed for your wellness you need as high as possible TSH - which will be an early morning blood draw ;

The TSH was originally introduced as a diagnostic tool to help confirm a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and it was never intended to be used once the patient was on any form of thyroid hormone replacement as then you should be dosed and monitored to have T3 and T4 balanced in the ranges, at around a 1/4 ratio T3/T4.

Supplements containing biotin need to be stopped for around a week before a blood draw as biotin is known to interfere with the assay measures used and to see exactly what your body is holding onto it's suggested to leave all supplements off for around a week.

If you monitor and track your selenium follow the advice given for a selenium blood test : otherwise as for ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D refrain from supplements for around a week so your bloods are as " clean " as possible.

[singingtoad in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you. Actually, my TSH hasn't been anywhere near the reference range in the last 10 years, even when much troubled with hypo symptoms due to small dose reduction, so early morning wouldn't budge it.When I was first diagnosed, end of 1993, my TSH was 7.3, which seems to me modest for the illness I was suffering: I don't think it was keeping up with were it should be, even then. I had been losing health for 8 years by then.

My diagnosis was just before the invention of the FreeT4 test, so that piece of the jigsaw is missing.

A short list of my symptoms at diagnosis: exhausted, very susceptible to hypothermia, intelligence, memory and speech all ailing, intolerance of loud noises, terrible - absolutely dreadful - digestion with much fermentation and sore tummy - sensitivity to many foods and inability to digest really solid things such as wholemeal things or chips, bowel spasm. Collapsed foot arches and trouble walking, moments of coordination failure causing accidents, all muscles weakened and intolerant of repeated movement, pallid, sinus allergies infections and permanent damage, excessive hair shedding and loss of outers of eyebrows years before. Oh, and nightmares. Catching every bug, and only recovering properly from half of them. And often, totally sudden desperately urgent hunger, also dehydration episodes. That's not an exhaustive list, honest!

I wasn't better overall for starting thyroxine, just differently ill. The medication, especially going up to 100mcg after 50, was a terrible shock to my system, and I reckoned that it took me 9 years to get over the worst of that shock. I believe I would have fared much better remaining on 50mcg for much longer, then increasing only slowly, and of course splitting the dose as I have for some years now - anything to avoid that shock. I believe I was deeply adapted to muddling along with insufficient thyroxine, and that medication put me very much out of gear with myself: some bits of me speeded up, but others couldn't.

[pennyannie in reply to singingtoad]

Have you had any further investigations into these symptoms ?

Have you been diagnosed with a thyroid auto immune thyroid disease, maybe Hashimoto's ?

I can' t explain much here, and would suggest in the first instance you arrange a full thyroid blood panel to include a TSH, T3, T4, antibodies, inflammation, and ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D.

Many of us get this done privately through one of the companies listed on the Thyroid uk website who are the charity who support this forum as doctors seem very limited is what they can now process.

Start a new post with the results and ranges, and you will be advised of your next best steps back to better health.

This is where we all start off when looking for answers from forum members who have " all been there " in some shape or form and you will be offered constructive help considered opinion.

[singingtoad]

Thanks. I eat well, and always come out well nourished in blood checks. Yes to Hashimoto's, (as in my profile). I'll close this thread now.