An 87 year old lady was taken to hospital in December 2020 with Covid, and survived. They for some reason stopped her Levothyroxine in hospital and when she was sent back to the nursing home she had been in, they did not restart the Levo, despite this being agreed to be given again.
She died from cardiorespiratory failure in April 2021 at Glan Clwyd Hospital, a post-mortem examination revealed. "There were multiple opportunities for this error to be spotted and corrected but this did not happen because there was no consideration being given by the ANPs to the patient's medication regime," Mr Gittins, the coroner said.
I cannot imagine the suffering this lady went through.
I get the distinct feeling now I am "old" that I am disposable, and it certainly seems to be the case here.
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serenfach
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I get the distinct feeling now I am "old" that I am disposable
I agree. I know a couple of people who, because of their age, have probably been relegated to the "scrap heap", even if a GP is sympathetic and does a referral they may not get seen, and it's not all necessarily due to the problems the pandemic has caused with our health service.
And how good are you at that! I am in awe of how you managed to put all the pieces of the jigsaw of your thyroid health together and diagnose yourself with RTH, every time you post this I think the same - here is one clever and very determined lady but I am also very saddened by how long it took you to get there when really the help should have come from doctors long, long ago. I lost two years of my baby's life because I was undiagnosed (and I didn't know any better myself back then) because a doctor just kept saying I had a young family so of course I'm going to be tired but he never thought to test my thyroid in all that time, that was bad enough but to take nearly 50 years to get your answers just beggars belief!
Thank you for your kind words Susie...however, I think my medics see me as flying wildly around on a broomstick with a grinning black cat on board!
It's been a bit of a strange journey that sometimes surprises me too!
But I'm sure I'm not the only one to hit that road.
I was so convinced that there must be a single specific source of the various and numerous syndromes and ailments that appeared over the years... the problem was finding it.
I just started with the one definite diagnosis I had....hypothyroidism, and set about digging.
II knew nothing of thyroid function or disease despite 20 years on levo!
I even had to ask to be tested back then....must have had a hunch.
I read about this thing called T3...I think, in my first post, I asked " what is T3?"
Anyway, you've probably read more than enough about me.
Without this amazing form and the generous people here I may still be digging!
I've been fortunate to have a supportive family and the time to spend with my nose in books or stuck to a computer screen
I'm one of the lucky ones.....I'm still here.
As to the future with ( or without) T3...maybe I (we all) do need that black cat and broomstick after all!
A sad story and we do feel bad that hypo patients can be neglected in a nursing home that we would imagine would be efficient and ensure their patients are prescribed optimally and given whatever medications they need daily.
It's shocking that her residence did not insist that the hospital continued giving her the daily dose or commenced her dose of levo, The poor soul must have suffered unnecessarily for want of her daily dose of levo.
It is more than shocking but neglectful that caused premature death. I hope she didn't suffer unnecessarily but I doubt it. Some very old people may not be able to communicate with the staff or may be confused.
A very very sad story, the worst part that this is now common place. I feel the same about being old, which means you have to take very good care of yourself, and know that there may not be much or any help out there. Our family doctor surgeries are becoming a rarity, and there are plans to do away with them all together and go on-line....
Margo, 'there are plans to do away with them all together and go on-line....'
What makes you say this? Doctors do have to be able to physically see and examine a patient sometimes, so where would they do that if there are no surgeries?
I think many surgeries - due to the lockdown etc - have not yet enabled patients to have a face-to-face consultation.
I also believe that will continue from now on. We will have a prescription sent to the pharmacy for whatever complaint we may have talked about to the doctor. If prescription isn't working, then we'll have another prescription and it will be a 'maybe will resolve symptoms or not'!
This procedure will also not permit a patient to have a choice of a consultation with a particular doctor in the surgery.
I was very fortunate to have consulted with Dr Skinner and Dr Peatfield - both of whom were pursued as if they were criminals towards the end of their careers for permitting patients with a dysfunctional thyroid gland to have a trial of NDTs, T3 or T4.
One of the doctors in my surgery told me that T3 converts to T4!
My response 'I am sorry doctor you are wrong - its the other way around. (no wonder I am not a 'popular' patient).
I agree Shaws that face to face won't be the norm from now on. Phone and video consults etc. can be very useful for both patient and doctor. But there surely are some things that just can't be done that way and need physical examination, quite likely in private too. Think intimate areas for example 😊 .
France has around 45,000 GP's the UK around 40.000. Similar populations. Why then can I get a same day face to face appointment here in France but my friend who lives in Hampshirecannot, all of the GP's in her surgery are working from home.
It's totally different. For example when I visit the GP I pay 25 euros but most of that amount is reimbursed into my bank account. The amount I actually pay is around 8 euros per visit. I have no thyroid so anything to do with my thyroid i.e. blood tests etc etc is free. Some people have top up insurance with a private mutual insurance provider.When I first moved to France back in 2015 I was not on the French system which takes around 3 months. The GP sent me to have an ultrasound of my thyroid at a new hospital, the cost was only 32 euros. My partner who still has a thyroid but hashis has just had a thyroid blood test. TSH, FT4 FT3 , plus 2 x antis and a VitaminD test. The cost to him was 11.45 euros. It's complicated but it seems to work well.
Yes absolutely true of course people NEED to see a doctor. But the future is (and it is out in the open now) we won't have G.P. surgeries. I have known about this for quite a while, and just happened to watch by chance Nigel Farage on Tour on GB News at 7 p.m. last night, he was in Rochester Kent with a live audience, and he talked about this. You will be able to see for yourself somewhere like Youtube, if you tap in the details of the hour long show.
Most people haven't a clue what is going on, we are looking at a vile dystopian future and the truth has been kept from us, but information is leaking out all the time.
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi.
There is now a notice in my GP practice that says we can only mention one ailment per appointment. When I was first diagnosed, I must have listed over 6 ailments, including a goitre, and the GP sent me to a chiropodist! She spotted the goitre, rang the surgery and they gave me a prescription for Levo without seeing me!
How many diseases will be missed? Especially in us elderly as we dont like making a fuss.
As my broadband is 0.5mg, (yes, dial up speed!) and I was recently quoted £67000 to have fibre. I dont think they would like it trying to talk to me! Three hours and five words type of thing. And one of those words would be me swearing!
No mobile signal either. I live in a hovel in a bog, one mile from a major North/South route.
The cost of satellite broadband depends on the package you choose. Prices range from around £20 up to around £87, but can be higher. Typically, packages with higher data allowances tend to cost more.
Although there’s no line rental to pay, hardware and set-up costs can be very pricey, up to around £600.
Might still be more expensive than you'd be willing to pay. But given away compared against BT.
"No mobile signal either. I live in a hovel in a bog, " That sounds like my ideal home ..i'm sick of having to lie to people who expect me to answer my phone on demand ,and want me to do my tax return online... i was perfectly happy with life in 2000 , with no phone signal and a 'pager' .. .. progress ? 'bah humbug' i say .
Thank you for looking that up for me. I have tried a couple of satellite companies and they said they could not "see me". I cannot be bothered any more, to be honest, and will continue to live in the early 2000's!
If fast broadband is not available at your property, there are other options for getting the broadband speeds you need. You may be eligible for financial support to install faster broadband.
Have you got any "neighbours" who do have decent access? And are (potentially) in line of sight?
You can get a device to extend from one house to another - up to 15 kilometres away. A simple device at each end, plugged into the mains and, at the far end, into their router. If set up properly, you'd hardly know it was there. Cost around £100 and whatever you agree with your neighbour as a contribution to their broadband bill.
(Only trying to make sure you know the options. Not persuade you to do anything.)
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