List of sympathetic endocrinologists

[Alternative7]

Is there a list somewhere? The one I have been referred to doesn't seem to care and won't even do a full thyroid panel

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

Email Thyroid U.K. for list of recommended thyroid specialist endocrinologist and doctors

[e-mail]

Most are private but there are a few NHS

Getting full thyroid and vitamin testing done BEFORE consultation

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis) usually diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s

Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis. Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.

In U.K. medics hardly ever refer to autoimmune thyroid disease as Hashimoto’s (or Ord’s thyroiditis)

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally before 9am last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

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 all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options and money off codes

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto’s.

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Link about Hashimoto’s

thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...

List of hypothyroid symptoms

thyroiduk.org/if-you-are-un...

Come back with new post once you get results

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As you are probably aware Gabapentin can cause hypothyroidism

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/304...

journals.lww.com/md-journal...

[Alternative7 in reply to SlowDragon]

I suspect more Hyperparathyroidsim but I am not sure. That guess is based on a list of symptoms I found.

So far all I have is TSH and FT4.

TSH 1.7 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.2)

FT4 14.2 pmol/l (12.00.- 22.0)

[tattybogle in reply to Alternative7]

parathyroid.com/ This is a good site for help understanding parathyroid issues. (parathyroid glands have nothing to do with thyroid function .. they just happen to be positioned right next to thyroid gland )

GP's can do some initial parathyroid tests if that is what you suspect,( calcium , PTH~ parathyroid hormone, and Vit D, i believe )

[Alternative7 in reply to tattybogle]

I had serum calcium and VitD but they would not do PTH

[tattybogle in reply to Alternative7]

Sorry ..

i don't know much about parathyroid testing ..... i have read that site to understand the relationship between PTH /CALCIUM /VIT D ....but i've forgotten most of it now . and have filed it in the 'it's complicated' box in my brain

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to SlowDragon]

Gabapentin is a horrible drug, I was prescribed it for Fibromyalgia and took one, it gave me stomach pain so I never took it again.

[Alternative7 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

You made a very wise decision! Unfortunately for me it crept up on me very slowly and didn't turn on me until about a year of being on it and even then I didn't realise it was the drug. My doctors never tied the two together and instead sent me down a diagnosis of ME/CFS but that never felt fully right. I carried on taking it for another year until a friend suggested I do some research. At that point I decided to taper off. It was months of bed ridden hell. I am a year off now but it has literally destroyed my life in the process. I have all sorts of issues now but no clear picture of why or what and I can't function. I feel ill 24/7. My doctors don't care so I am having to try and figure it out myself.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Very difficult to test parathyroid privately as PTH test has to be processed immediately

If in London, private testing can be done

What’s your most recent vitamin results?

[Alternative7 in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes I researched and saw that the only place is London but even then it doesn't say you can get all 3 done in the same blood draw which is important.

My VitD is low but can't supplement properly as I struggle due to a sensitive CNS from coming off Gabapentin; especially with Magensium.

Last test was March:-

Calcium 2.41 mmol/L (2.20 to 2.60)

Vit D 69.4 nmol/l

The last time my doctor did serum parathyroid hormone test was 2019 but they haven't don't it since. It was 8.8 pmol/l (1.6 - 6.9) back then. My calcium was 2.5 but my VitD was 48.5 so very low so that's probably why?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Alternative7]

Correct, so probably unlikely parathyroid

parathyroid.com/low-vitamin...

Suggest you get full thyroid and vitamin testing done first

[Alternative7 in reply to SlowDragon]

I cant afford private testing right now unfortunately.

[tattybogle in reply to Alternative7]

What (if any )Thyroid /vitamin test's have you managed to get from the NHS so far ?

if you get hold of the actual results (from GP reception) and post those results [and lab ranges] on here, then people can probably help, to some degree at least.

[Alternative7 in reply to tattybogle]

I posted them above

[tattybogle in reply to Alternative7]

oh , so you did , sorry . need my brain testing today lol,, has gone AWOL.

[Alternative7 in reply to tattybogle]

Haha it's OK. I know the feeling all too well, sadly!