no thyroid thyroidectomy/blood tests

[birkie]

Hello 💖

I always see great information on here and great advice, as I can't get much info from my gp on this subject can someone enlighten me...

We who have no thyroid and are put on 4T or if lucky T3.. When we have our blood test can we ask for T3, T4 to be tested along side TSH as we have no thyroid? My gp is nisisting because im on T4 they dont need to test T3 or T4. I'm due to start on liquid levoroxine which I've been told is T4 so im sure my surgery will deny the full thyroid pannle😤..how can I get my surgery to do the correct bloods I can't pay for a private test at the moment😔

[Lalatoot]

Birkie My GP surgery will do TSH and ft4 for levo only hypos but will not do ft3. Their policy is that T3 is the realm of endos so not in their remit.If your surgery will only do TSH you could argue that as your TSH and ft4 are always out of sync so they need to test the actual level of the hormone that they are prescribing.

[birkie in reply to Lalatoot]

Makes sence Lalatoot, I think us with no thyroids should have all 3 tested regardless of what thyroid medication we are on.., 🤷‍♀️

[Lalatoot in reply to birkie]

I agree Birkie. I'm on combo prescribed by NHS and I have to remind my GP to test the using the argument that they prescribe it.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

birkie

TSH should never be used in isolation to adjust dose of thyroid meds. It's the FT4 and, more importantly, the FT3 that tell us our thyroid status. Unfortunately doctors are brainwashed into thinking TSH is all that matters, it's what they're taught, and hypothyroidism isn't an interesting enough condition for many to delve further into it.

Usually it's the lab who decides if FT4 and FT3 are to be tested even when the GP requests it, and many wont test them if TSH is within range.

If you can manage £26.10 then you can test TSH, FT4 and FT3 with a home fingerprick test with an NHS lab at Exeter hospital who offers this to the general public. As it's an NHS lab I can't see how any doctor can reject the results. Details here:

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

[birkie in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks seasidesusie 👍I ponderd this.... Why do the endocrinologist and GPS treat us as if we have a thyroid, both of my friends have hypothyroidism both have their thyroids in tacked..one friend saw her gp some time ago and her hormones had suddenly gone down but within range still, she had not changed anything related to her meds.. So gp said your thyroid must be producing an amount of hormones (didn't even know that was possible) 🤷‍♀️ so he decreased her meds.. With no thyroid we wouldn't produce any thyroid hormones at all, but we are treated as if we still have one🤷‍♀️

[SlowDragon Administrator]

No one on replacement thyroid hormones should have just TSH tested

It was never intended by inventor of TSH that only TSH be used. It’s always essential to test Ft4 and Ft3

But budget constraint and lab protocols results in majority of thyroid patients only getting TSH tested …..even if GP requests the lab test Ft4 and Ft3

It’s £26.10 to get TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 tested via Monitor My Health (private NHS test service)

[birkie in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks slowDragon 💖It's such a fight 😔...i remember going to the surgery after my first blood test for pth (abnormal,) cal 2.51...the nurse tried to put the pth in a normal gold top tube.. I corrected her.. But she told me these will only be done if the labs are willing.. Eventho my pth was abnormal on the first set of tests.. I told her.. In order to diagnose primary hyperparathiyroidism you must do all 3..pth,cal vit D.. In order to rule it in or out, when the gp requests bloods wether it be for parathyroid hormones or thyroid hormones he should state on the form... ", these bloods are to diagnose a condition so all must be done.. It makes sence the nurse said.. 👍