Hi, I’m just giving up. I don’t have the strength enough to fight with my GP. They don't want to give me or show me my labs. I need a functional doc as I need to fix my t3/t4 dosage as I'm now in menopause. I feel exhausted and unproductive, I want to cry for everything every moment, getting weight every second. Have any of you private insurance with doctors who understand this kind of situation or the only alternative is pay medichecks?
Thank you so much in advance
Almost all private medical insurance takes into account pre-existing conditions.
(The big exception is if you get automatic medical insurance from your employer. The employer can have a policy which ignores pre-existing conditions. Partly because they are spreading the risk by having many people to cover. Partly because if you are well enough to work, that already eliminates some of the least well. Possibly some other group plans can also help.)
If you declare everything, the premium is likely to be too high to consider.
If you don't declare everything, you are breaking the terms. And it would almost certainly come out as soon as you consult a doctor!
However, one company operates somewhat differently and covers anyway, benenden.co.uk/
But read all about what they are offering very, very carefully. You get little for the first six months, as far as I can see.
Before considering booking any private consultation we would always recommend getting FULL thyroid and vitamin testing done yourself privately via Medichecks or Blue Horizon
A) because if vitamins are low you need to work on improving before booking consultation
B) a first consultation without full thyroid and vitamin results is waste of your time and money
C) essential to test early morning and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test (not after an initial consultation)
D) if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (hashimoto’s) or post RAI it’s always Worth trying strictly gluten free diet…..but get coeliac blood test done BEFORE considering trial on strictly gluten free diet
E) similarly dairy free often helpful
Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription
how much levothyroxine are you currently taking
Please add most recent thyroid and vitamin results
I'm looking for insurance for labs and endo, not just a private consultation. If I go to medichecks and I ask for the full hormonal test, do they know what they have to do? Or do they need a doctor‘s prescription whit the list?
I don't have results as my GP doesn't give me my labs. I have a t3/t4 pills I got from my pharmacy in Italy, when I run out because no one can bring me it, I switch to only Levo from my GP. But my dosage is old and I'm in menopause, I need to change many things
I’m just giving up. I don’t have the strength enough to fight with my GP. They don't want to give me or show me my labs.
I can suggest a strategy that should help you get what you want and be less exhausting for you. You don't have the strength to fight with your GP. So don't. Don't talk to them. Write letters instead. Make sure to keep your own copies of any letters you write, and hand deliver them to the receptionists at your surgery. The letter should be addressed to the Practice Manager or the Data Protection Officer. You don't usually have to say anything to them - just hand it over, give a little smile, and walk out. You can note at the top of the letter, and on the envelope that the letter is in that they were "Delivered by hand on dd/mm/yyyy" (and keep a record of that date with your copy of the letter). Don't start a discussion or get into an argument, although always be polite. The letter should already say everything you want from them.
Your GPs can't legally stop you from having copies of your medical records. To get the copies you want, send a copy of the letter in this link (suitably adapted to your circumstances) from the Information Commissioner's Office. The doctors can't legally ignore it without risking being taken to court.
ico.org.uk/your-data-matter...
Although it was several years ago now I actually got a copy of my entire GP medical record. I'm saying that, but there were gaps because doctors have a get-out clause - they can remove anything from your records that they claim will damage your mental health if you were to read it. And you won't have a clue about what has been removed because they won't tell you. I was asked to sign a letter at the surgery when I went to pick up my records that said I understood that it was up to the doctors what was given to me. One thing I should have done, and I recommend you do, is ask for a copy of anything the surgery asks you to sign for them.
They will almost certainly ask you why you want a copy of your records. Don't tell them. They have no legal right to ask. Just be polite and say you want a copy for your records.
You can specify how you want to receive your records in your letter. I got mine on paper because I didn't know I could specify and that was the default at the time. I got a huge wodge of paper - not easy to deal with and not a good choice - they might fade over time and ought to be copied on to various media as soon as possible e.g. a PC, CD, USB stick, memory card etc after you receive them.
If you want your records on USB stick I would suggest giving the surgery a brand new, still sealed in its packaging, USB stick. Or they might ask you to pay for one that they supply. The alternative is probably a CD. That's great, as long as you have a PC or TV with a CD or DVD player that allows you to read documents.
Note that if you want records from a hospital or clinic, rather than your GP, you will need to treat each organisation separately, and each one will need a separate letter adapted for them.
I've had health insurance through BUPA for years and they were excellent in helping me get a diagnosis and treatment for my thyroid condition, until it was stabilised. However, I didn't have any diagnosed medical problems when I first took out the insurance, and most don't cover treatment for chronic conditions, or monitoring of most conditions, once the acute phase is over.
Unless you qualify for a really special rate with any of the health insurers, or require the insurance for other very expensive problems, it would be cheaper to pay as you go, and would also give you much more control over who you see, because not all private doctors are registered with insurance companies. Most especially, if you want a doctor who considers more than one condition, as a functional doctor probably would, you may find they aren't covered by an insurance company.
If you find a good private doctor who also practises in the NHS in your area, you may be able to get blood tests done through the NHS. My current private endocrinologist does this. Do you have Thyroid UK's list of good doctors? There may be one in your area who could help you. You could also ask here for people to send you recommendations for doctors in your area, via private message. I'm sure that paying to see one of these doctors would probably be a greater help, and cheaper, than taking out health insurance.
By the way, I've also been with Benenden since I was 5 
and they have been good in a different way, but, as Helvella mentions, you need to read their conditions very carefully because they are limited and there's a delay in treatment after joining.
hi Lara have you signed up to your GPS online website I think you get a code for this off Gp practice and there you should see all your results. Good luck.
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