Endo Appointment

[AppleOrchard]

I have been given an appointment with an endocrinologist on Thursday afternoon. What can I expect from it?

Will they do a blood test at that time?

I’m in the UK.

Thank you very much.

[helvella Administrator]

It is best if you can get a test done asap - so that the results are available for the appointment. Otherwise you'll only have old results available (if any).

Many labs achieve turnaround of a few hours but don't delay in getting the blood draw.

And remember not to take biotin. Also consider when to take your thyroid hormone!

[AppleOrchard in reply to helvella]

Thank you! I had a blood draw about three weeks ago or so. I’m not sure how accurate it is though because I didn’t take my medication properly.

I won’t be able to get an appointment because they book at least two weeks in advance plus the doctor who arranges for me to have T3 tested isn’t working until Thursday.

Hopefully the recent test is okay and will suffice.

What do I do if he asks for a test to be done on the Thursday afternoon?

Thank you very much.

[helvella Administrator in reply to AppleOrchard]

At one time, you'd have been given a form and could go and get the draw the next day - or whenever. But so many things are more difficult now and arrangements vary, depend on where you are, etc.

[AppleOrchard in reply to helvella]

yes I remember that. It was so much better than it is now. It’s really hard to get an appointment these days.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Take a spreadsheet of all your results over time

Thyroid levels

TSH, Ft4 and ft3 plus both thyroid antibodies

Vitamin test results

Vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Dose levothyroxine/T3 on at each test

Plus list of vitamin supplements you are currently taking

Any food intolerances or foods you avoid

Short list of main ongoing issues

[AppleOrchard in reply to SlowDragon]

This is fantastic. Thank you so much. I’ll do it between tomorrow and Wednesday. Thankfully I have time to get it done. I’m not sure I’ll remember all the doses but I’ll really try.

I’m now going to keep track of what dose and the result. I can’t believe I didn’t think of doing that myself!

Thank you very much again. It’s so helpful.

[shaws Administrator in reply to AppleOrchard]

It is all a 'learning curve' for us who have a dysfunctional thyroid gland and unfortunately we're not sure if the 'experts' are experts as I've had some nonsense from the GP and told him he was wrong.