Ukrainian returns to Kyiv for thyroid testing

[asiatic]

Newspapers today are carrying the story of a Ukranian Refugee unable to obtain an appointment with her Glasgow GP felt it necessary to return to war torn Kyiv for thyroid monitoring. Although it didn't give details of her thyroid problem, I couldn't help but think that even had she obtained that elusive appointment she would have been unlikely to have been given the full thyroid panel she probably needed.

[Brightness14]

Funny I return to the UK to order private full Thyroid and vitamins tested every two years. I live in France so not so far to go. A visit to the GP's the same day but vitamins and minerals testing a no no.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I did manage to check Ukrainian levothyroxine products!

(And that Russia has started making their own levothyroxine tablets.)

My thyroid hormone medicines document - linked from here:

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

[Alanna012 in reply to helvella]

Thank you Helvella!

>> Edit link not working for me or am I doing something wrong?

Here's a link to the story which was published in the Daily Record but it was so beset with ads I copied in Yahoo Finance instead.

uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/u...

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Alanna012]

Link corrected! Apologies.

[asiatic in reply to helvella]

I assume Russia and surrounding countries like Ukraine may have more rigorous testing for thyroid problems after Chernoble.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to asiatic]

There is a massively greater awareness. Despite that, Belarus only has one levothyroxine product - Belmedpreparaty – Levothyroxine in 100 microgram dosage only.

Ukraine has Farmak – L-Thyroxine-Farmak in 25, 50 and 100 - as well as Berlin-Chemie.

Russia has launched PFK “Obnovleniie” – L-Thyroxine Renewal in 50 and 100. But they also have some other products - I think Euthyrox from Merck but possibly that is not the only one.

[SarahJane1471 in reply to helvella]

flippin eck helvella you always amaze me with your details 😳

[Framboise]

Perhaps this woman got better treatment than if she'd managed to get an appointment with a GP! I had a Ukrainian colleague about 15 years ago who lived here and had been feeling ill for a while. Her GP carried out thyroid blood tests and told her she was fine. On at trip home to Kyiv her family doctor retested her and diagnosed her with hypothyroidism. She used to return for prescriptions. Eventually we lost touch so I don't know if her GP ever did treat her, but on my own experience I'd expect not, mine has refused to treat me over 22 years because of my original blood tests.

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to Framboise]

How are you?

[humanbean]

I remember reading a story on this forum from several years ago. The patient originally came from one of the Baltic states, if I remember correctly, but lived in the UK. They had a TSH which was above range but wasn't considered to be high enough to treat.

The patient went back to her home country, explained her thyroid history to an endocrinologist, had some tests, and the doctor was horrified that her TSH was so high and she was still untreated. He/She even thought the patient must be lying for some reason. The doctor considered the patient's lack of treatment to be sadistic torture.

[mrskiki]

Someone I spoke to was surprised that UK don't do ultrasound and will just leave you with sore throat. And the battle to treat unless above TSH 10. ... They recently had ultrasound and endo appt very quickly, biopsy, T3 and both antibodies tested and straight on 50 mcg not 25 even with TSH well under 10. I only have Tg ab and NHS don't seem to understand those and ignore private T3 results even from NHS lab. So they seem to be so much further ahead than me in a shorter time. ( I haven't gone for private ultrasound yet, as it's all so confusing whether to or not).