Results of Thyroid Patient Survey

[Jumbelina]

abdn.ac.uk/news/documents/T...

I'm sure these results are familiar to many on here besides me- but it is vindicating to see them observed and recorded.

[Beads]

The 2 recent posts on here suggested that 10-15% and 10-20% of thyroid patients have lingering symptoms. This report suggests it’s much higher. However you’re more likely to have filled in the questionnaire if you do have lingering symptoms as you’re more likely to read/contribute to the places it was asked and I’ve totally forgotten the other point I was going to make. Gonna post this and come back later if I remember. Hmmmm brain fog, yay!

[dizzy864]

I think the survey found what most hypo patients already know. Yes I agree the results may be skewed by those who have suffered the most responding but I suspect not by that much. From my experience as a person who has been suffering for more than thirty years, attitudes and training for gps and consultants is not improving. As far as they are concerned diagnosis is strictly if levels of TSH are a long way out of range. Symptoms are ignored. Gps are taught to treat by reference ranges and not trained to recognise symptoms. They usually do not look at anything other than TSH, which we all know is useless. It should be obvious to them that at the very least they are not getting the full picture by not testing T3 and rarely testing T4. I find it very hard to believe that any other medical condition is treated in this way. When we are diagnosed and given levo we are ignored and treated as hypochondriacs if we say any symptoms continue. Even visible symptoms like hair loss are ignored or explained away by other things. I'm sure there are good endocrinologists who know about thyroid issues, but in over thirty years I have yet to see one either privately or on the NHS!! My own diagnosis came not from an endo but from a gynecologist who told me he was fed up seeing patients who were clearly suffering with a thyroid problem! He decided the best way he could help patients was for him to learn how to recognise hypothyroidism!! He wrote to my gp. He told him I was severely hypo, which to be fair my gp had told me. My gp said he was not allowed to treat me as my TSH was fine.

I'd like to think that the medical profession will read this report and making changes to their attitudes but I very much doubt they will.

[Alanna012 in reply to dizzy864]

Agree with all you say. It does seem that allied professions see the symptoms of thyroid illness. I too notice this.

My dentists say they can see the salivary glands in many of their patients are inflamed as a result of a swollen thyroid. They will ask me if I'm taking my medication, especially if my mouth is dry and say they see patients where the illness is not controlled regularly. One dentist said if she was retiring, she'd buy me some T3 on the way back from Turkey.

The audiologist doing microsuction asked me if my thyroid is being treated properly.

The dermatologist too. All these people nod their heads sagely when I complain that hypothyroidism isn't treated well. They know, they are seeing it all the time.