eBook progress

[diogenes]

Update on the eBook on Thyroid diagnosis/treatment. We are quite close now to putting the eBook into its final form. Throughout the chapters, the emphasis is on finding the correct and best route for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders. Its aim is far more patient-oriented than say the Bianco book. In this it emphasises that patient presentation is first and foremost before biochemistry. I think it will be put on sale in its eBook form. If this is so, and orders come in, I for one will donate any of my share to TUK. Not promising anything of course, but that will be my decision if the situation arises.

[Kriticat]

I will definitely order a copy... as someone who feels dreadful with normal lab results and pretty good with a non existent TSH, I hope the medical community soon catches on to the fact that what works for the majority doesn't work for everyone. Thanks diogenes for your support and information

[Marz]

Will there be advice for people without a thyroid ?

[diogenes Remembering in reply to Marz]

This is the main thrust; advocating presentation to doctor before biochemistry (which is a help but not definitive and certainly not statistically used).

[Marz in reply to diogenes]

Thank you

[CosmicGirl61 in reply to diogenes]

Oh that's brilliant as I had to have a total thyroidectomy approx 20 years ago, basically because after going into A&E due to a Quinsy on my tonsils, it was then I discovered I had an overactive thyroid. They took blood tests and put me on high dose of Carbimizole, saying they'd be in touch for another blood test in 6 to 8 weeks. I was discharged after a few days started to feel well.. but never heard from the hospital, and started to feel terrible. Had no idea who to contact. Now looking back I should've just phoned the GP but I was new to all of this, felt ill and had a 5 year old to look after, and had no idea of the consequences. By the time we'd discovered the department I needed, it was 5 months later. I felt like I was going to die. When I finally saw the consultant and I prized out of my bag a long list of symptoms, he only had to look at me to know I was very unwell. He told me to halve my dose. When he rang me at home with results and I said even my tongue hurts to talk.. he said I think best you come off completely!! After that they couldn't get me balanced. Took a whole year amd only because they decided to give me dose of Carbimizole and thyroxine together ! Then I was booked in for surgery.. Now 20 years later doctors and endo still think my TSH is suppressed and should be higher and want to reduce meds. Only because of TUK I've become assertive and learnt to speak up and say they're wrong. I look forward to your eBook! THANK YOU!

[RedApple Administrator]

As long as it's affordable, I'm quite sure you will receive an absolutely huge number of orders from patients!

[Loafinabout]

Very grateful we have you on this Forum and I will be ordering a copy as soon as it’s available. Many thanks

[elkewilliams]

As someone who always eagerly read what you pointed out to us, I can’t wait to buy and read this book. I guess there will be many others!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I have been hoping that, whatever form it comes out in, it would be possible to get a hard copy.

I imagine at least some members would consider "donating" a copy to their GP. But if given as a link (even if already paid for) at least some GPs wouldn't bother. Whereas a physical copy just might get looked at, left around, seen by others?

If there were an "ebook plus hard copy" option, that could be ideal for this.

[nightingale-56 in reply to helvella]

I look forward to reading it, and like helvella , I too, much prefer reading a hardback copy. I am sure it will certainly be one to keep and refer too at times. It will be interesting to point out to Endocrinologists that it is from the Team that devised the FT4 and FT3 ranges, even though NHS do not use these measurements as much as they used to.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to nightingale-56]

Team that devised the FT4 and FT3 ranges,

I don't think that is a supportable comment.  diogenes did invent an FT4 test which was extensively used. And surely as part of that derived a range. But each test developer (and manufacturer) will have done their own.

[nightingale-56 in reply to helvella]

Thanks for putting me right helvella . However we do improve more with diogenes ' advice than with many Endos.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to nightingale-56]

That is surely true!

[Alanna012 in reply to helvella]

Plus you can underline and annotate points in a personal bound copy

[Zephyrbear in reply to Alanna012]

I’m sorry, but that really is one of my pet hates! Why not just write your notes on something like a Post-It note and keep it in the relevant place in the book instead of defacing the book? When I was at uni and had to use library books the numerous annotations made in the books by various previous students were really annoying!

[DippyDame in reply to Zephyrbear]

Alanna012 is referring to a personal copy.

I find using a highlighter pen for this is very helpful

I agree re library books, that is vandalism!!

[Alanna012 in reply to DippyDame]

Thanks, DippyDame. Yes, I was referring to a personal copy. I find it useful as books on thyroid can be biologically technical and information dense. Not necessarily easy when dealing with brain fog so annotations and highlighters help.

[Alanna012 in reply to Zephyrbear]

Defacing library books is criminal, agreed but this book would be for my eyes alone. But I think I understand to a degree. I hate that trend to draw over old classic books , even though they're not my books!

[UrsaP in reply to helvella]

Yes! A great idea!

[diogenes Remembering in reply to helvella]

I've contacted the main author Rudolf Hoermann about this. One snag is that if we use some big publishing house like Springer, they'll grab the lion's share of any money coming in ( and it's a big lion moreover). We'll look at the cost of using independent publishers who merely put the ebook into print, but at the moment we want to finish the ebook as this is and has been a mammoth undertaking. Relatively, speaking, transferring to print is easy but we don't yet know the cost.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to diogenes]

I can fully understand that!

You'll obviously have looked at the Print On Demand companies?

One advantage being if copies are required in many countries - they wouldn't need to be posted internationally, just within the country (so long as they have an acceptable POD company).

[diogenes Remembering in reply to helvella]

Just to add that we have a tentative date for release in early 2024.

[diogenes Remembering in reply to helvella]

On another rather depressing note, Rudolf was invited to view a video talk on subclinical hypothyroidism (to treat or not) by a thyroid guru in the US. They still don't get it, and treat the whole thing statistically rather than admit its highly variable reason for showing itself (sometimes true SCH, sometimes something else). They just cannot see that one must deal with the individual, not diagnose by the mass. This is the great stepping stone that thyroidologists won't use - the dominance of the individual over the mass in diagnosis. Statistics is the bane of thyroidology.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to diogenes]

Like denying Brownian motion in a swinging bucket.

Because the bulk is moving in an obvious way, the individual particles must also be moving exactly the same.

[DippyDame in reply to diogenes]

Also...I suspect treating each patient as an individual case, with all the complexities and time that might involve, makes denial the easier option!

"Denial is also self-reinforcing – once you make the first denial, you tend to commit to it: you will deny, deny the denial, deny that, and so on."

[AliF]

Count me in ! I also am one of the people who have Hashimotos but still feel dreadful despite “ normal range” lab results. Although T3 also didn’t seem to help me, but I live in hope ( rather than expectation) that one day I’ll hit on something that will do the trick. It could be something in your e- book Diogenes so do let us know when it’s available.

[DippyDame]

Thank you diogenes ....that's a generous offer.

Very much looking forward to reading it

Like others, I'm hoping a hard copy will follow

I would love to donate a copy to my surgery....they've now accepted that I'm T3-only dependant!

Good luck!

[jgelliss in reply to DippyDame]

👏👏👏👏

[UrsaP]

I’m looking forward to this! And yes agree with others on the idea of hard copies, if affordable, we can buy and hand to our drs/ surgeries. I was recently told, in the West of Ireland, that NICE don’t recommend T3 issue!! It gets everywhere. I did tell them to check the NICE doc, look for the embedded RMOC doc. They clearly do not read in depth.

Would GPs read it, would they have the inclination or time? I’d hope but.... Maybe what we need is a following ‘summary’ or 'pack', containing a ‘flow chart’ or something easier to see and follow. With the book as a back up?

Maybe it also need a major ‘launch’. Lots of publicity and promotion to sell it and gander interest in the different fields.

[Lunario]

I'm in too! 👍

My doctor will retire next year. I am grateful that she is not TSH-obsessed at all, and I hope that I don’t have to show much of your book to the next GP. Although I am well now, like others, I have learned that it’s better to be armed with substantial and latest information. Especially with a thyroid disorder, there is always something to learn and to be prepared for.

Thank you for your work.

Good luck and always the best.

[Sneedle]

Please yes e-copy and hard copy if poss. Thank you, thank you.

[Zephyrbear]

I will definitely order a copy! Thank you for all you and your partners are doing!

[Musicmonkey]

Looking forward to this eBook and hopefully a hard copy too to follow that I can hand out to my Endo.

[Auders]

Thank you for all your hard work. I’m very interested in getting a copy when it’s out 🙏

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK]

Thank you all for writing this ebook. It will help an awful lot of people. Thank you so much too for planning to donate your share of any sales to Thyroid UK which will, in turn, help even more people.

We are so grateful to you and your team for all that you have done and continue to do. <3

[pennyannie in reply to lynmynott]

and we are all grateful to you for starting to try to get Better Thyroid Health for Everybody as Thyroid UK has been, and is, pivotal in all, and everybody's life.

[LindaC]

Thank you all for such effort and your repeated great information.