Blood test over the phone...

[serenfach]

The GP is not allowed to test T3, so I demanded to see an Endo. That was 9 months ago. I had a letter this morning saying I was booked to have a telephone appointment with the Endo (who does not believe in T3) or "a member of his team". No one has asked for bloods and as the appointment is on Friday, no time to get them. Apparently this is to increase effficiency...

And it just says some time on Friday. Sorry, I may hang about for a bit, but I am not spending the whole day sitting by the phone looking at where I can inject my blood...

If you hear screaming coming from the west, you will know who it is and how the phone call is going..

[pennyannie]

Sounds like a blanket refusal to prescribe T3 to new patients in your catchment area.

I went through the blood tests and appointments at the hospital only to be denied -

so it was a total waste of everybody's time -

and in some ways worse as I had hoped being 10 years post RAI thyroid ablation for Graves - I would be treated with a little bit of interest and concern - and told I was in a ' special folder ' !!

fool that I was - as I did my fair share of waiting in, for replies to letters and telephone messages - believing someone would get back to me - but that never happened :

I wasted almost 2 years - first waiting to get an appointment, then going to these clinic appointments and getting more and more anxious and upset when told I was over medicated and upset so much - listening to such rubbish from people I should be respecting and learning from that it actually exacerbated my symptoms.

I decided to turn around and started self medicating in 2018 and am much improved staying away.

[Sparklingsunshine]

Sounds like they are just going through the motions and ticking the boxes, but you're in no danger of being helped. Sounds like an utter waste of time. It really makes you despair, doesn't it?

[serenfach in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

I was wrong on the 9 months - I looked up my notes and found it was 14 months! I also noticed that the GP had said I was on Levo only in his notes to the consultant! The consultant had put me on 250 Levo but the GPs have dropped me to 75 Levo, just because my TSH is way below the limit, ignoring the T3 completely. The surgery said I take T3 and added that this GP has left the surgery, presumably so they dont get the blame! I am still getting the run around as to who made the decision not to test T3 - no one is owning up to it, so what does that tell you?

[Zephyrbear in reply to serenfach]

It would tell me it was time to give these time-wasters the heave-ho and start treating myself! They really are an arrogant bunch of (insert your own description) aren’t they?

I have as little as possible to do with these people and their opinions, just a once a year phone call to get another 12 months’ prescriptions for T3 and away you go… as far away as possible! One good thing in the past, especially when the price of T3 went sky high, was that I lived in Wales where they were quite happy to continue supplying my T3, but my endo was over the border in England. When he tried to take it away (because that was the policy in Shropshire) I told him he had no jurisdiction in Wales (I’m in Powys) he gave up and so I kept it all the way through.

Purely with the help of this forum I educated myself and learned how to keep, not only my thyroid meds balanced, but also the necessary accoutrements such as vitamins and minerals. I’m not claiming my life is as good as it was when I was younger, but it’s a damned sight better than it would have been if I had listened to those prats!

[mfinn]

serenfach. Could you please tell me what area you live in?

[serenfach]

Ceredigion, West Wales.