Me again… slightly embarrassed to be posting for the 3rd time in 24 hrs.
Just off phone with GP who said he thinks my symptoms are not related to my thyroid because they seem to be acute and severe. He thinks thyroid is a red herring. I did explain that I’ve been feeling worse and worse for a few weeks now. He’s suggested post viral syndrome or a possible pulmonary embolism but doesn't want to start investigations for that because it might be unnecessary radiation at this stage!! He then just left that there…and said running over time, let’s see how you feel in a week. He has agreed to increase my levo to 75mcg in the meantime.
I am now even more beside myself with worry which is making me feel worse.
Is it unusual to have acute symptoms of being unwell with hypothyroidism? Gp certainly thought so.
Feeling v confused
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Runcmc
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Doctors never think your symptoms have anything to do with your thyroid! They know nothing about symptoms. Sounds to me like he's just fobbing you off and covering his ignorance. But, he gave you an increase in dose, and that's what counts.
Please don't let him get under your skin and worry you like that. Where hypo symptoms are concerned all things are possible and you can never say with any certitude: that has nothing to do with your thyroid. Because it probably does! Always remember that a GP doesn't have much more thyroid-knowledge than you do! He just pretends he does.
If he even thought you might have a pulmonary embolism that’s the first test he should have ordered! These things can be lethal and should never be left up to “let’s see how you feel in a week…”! FFS!!! 🤦♀️
Sorry but to put it crudely your GP is just plucking possible diagnosis out of his arse. What next " well it could be cholera or bubonic plague, maybe with a touch of Ebola for good measure".
When my husband had a suspected blood clot his GP sent him straight down to the anti coagulant clinic for blood tests and a scan, he had to go the next day.
Suspected blood clots, especially PE need prompt diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately my husband didnt have a clot, just a superficial phlebitis but they took it very seriously.
And as for post viral syndrome, give me strength. The great fall back when doctors dont have a clue.
Please never feel embarrassed about posting here. Remember, what you write—and the replies you receive—help multiple people deal with their own hypothyroidism diagnosis. You are helping us all!
Sadly, your situation is alarmingly common these days, with GPs appearing to get less and less training on the workings of the endocrine system.
Undermedication of your thyroid condition (and before that, lack of medication!) has led directly to you becoming really unwell and you should have been able to expect more from your health “professionals”.
By the looks of things, one of your biggest issues right now is iron deficiency.
Iron is needed to convert T4 (which you’re now taking as levothyroxine) into the active thyroid hormone T3. Without it, your body doesn’t have all the raw ingredients for that process.
So it’s going to take a while to sort this all out, unfortunately. It’s hard to say what’s caused what but it’s very common for pregnancy and birth to trigger autoimmune thyroid disease. Being hypothyroid reduces the ability of your gut to absorb nutrition from the food you eat—thyroid hormone is essential to every cell in your body! You’ve got a chicken and egg situation here in that your gut will find it tricky to absorb the iron it needs but until it does, it’ll struggle to make optimal use of the levothyroxine you take. In an ideal world you’d be offered full tests for anaemia and potentially an iron infusion. We don’t live in that world, which means it can be a fight to get what you need—especially, sad to say, when you’re a woman.
Keep fighting. This is fixable so don’t lose hope. Once your hypothyroidism is treated optimally your gut health will improve and all of those low nutrient levels will rise.
If I were you I’d not delay but would go straight to my A&E department and let them know your GP has raised the possibility of you having a Pulmonary Embolism. They will do relevant bloods etc. If you do have one it should be treated urgently.
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Overactive thyroid v Underactive thyroid?
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I might be getting somewhere with the GP (dare I say it)
advice on thyroid results
