First steps

[nursey]

I ha've today been to my gp with my symptoms. Pain in all joints, especially shoulder sand heel pain, extreme tiredness, moods, no sex drive, dry hair, no confidence and feelings of anxiety. Last year tsh was 3.38 (range 0.5 - 5.5), ft3 4. Gp tonight said all was normal. I said that what I felt wasn't normal. I asked for b12 and iron studies and for the thyroid tests to be done again. He agreed and added a few others, crp, fbc, esr, calcium and cholesterol. He said it was very unlikely to be my thyroid and we should meet again in 2 weeks to discuss the results. He also said that there probably wasn't a clinical reason for my symptoms and I could benefit from counselling for my anxiety and mood swings. I will get blood results before next appointment and try to interpret them before I see him. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to how I handle the next step?

[PinkNinja]

Are you anxious about something in particular or is it an explicable feeling of anxiety with no logical cause? If it is the later, no amount of counselling will help, although methods of dealing with it might. It may be that your TSH is high for you and your T3 is low for you, making you a borderline hypothyroid case. Improving your iron and B12 levels may help with this but it may be that you need a trial of thyroxine. Can you also ask to get your cortisol tested? Hypothyroidism can cause anxiety, as can anaemia and pernicious anaemia.

If you feel that your anxiety has no logical, external cause it is likely that it is a medical issue and this does need looking into. Given all your other symptoms I would want to ask for a referral to an endocrinologist to see if there is a metabolic issue if your GP is unable to work out what is causing these symptoms.

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon!

Carolyn x

[shaws Administrator]

If you get a copy of your blood tests complete with ranges and post here for someone to comment. It is a pity that so many GP's are unaware of the clinical symptoms of thyroid gland problems, which yours appear to be.

This is a link which many of us have found to be a more accurate way of diagnosing.

mercola.com/article/hypothy...

This is an American site.

[nursey]

I can be anxious about things like driving in snow (!) And what people think about me but not usually anything specific just a general feeling thats not right. Usually I am quite forthright and confident but last few months I have been so tired I have lost that. Friends and family have noticed and commented. My gp mentioned m.e. and chronic fatigue syndrome. I feel better for taking the first step but scared too. Thanks for your support.

[shaws Administrator in reply to nursey]

Chronic Fatigue, ME and fibromyalgia were only named after the TSH blood test became the way to diagnose thyroid gland problems, whereas previously clinical symptoms were used for diagnosing. Medical people were puzzled when complaints started to become common, so because the TSH was deemed 'normal' 3 new diseases were eventually named.

worldthyroidregister.com/Go...