Seeing GP at 8.30 tomorrow. What do I say? Your advice please.

[bertiesmum]

I am caught in a trap.

I have torn cartilage in both knees and was due operation on one in Dec.

Since I also had a shoulder problem my GP ran routine blood tests and found antibodies over 1000. I was told it was Hashimotos and it would be monitored.

My operation was then cancelled due to untreated Hashimotos.

Yesterday I had my 3rd blood result again TPO over 1000. T4 12.3 and TSH 11.1

A note from my GP arrived saying he will repeat the test in 2 to 3 months.

I have severe difficulty in walking and need to be fully mobile.

My GP s reluctance to treat me for thyroid he says intervention too early may promote osteoporosis.

If I had an accident and needed emergency treatment could this be refused for the same reason?

[shaws Administrator]

This is an excerpt from an article by Dr Toft in case it is helpful. If you need a copy to give to your GP email [e-mail]. With a TSH of 11.1 you should be on treatment.

2 I often see patients who have an elevated TSH but normal T4. How should I be managing them?

The combination of a normal serum T4 and raised serum TSH is known as subclinical hypothyroidism. If measured, serum T3 will also be normal. Repeat the thyroid function tests in two or three months in case the abnormality represents a resolving thyroiditis.2

But if it persists then antibodies to thyroid peroxidase should be measured. If these are positive – indicative of underlying autoimmune thyroid disease – the patient should be considered to have the mildest form of hypothyroidism.

In the absence of symptoms some would simply recommend annual thyroid function tests until serum TSH is over 10mU/l or symptoms such as tiredness and weight gain develop. But a more pragmatic approach is to recognise that the thyroid failure is likely to become worse and try to nip things in the bud rather than risk loss to follow-up.

Treatment should be started with levothyroxine in a dose sufficient to restore serum TSH to the lower part of its reference range. Levothyroxine in a dose of 75-100µg daily will usually be enough.

If there are no thyroid peroxidase antibodies, levothyroxine should not be started unless serum TSH is consistently greater than 10mU/l. A serum TSH of less than 10mU/l in the absence of antithyroid peroxidase antibodies may simply be that patient’s normal TSH concentration.

[ravenhex]

Im the same, keep on at them.

If you feel youre being fobbed off, You can put in a complaint to the Drs and or Hosptial marking offical complaint and it will be investigated. In it you can ask questions as to why you are suffering and what were the reasons for concellation and why.

Might not get any closer surgery wise but you will get the answers and can go on from there.

Good luck.