Had my appointment with the Endo Consultant - still confused!

[PpCaz555]

Well, I had my appointment today with the Consultant Endocrinologist, a lovely man who put me at ease immediately.

He asked me loads of questions about my symptoms etc, reviewed my recent scan and booked me in for an Isotope scan and biopsy and said that when I get the results I will see the Endo Surgeon to decide what needs to be done about my goitre (it was probably a good day to see him today as I have multiple swollen glands due to my recent throat infection and he said as they are all soft he is not worried about them) He also wanted another T3 & T4 reading (he said the last readings were no cause for alarm?) so I had a blood test and he said he will contact me within a few days IF the readings warrant any medication and if they do, he will start me on 10mg of Carbimazole. I can't believe that I can feel so bad and yet might not even need medication? Just wondered what the group thinks? Caz

[Hidden]

Hi Caz

Please report back once you have your results as people will be able to help you better with more info.

Have I got this Endo's name for my NHS list? Please email me if you have not already - thanks! [e-mail]

L

xx

[Jackie]

Hi If you felt he was good then I would trust your instincts. Make sure you have a copy of his letter to the GP. Some send it automatically, some you need to ask his secretary also copy of bloods with ranges., individual but you are definitely entitled to it.

Jackie

[Heloise]

Have you considered taking selenium and eating foods that slow down the thyroid or have you tried those things?

[PpCaz555 in reply to Heloise]

I didn't know there was such things as foods that slow your thyroid down????

[Heloise]

Pp, there is a lot of information and there are so many gp's who don't know enough about it. It would be good if you could learn about your condition as there are things you can do for yourself. Mary Shomon at Stop the Thyroid Madness Now website has great information and interviews with experts on thyroid conditions. Raw cabbage, cauliflower and vegetables like that and soy products (which I wouldn't really recommend) can interfere with either T3 or T4 production. Caffeine and soda should be avoided also.

My friend was on methimazole for a couple of years and a beta blocker for a while and is now normal. Do whatever you can to support your thyroid and maybe you can avoid future problems.

[PpCaz555 in reply to Heloise]

Thank you Heloise that is good to know! My throat has flared up again this morning, I can hardly swallow AGAIN, this seems to be every few days. My Endo didn't contact me so I can only assume that my recent readings were such that he feels I don't need medication! I am just about to phone his secretary and ask for the readings. I have had a terrible night with sweats and I feel thoroughly down in the dumps this morning and I have a hectic day at work ahead of me. I just feel so bad! I now have my appointment for my isotope scan, only a week away, so I am hoping something positive comes of that. Thank goodness for this group!

[Heloise in reply to PpCaz555]

Caz, It is awful when anything goes wrong with a major hormone like your thyroid. This website gives some basic information. drrind.com/therapies/thyroi... I was hoping to find the one about taking selenium. If you are young (20-30), and are hyperthyroid, I've know people to come through it in a couple of years. Here is one on Graves: nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/N...

[PpCaz555 in reply to Heloise]

Thank you, unfortunately, I am in my 50's now. Looking back at all the symptoms I've had, I now believe I have had thyroid problems for several years but didn't do anything about it as a routine thyroid test by my GP in 2006 proved negative (whatever that means!). My recent tests showed that I was "borderline" Hyperthyroid although lots of my symptoms tell me I am the opposite! I have bouts of really crashing fatigue when all I want to do is sleep, I have joint pain, really bad tendonitis in both legs, weight gain which I'm finding hard to shift and night sweats which are so bad that I often have to throw my pillows in the bin! I also have mood swings and feel quite low most days! Now I know that lots of those symptoms could be menopause but I have a 3cm x 3cm goitre which appeared overnight in January and things just worsened from then. I have worried myself stupid every day, which of course makes things even worse because I am not sleeping. All sorts of sinister things go through your mind and I don't want to worry my family, so I say nothing but inside I am a quivering wreck, hence me spending so much time on here!

[Heloise in reply to PpCaz555]

It is awful, because it involves so many areas. Menopause is also when I became hypothyroid a long time ago and had read that the ovaries slow down which stresses the thyroid. Now I understand the adrenals try to compensate and they become stressed. It's a cycle that is hard to pin down I suppose. Unfortunately the way they look at blood test results, everything seems to be alright in spite of how you feel and look. I don't know a lot about Graves but selenium is an important component from everything I've read. Let us know how your blood tests come out with their ranges if possible.

[PpCaz555 in reply to Heloise]

I will, and thank you very much. Caz x