Emergency doctors appointment or not?

[spacecadet1]

Hi, hoping someone can help me. I'm showing all the symptoms of having an overactive thyroid & have been feeling rotten (more than usual) since last week & losing weight even though I'm still eating.

I obviously need to get to the docs for a chat & a blood test & was just wondering (knowing how long it usually takes to get a normal appointment) should I call up tomorrow & get a same day appointment. I've never used up an 'emergency' appointment for myself before but am starting to get quite panicky & don't think I can wait a couple of weeks to get a regular appointment & then wait for bloods on top of that.

So basically what I'm asking is do you think it's ok to get an appointment asap & try to get this sorted or will the doc frown on me for this?

Thanks in advance for any help!

have also posted on health board!

don't know if this is appropriate but could someone give me anymore info on an overactive thyroid?

I have family history and had many of the symptoms and asked to be tested for it a number of times. I had a T? test done and it came back ok but they only did one and logic dictates that you would need at least two to compare any change during your monthly cycle.

I may be borderline but I really do feel I've been struggling for a number of years (especially since having the DC). Thanks.

You may think Drs are slow off the mark but they are ticking things off a list sometimes. Starting with the most likely and getting to the slightly less likely things.

I don't think it's an emergancy unless you are losing weight extremely fast and are already underweight. Even so, i wouldn't use an emergancy appt.

Also remember that you are not a GP and google will tell you many things that only a blood test (or other official test) will tell you for sure.

(I am not a gp)

Brass:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/thyroid-over-active/Pages/Introduction.aspx

I can never make links work! Cut and paste into the browser

Symptoms can include-
Weight loss, palpatations, fast pulse, extreme sweating, hand tremor, Anxiety, mental fogginess

thanks for those, I suppose my specific question is don't you need a couple of tests in a cycle to see how your hormones are peaking?

One test can't give you that if
a)you're borderline
b)wrong bit of the cycle on day of test

Thanks again. That's it I don't want to hijack someone else's thread.

TFT dont really cycle like the female hormones do, most labs wont do a thyroid test more frequently than every 3 months.

But you know, us GP's are a bit slow, I'm sure google or MN is much better.

At least four or five acquaintances of mine with life threatening conditions have been fobbed off by grumpy GPs, including an extremely poorly looking child with leukaemia and a colleague with a massive tumour on his kidney who had been to the doctor half a dozen times and kept being given indigestion remedies. You are not ominscient.

macdoodle GPs are not the only profession to get a hard time on here, don't take it personally!

well said macdoodle.

OP this is not an emergency

fwiw I think itsa good thing if a patient takes an intelligent interest in any potential condition they may have and is assertive with their GP.

and unfortunately thyroid probs are not always diagnosed quickly

I have uactive thyroid which took ages to diagnose and at one point my tsh was 8 and gp said watch and wait. I felt awful and knew there was something physically wrong. Eventuallyin desperation found private gp who tested and prescribed.

I also take armour thyroid which is licenced in USA, Canada and many other countries. It seems to work for me better than thyroxine. The former is prcine thyroid the latter synthetic.

My current gp practice is pretty good but I do reserve the right to research anything I may have wrong with me and take responsibility for my own health.

Macdoodle - please dont be so prickly.

thanks Leonie my technical knowledge is obviously lacking but I knew there was something to it.

I suspect I may be borderline on paper but I will try again given the symptoms.

OP hope everyone has reassured you that a normal (albeit as early as you can get it)appt will be ok.

macdoodle - my GP was very unwilling to prescribe HRT to me despite me undergoing an early menopause at 43 and having pretty nasty symptoms.

She kept telling me that I would have a greater risk of breast cancer, despite me giving her articles from NHS direct stating categorically that there is NO increased risk if you take HRT below the age of 55.

She showed me a book with research findings based on a group of women aged over 55 to make her point.

Her parting shot was "what will you say to your kids when you get breast cancer because you have taken HRT?"

It is lucky I knew she had her facts wrong or I would have been put off getting treatment which has completely transformed my health and well being.

Some GPs make their disdain for google based self diagnosis so obvious.

The thing is, at home, knowing all symptoms, able to access lots of photos of rashes etc, it is often easier to figure out what might be wrong. And then you go to the GP, knowing what tests, referrals or meds you want, and trying to nudge them towards the same conclusion, without admitting use of google.

Unwind - with me it's not that. It's reading about all the mistakes and the lives lost through silly errors.

I just think no one else is going to look out for me as much as me and if it's possible to get info of any kind I'm going to do it even if it irritates the GP.

I do respect GP's. But it's like any profession isn't it? Although what's at stake here is EXTREME.

Leonie if I am also missing the TSH net how should I pursue it?

Yeah, fuck Wilson and his criteria, let's put some tests in the trolley at Tesco and see what bubbles up! w00t!!1!

That's the chap who's been investigated by the GMC a number of times for malpractice, isn't it? I'm pretty sure that making people pay for expensive private scrips they don't need is a bit naughty...

Thanks Leonie, I am going to try again.