GP told me to stop wasting his time - AIBU?

[TimeWastingTeresa]

I had my third trip to my GP today in 3 months.

I feel like absolute rubbish constantly - tired all the time , achy , generally run down .

My hair is awful - dry as a bone and gets greasy at the roots within hours of a wash.

My skin is so dry it flakes . My legs look like a reptiles !

My periods are much heavier than usual - I need to change a super plus tampon after 3 hours . I used to wear regular for the whole duration.

I have gained over a stone in weight in less than a year and I just can't shift it .

My GP ran bloods around a month ago and all vitamin levels were fine.

My thyroid came back as TSH 4.5.

He told me everything was normal and to go back in 6 months .

I went back a month later as I just don't feel well at all.

He ran bloods again and again my TSH came back as normal (4.5).

He told me I'm fine and I'll feel better if I exercise and lose weight .

I can not go on like this so I went back today and he told me that I just need to lose some weight . He told me not to come back before 6 months is up as there's nothing wrong with me .

I left in tears .
I feel so down . I'm so so tired I can't cope with much at all.

I look and feel disgusting . My hair is dull and lifeless and my scalp is so dry .

I don't know what to do

My mum says I should go private but if my TSH comes back as 4.5 again , my GP will still refuse to treat it !

Help please !

Normal thyroid ranges depending on the individual. So the official advice is to use the thyroid test as a guide, but if all symptoms fit, treat and see if condition improves. If you have an underactive thyroid, and it sounds as if you do, this can also make you much more emotional than normal. Try a different GP, and good luck.

A normal TSH level range is 0.5 - 2.5. 4.5 is definitely not in the normal range and indicates an under active thyroid. Try to register with a different GP if that's possible, or ask for an appointment with a different doctor at your normal practice.

Definitely see a different GP. I have twice been to see a dr to be told there's nothing wrong and then been ill.
I saw a dr for extreme stomach pain / cramps at random times and was told it was period pain. It was gallstones and I ended up very ill.
Very recently I saw a dr as having regular headaches / hot flushes / dizzy spells. Was told it was normal (as I suffer migraines anyway). Went back to different dr who actually listened, tied this and some additional symptoms together and has given me a diagnosis.

Dr's are human - if this one has decided that you're fine he's not going to investigate anything properly. Get a second opinion!

I'm getting my thyroid checked right now, because I have this weird feeling in my throat under my adams apple like something is stuck, and I've been tired, depressed and gaining weight, etc. My GP is also checking for Celiac Disease, my iron, my B12 and my sugars...

Hormonal contraception?
Just a thought.

4.5 is still high. It should be between 0.3 and 3.0 now, but as Stormtreader has said, they should be testing T3 and T4 as well. Your symptoms sound very similar to the ones I had before I was diagnosed, but you should keep pushing for a repeat test where they test the T3 and T4 levels also.

My TSH levels are now just over 0.5 and I feel good, but originally they were around yours, and I was put onto antidepressants rather than thyroxine.

www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testing/thyroid_blood_tests.html

4.5 is right at the top of the normal range. So you should be treated with thyroxine. I was the same, but luckily I have a good GP who treated me and I now feel lots better.

I do have CFS/ME and inhad similar in the beginning, felt awful, all bloods came back fine, GP didn't want to know any more. I changed surgery, repeat of the whole thing (both male GPs) so I decided to see a female to see if I'd get a better response. Same tests but extra ones as well, referrals (to an absolute cunt of a neurologist then a nice psychiatrist) and finally got diagnosed.

You don't fit the symptoms so I wouldn't say it's that but dont give up. Your doctor is a knob. Why they think diet and exercise is the cure for absolutely everything I don't know!

Did he run a kidney screen?

Op, I've pm'd you.
Please ignore if it's not an option for you..

Unfortunately GPs make errors, so you should never feel guilty about asking to change. I stuck with the GP who told me at the age of 14 that I had IBS, without doing any tests to rule anything out. Finally changed GP when I went to uni, and during a bad flare up last year aged 21 they diagnosed coeliac. That's 7 years of undiagnosed coeliac due to GP error and me blindly believing that they were right.

Try not to take it to heart, sounds like you just encountered a particularly dickheadish GP :(

Maybe it isnt thyroid?

Iron.

Vit D

Could be anything.

Have other tests been done?

Change your GP and go back. You know your body, you can feel something is wrong. I had to go back well over 15 times over the course of 5 years to get a diagnosis - but got there in the end, and had surgery that has been life-changing! Do not give up!

I would check your iron levels too - you say that you are bleeding heavily, and anaemia could explain some of your symptoms. I imagine they will be in your existing results as this is a very basic test to run on someone who says they are fatigued.

Sorry you're feeling rubbish OP. Sounds like you've had a hard time over the last few months.

I work in healthcare. Sometimes, people can focus on having a thyroid problem, as there is a perception amongst some people that taking thyroid medication 'makes you lose weight'. Certainly, doctors get patients coming to them determined to obtain thyroxine, and determined that their normal TSH result is wrong/can't be trusted in light of their symptoms. I'm NOT saying that's what you are doing, but perhaps the doctor has lumped you into this category?

I actually have severe hypothyroidism. I'm on the maximum dose of thyroxine (200mcg) and let me tell you, it doesn't make you lose weight! My weight is (on the higher end of) normal. When my thyroid goes off, I don't see a change in my weight really, as I stop feeling hungry, and instead sleep for 10+ hours a night. The symptoms I notice are extreme fatigue, and an inability to concentrate. I appreciate that people are different, and experience illness differently, and other people may have had different experiences, but that's my experience.

I agree with what others have said. Go to see a new GP. Bring someone supportive with you, and consider other diagnoses now that you know your thyroid function is within normal range. Depression, ME, chronic fatigue, stressful life events, could all be making you feel the way you do.

If you are unhappy with your weight, why not try eating healthily and exercising? It is generally good advice, and may make you feel a lot better, regardless of the underlying diagnosis.

It's really crap feeling poorly for so long, and I hope you feel better soon.

I had hair dry as a bone and hands like reptiles

Turned out to be zinc deficiency. They don't check for that on nhs

I second test for coeliacs

It definitely sounds hormonal and\or deficiency.

My dp (female) has similar issues actually and she recently had loads of tests done, which all came back normal, which she was very frustrated about. I've found out recently and as Rubies said, they don't check for all deficiencies on the NHS, so it may be worth going private. Is that what you did, Rubies?

Don't fixate on thyroid. Also don't leap to chronic fatigue, because it's usually not.
Go to see another gp, and take support. Your symptoms are real and they are debilitating. You deserve care, not to be told to bugger off.
Best wishes.

Did they just do the standard iron test or did you get a ferriten test too? GPs often don't do that as routine. And contrary to what one GP told me, it is possible to have very low ferretin and normal circulating iron.

Yes that's what I did whaaat. Bupa.

Also, do not use Google if possible, it's always worst case scenario! And beware of quick fixes.

I would follow his advice, if anything to prove him wrong. Get active, gym?especially now it's winter. It will give you more energy.

How's your diet? Add loads of veg, especially spinach. Keep a food diary or meal planner to make sure that you are eating healthily.

Someone upthread asked about your weight, your stone gain could be causing you to feel like this? I lost 2 stone and the energy change, ski and hair condition is great.

He needs to check for TPO antibodies. You could have Hashimoto's (I do) which is autoimmune thyroid disease, and if I had a TSH of 4.5, I'd likely be in bed with pain all over.

Is it possible that you have PCOS?
It can cause all of the symptoms you are suffering with.
It took drs years, and I do mean years! To put all of these symptoms together. I never even realised myself until recently that actually the hair and skin issues were also linked.

I know it's probably obvious but you have been tested for diabetes, haven't you?