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 !

At 4.5 you're bang on the cusp. In recent years some doctors have concluded that the standard range is too wide. Some people have symptoms of low thyroid function even when their TSH is apparently within the normal range.

A friend of mine with this precise problem went to a private GP. He did more thorough tests and prescribed some thyroxine. She immediately improved.

Of course if you try that and you don't improve then you can rule out thyroid. So you've nothing to lose.

A tsh of 4.5 is not at all normal!

It's the sign of a thyroid under strain - I think the normal ranges have been revised recently? It's common knowledge in the field that you can have significant symptoms with lower tsh than that - it's very poor of your GP to dismiss that value when you have clinically significant symptoms.

You need a full thyroid panel done, with free t3/4 and antibodies. See someone privately if your GP isn't helping.

I was told that a TSH test is the equivalent of knocking on the door of your thyroid's next door neighbour and asking them how your thyroid is.

I hate that the range has moved. My GP told me they're thinking of upping it to 10 in the future before someone can get help. And why not, it's a health issue that primarily affects women after all, not real people... (Sorry, in a bad mood today). Fir comparison the top limit in the USA is 3. And from personal experience I feel horrendously bad when my TSH is over 2. I need to get it as close at 0 as possible to feel well.

Try another GP, and then another and another until you find one who is sympathetic. Don't see that arrogant cockweasel anymore (bad mood, sorry!)

Also ask for support at healthunlocked thyroid board. There are a handful of people with extreme opinions, but mostly it's a group of hundreds of thyroid patients who know their stuff. If it comes to it they can even PM you online medication supplliers - but I'd leave that as last resort. It's best to be professionally monitored ideally.

I am hypothyroid. Most GPS are generalists not specialists. The cut off varies around the world but most other countries would say tsh of 4.5 is raised. If t4 is low then you should be medicated. I felt like you and still do at times, thyroxine unfortunately is not a wonder med but does help. I'd keep pushing, go private if necessary.

Definitely see a different GP and explain everything.
Meanwhile, make sure you eat a healthy diet, drink enough water and try some gentle exercise like walking even if you don't feel like doing it.
If your GP insists there is nothing physically wrong ask to see a counsellor. I think you can self refer for that so look up the number for your local service.

I know this is obvious but you've been checked for diabetes, haven't you?

Get B12 checked too, if you haven't already.

I'm hypothyroidic (on 225mcg) and whilst your symptoms fit, they also fit B12/anaemia too. Did they check ferritin?

Sorry for repeated post.

It's the sign of a thyroid under strain - I think the normal ranges have been revised recently? It's common knowledge in the field that you can have significant symptoms with lower tsh than that - it's very poor of your GP to dismiss that value when you have clinically significant symptoms

Yup.

Definitely see a different GP. Ask them to run the antibody test to rule out hashimotos and also get your B12 checked - there's a bit of a cross over with low B12 and hashimotos, but they're often comorbid too.

Here's the rub though, I have a TSH of 4.3 at lowest (my TSH ranges up and down) and thyroid antibodies and I haven't yet seen a GP who will treat me.

I was going to say you're being 4.5 is good because it's over the NICE guidelines, but as I've just looked them up I've seen they've dropped this to 4.
NICE
Take these with you, ask to have your bloods checked properly and request they take you seriously for a levothyroxine trial.

I shall be booking an appt with my GP soon to be doing the same now I've been fobbed off for so long.

Vitamin D Deficiency? DH is coeliac and developed this, he was tired all the time, and just looked grey all over, he looked so ill even people we didn't know that well were commenting on it.

Diabetes causes weight loss rather than gain, unless you're in prediabetes/insulin resistance territory.

Repent - Are you advising the OP to buy medication from the internet that her GP has said she doesn't need?

A TSH of 0 would mean you were now in the range of Hyperthyroidism

As for the upper range being 3 in the USA - well, it's not as if the PRIVATE, FOR PROFIT healthcare in the USA would ever advocate over medicating patients unnecessarily would it?

Your hypothyroid - period. With a TSH of 4.5 you'd be treated without question in almost every other developed country in the world.

Get yourself over to the ThyroidUK forum at www.healthunlocked.com and the people there will help you.

You're ...

You need to see a specialist in endocrine disorders. Request a referral - from a different GP. Change of GP is the first step.

Have you tried changing your diet? Not for weight losing/control but for maybe a more heavily nutritious one with lots of vegs and fruit, no processed foods, green juices, no white flour or refined sugar, etc? It may help.

Did you specifically get checked for B12/folate deficiencies? I had to really, really push to get the test, as they don't do it in due course. Some of the symptoms match yours:

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anaemia-vitamin-B12-and-folate-deficiency/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

My doctor mentioned that B12 deficiency can make your periods longer and heavier too.

UK GPs are encouraged not to treat underactive thyroid until the TSH is up to 10.

The normal range reflects what is usual & average for everyone, & some individuals fall outside this.

Treating too early is discouraged as it can be harder to get the dose right.

I do think you need T3, T4 & thyroid antibodies checking.

Ask a different GP to see you - they might be prepared to try a small dose of thyroxine & see what difference it makes.

Sounds exactly like my sons girlfriend she is 19 and been having symptoms like yours since she was 15. She got told diagnosed with all sorts and given all sorts of medication but nothing is making her better. She still doesn't know what's wrong.

Could also be anaemia, chronic fatigue or low vitamin D. Just testing thyroid is useless. Can you see a different gp?

A lot of deficiencies are easily remedied with over the counter supplements. Vitamin D costs the NHS a fortune in testing and prescribing, most people will be insufficient or deficient yet supplements cost very little (high dose DLux spray around £10 for 3 months and maintenance dose £3 for 2 months capsules at Asda)

It is worth a second opinion to rule out anything that needs medical treatment but agree you should try exercise, good nutrition and supplements too. I had something years back that left me feeling awful for months, there was no official diagnosis or magic wand that solved it, just the things I have mentioned here gradually improving my health

What is your BMI? What's your diet and exercise like? If they're both good then definitely go back and see a different gp.

Disgusting and unethical......is there only 1 GP in your surgery? I suggest requesting different one or moving!!! ASAP

I agree with your mum to go private if you can. You'll just find that the doctor's have more time and are more willing to look into it properly, so they can hopefully find out the problem, and can treat it privately too if it's something simple you wouldn't necessarily need to go back to your GP.

Not the exact same symptoms, but I was also feeling rubbish and went to my Gp a couple of times. They weren't as rude as yours in just saying go away and don't come back for 6 months, but I was sent for blood tests, and they didn't really find anything from the results, or didn't bother to piece it all together, so just left it.. then I'd still be feeling not great, so went back again and same thing etc etc. I went private and it was sorted out straight away! Just getting a proper answer will immediately help you start to feel better, even before you start any treatment.