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 !

perfumedlife I don't understand - have you had your thyroid removed? If so, presumably you need to take levothyroxine as you are not producing any naturally. I don't see how taking prescription thyroid hormones (levothyroxine) failed to work, and yet "thyroid hormones on the internet" saved your life.

I refused the prescription for levothyroxine because it failed to work, and I don’t have a thyroid

Then how come you’re not dead?

Ah yes, the tests...like the tests for Depression and mind altering drugs that follow - non-existent.

Lizard skin, weight she cannot shift, extremely heavy periods, aches and pains. That's not a state of mind, those are physical changes with an organic cause that this GP has just not bothered their arse to find out what.

Petal02 if you'd read the sentence that followed the one you quoted, you would see that buying thyroid hormones online saved my life.

perfumedlife are you saying that no tests for hypothyroidism exist?

perfumedlife what was the difference between your prescribed thyroid hormones and the ones that you ordered online?

Is the op using any form of contraception those are the symptoms of what a lot of women complain of. My periods were very heavy with the implant and I gained weight.

StressedAndConfusedArg because a healthy thyroid gland produces around 38% of the bodies daily T3 needs. The amount of T3 a thyroidless body can convert from Levothyroxine is insufficient for daily needs. I was close to having a stroke on Levothyroxine, my GP produced T3 from her cabinet such was the seriousness of my situation. Sadly she was forbidden from prescribing it as the NHS is being shafter to the tune of £240 for 30 tablets when it's actually 2 Euros in Europe per pack. That is why I buy them online.

StressedAndConfused I am saying the tests the GP does for Hypothyroidism is inadequate and unreliable. The meds I buy online have T4 and T3 in them, as well as a few other components a healthy thyroid produces.

Perfumedlife is probably buying the naturally desiccated thyroid tablets that are made from animal products (not sure which one) Although ordering online you can't be sure if it proper stuff.

Repent why are you buying t3 hormone tablets ? Your endocrinologist or gp can prescribe them if you need them.

Op go back to another gp, TSH testing is not enough to diadnose a thyroid problem At a minimum you need freeT4 tested. And if possible T3 as well.

Did your gp actually tell you to stop wasting his time?

Perfumedlife the NHS can and does prescribe T3 (liothyronine) to patients. I suggest you go back to your gp or go to a different one.

I have been getting it prescribed for the past 3 years as I don't convert enough so take both Levothyroxine and liothyronine.

perfumedlife I'm afraid this still doesn't make sense. I'm assuming that you have had a thyroidectomy, in which case require thyroid replacement hormones. This is normally levothyroxine (T4) which is converted in the body to T3. A normally functioning thyroid gland produces mostly T4 as this has a longer half life and so levels of T3 can be kept more stable. Not having a thyroid gland will not prevent you from converting T4 to T3.

In fact, I have done some further research and found this:

"Desiccated thyroid or thyroid extract refers to preparations that are derived from the thyroid gland of domesticated animals. The most commonly used form of desiccated thyroid, known as Armour Thyroid, is of porcine origin and can be viewed as a mixture of T3 and T4.24 The main concern with the use of these preparations is centered on their T3 component. The ratio of T4 to T3 in desiccated thyroid preparations is 4.2:1, which is significantly lower than the 14:1 ratio of secretion by the human thyroid gland. This relative excess of T3 leads to supraphysiological levels of T3. In addition, due to the shorter half-life of T3, fluctuations of T3 occur over the course of the day, with peak levels shortly after dosing. Thus there is concern for thyrotoxicosis if thyroid extract therapy is not adjusted according to the serum TSH.25 These high T3 levels may be of particular concern in patients receiving suppressive therapy for thyroid cancer using a thyroid extract."

I will repeat that advising people to order medication that has not been prescribed online is incredible dangerous and immoral.

8misskitty8 yes I do buy Natural Thyroid. I'm pretty sure it's the real thing simply because I'm alive six years later and in rude health But it's not a situation I would recommend and I find it astonishing that I am forced into doing this. But I am. The NHS has failed me and many others with this disease.

I've been working so haven't had the chance to reply .

Thanks for all of the advice . I have an appointment with a different GP on Monday .

To all the posters asking if I've bothered with the advice about diet and exercise - of course I have !

I'm not saying I do 5k runs every week - more like gentle walking .

I'm too tired to get the energy to exercise funnily enough

perfumedlife As I've said, the nhs does prescribe T3 so go back to your gp.
I had thyroid cancer so don't have a thyroid and I take both.
Do you have an endocrinologist ?

OP, you have my sympathy. I had a TSH of over 8 for a decade and lots of hypothyroid symptoms, and my then GP told me I was depressed. I wasn't depressed then, though I have a HX of depression. She accepted a TSH of 8 could indicate I'd get hypothyrodism when 'old'. Frankly, I don't think I'd have reached old age if the situation had gone on. I finally got treated once I moved house and changed my GP. My TSH was still 8ish. OP, it's a horrid situation to be in. I'm not sure I can advise you as others have posted various ideas. I'm not sure anyone has suggested a private endocrinologist. Np idea what it would cost, or if it's an option for you?

BTW, in response to a previous poster, 200mcgs of levothyoxine is not 'the' upper limit. I am on 225mcg. I know of people on 300mcgs. In fact I'd been on 200mcgs for a while, felt less well again early this year. Blood test showed my TSH was creeping up - it was around 4 when I was told to increase to 225mcg.

perfumedlife - "what you don't want to do is accept a label of chronic fatigue or depression. That way lies madness.

It is attitudes like yours that perpetuate stigma surrounding mental health conditions. Depression is a very real (and very common!) condition and can cause a range of somatic symptoms including tiredness and bodily aches. This does not mean that these symptoms are not real and it does not mean that they are 'in the head'. Exhaustion is one of the key diagnostic features of depression and as such can be successfully treated with a combination of pharmogical, psychological and social treatments. I am a doctor and many patients are somewhat embarrassed at the suggestion that their symptoms could be psychiatric in nature as they feel that they are not being believed. This is not at all the case and the sooner this is accepted the better as the patient can receive appropriate treatment.

OP, sorry that you are feeling so unwell and do see another GP if you feel you have a poor relationship with your current one. However, I agree with your GP at least in that dietary changes and exercise can dramatically improve how you're feeling. Hope you feel better soon .

Unfortunately the NHS doesn't diagnose Hashimoto disease because they can't afford to do the anti bodies test.
My TSHotmail was 4 but antibodies over 1000 where normal is 100 tops.
I have been on thyroxine for a year and regret losing years of my life to feeling tired, achy and shit. I bet you £100 your antibodies are high.
Go private. It seems to be the only way to get medical care in the UK. A blood test will cost you £80.

If doctors just put energy into prescribing and testing rather than fobbing everyone off with their watch and wait money saving crap, people wouldn't be so bloody depressed.

In the rest of the world, even really crap places, people don't have such appalling medical care.

StressedAndConfusedArgh did you mean to sound to all knowing and pompous?

I'm afraid you are quite wrong, the thyroid gland itself produces T3, not simply T4. Converting adequate T3 from exogenous T4 is difficult for most thyroidectomised patients, impossible for some. The research confirms this and I can provide links if you wish. This paper however doesn't specifically relate to thyroidectomised patients, just generally hypothyroid on Levothyroxine patients. press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jc.2016-2660

"In a large population study, participants using LT4 exhibited lower serum T3:T4 ratios and differed in 12/52 objective and subjective measures."

It's a lot worse when you have zero residual thyroid tissue.

As for your long quote about desiccated thyroid, I'm stumped as to your point, particularly when Levothyroxine is the least Non-Physiolgical form of supplementation in comparison to the thyroid gland's output.

Your symptoms are screaming hypothyroidism. Dry hair. Skin so dry it's flaky, a slowing down of the bodies metabolic processes leading to excessive tiredness and heavy periods that last longer. It is worth mentioning if it hasn't been done so already, that hypothyroidism causes decline in so many functional body processes including your digestion, that secondary illnesses will definitely appear over time if its not treated. And this can throw you off what is really responsible. So you'll go to your doctor again and again with different pathologies that will not deal with the underlying problem which is that you are likely hypo. So your cholesterol may be high. Something will be given you to deal with that, your iron levels will drop off the cliff-something for that too. Your hormones will go up the spout, you may develop chronic fatigue etc.

Sorry but in the UK hypothyroidism is treated really badly on the whole. It's scandalous. I myself was told for years I was "barely hypo" just borderline and didn't require any meds. My hair went dry as dust. It would break in my hand it was so brittle. Eventually it fell out. Hypothyroidism affects your bodies ability to absorb and store iron, and your cholesterol rises. I had constant acid reflux, told to eat less acidic foods, actually I had low stomach acid my metabolism had slowed to a crawl. Candida grew out of control I piled on weight, woke multiple times every night. Adrenals were maxed out, I could go on. Today I am very ill. Turns out after years of not being treated, my hypo is no longer "borderline," it's very bad now, another doctor thinks I ought to take as much as 200mcg of Levothyoxine. Yet I had gone to these doctors for years with symptom after symptom. I love the NHS, but I have now gone private. Best money I ever spent. I feel very seriously let down although I'm now getting excellent care. I don't think I'll ever fully recover the health I would have had If I had been treated earlier.

There are two tests you can do that will more or less make it very likely you hypo. Get your cholesterol checked. Is it higher than it should be given your diet?

The second and best indicator is your basal temperature. In the morning check you temperature with a thermometer under your tongue. Is it less than 97.8F or 36.6°c? Do this for three days. If it is, you are almost positively suffering from hypothyroidism.

It is also worth mentioning that the UK standard of 'within range' is different in other countries. Overall I suggest going private. Of course it could be anything but check it out anyway.

Op, get another GP or go private. Find what is wrong then go back and sue him. Simple.

Hysterectical Attitudes like yours make me completely disheartened. As with any profession, some doctors lack empathy, do not keep up with training etc. However most of us truly want the best for our patients. Why else would we choose to stay in a frankly underpaid, overworked and unforgiving profession? You are right, doctors do have to think about money but this is not our choice. Please direct your anger at the government. Also for the most part, doctors do know more than patients and the treatment (or lack of) given is seen to be in the patient's best interest.