This is specifically about thyroid issues. I’ve posted elsewhere about my recent test results, but after doing a lot of research I’m left extremely angry with the NHS.
If a patient goes to the GP with symptoms of hypothyroidism, —if they’re lucky— they’ll get a blood test. Often the GP will only test for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), even though this alone is not a sufficient indicator of thyroid health.
The “normal” lab range for TSH is usually between 0.3 and 4.0 or thereabouts. If you’re within that range, you’re told your thyroid is fine, regardless of symptoms.
In almost every other European country plus America and Australia, if your level is above 3.0 (or in some places 2.5) you are diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Expert organisations have done studies and found that 2.5 -3.0 is the correct cut off for diagnosis.
But the NHS? It’s 10.0, up to four times higher than other countries, even though the lab range upper normal levels are around 4.0.
After a decade of battling for a diagnosis because I have textbook symptoms, I finally have a TSH level over the normal range (5.95), after paying for private testing three times. If I lived in another country, I’d be treated now without question (actually I would have been treated a long time ago). But instead, unless I have a very sympathetic GP, I must continue to suffer until it reaches a ridiculous level, by which point I imagine I’d be unable to function at all, and my risk of much more dangerous conditions would be even higher.
Why do they do this? They admit themselves that if the levels were lowered they’d have to treat a lot more people. So people, mainly women, are deliberately being left to suffer because of money.
The fact that it’s mostly women who develop hypothyroidism isn’t lost on me (since I have another condition that affects only women and which takes an average of 9 years to diagnose). Neither is the fact that, under the current system, anyone diagnosed with hypothyroidism is entitled to free prescriptions, a rule which may actually mean many people aren’t being diagnosed in the first place.
How is this allowed? Why is there not more outrage about this? Given the fact that thyroid issues commonly occur during and after pregnancy, it seems somewhere like Mumsnet would be a good place to start a campaign in this area.
I’m sure there are many women here who are going through the same thing I am. The last 10 years of my life have been horrendous in terms of my health and I’ve absolutely had enough.
NICE guidelines state that if a patient has symptoms and a TSH of 4-10, the GP can “consider” a trial of treatment. That’s it. It’s not bloody good enough.