Further thyroid testing "an internet fad"

[Saucery]

Just been told this by my GP. All testing beyond the basic single baseline blood test is something some people on the internet have turned into a craze, apparently.

I just got a private referral for ibs symptoms and they attached a copy of my blood tests to the letter (so I immediately googled every single one!) So you might get a copy that way.

That's reassuring
Menopause matters is a good website to look at for further symptom checklists. There is a lot of crossover for these conditions, unfortunately hcp are not always up to date regarding best/current practice. Worth also looking at and taking a copy of the nice guide lines when you see your GP. The advice on perimenopause is as pp says to treat symptoms in women over 45 and to not offer AD but to offer hrt.

I'm going to insist on a copy, Munchkin. not sure why they said No last time, but they aren't entitled to do that anyway and they backed down when I politely told them which bits of policy said they had to.

The guidelines are very interesting, Idefix and thank you to the pp who linked them. GP said it would probably be between 5 and 9 years before that became an issue, which is odd. I suppose they are human and fallible and she has been so helpful in the past. Perhaps overweight, miserable achy middle aged women just aren't her forte!
I believe there are targets for AD prescription as there are for dementia diagnosis and smear tests etc. Now that's info I am certainly not going to get out of the CCG.

Sounds scary!

It is good to be armed with information, unfortunately hcp are not infallible and some ime issues with certain treatments/conditions.
Against my better judgment I was told and accepted that I was too young for perimenopause . Only when I was referred to gynae after bleeding for 4 weeks and asked why was I not on hrt that I got a grip...
I too was offered AD, not sure how they were going to treat my thickened womb lining
Oh achey joints and tired muscles can also be signs of perimenopause!

Sadly I do think some hcp do treat our gender and age, biometrics rather than presenting symptoms.

Have you had your coeliac screen done too? I thought I was hypothyroid but actually had coeliac and B12 deficiency. The GI symptoms were subtle, although obvious in retrospect but fatigue the main symptom.

I had those done 2 years ago, weasle. Surprisingly allergic to strong cheddar and Parmesan (can't say I'd noticed!) but that was all. Am being treated for severe acid reflux right now but that seems to have settled.
Middle aged female bodies - the gift that keeps on giving!

Can I just say it's not that GPs are following outdated guidance or don't know what they are doing - They work in the nhs and can only access nhs services - nhs labs in this area will only test TSH and then if abnormal T4. They may do T3 for consultants but will refuse any GP requests for it. Likewise all T3 replacement meds are blacklisted locally which means they cannot be prescribed on NHS even if the GP wants to. It is deeply frustrating.

Yeah what didi said

Cept she said it posher

Just out of interest, what are you taking for the acid reflux? Omeprazole, for example, inhibits absorption of b12 and can make you b12 deficient which leaves you feeling pretty dreadful.
I'm another mid40s woman who has been offered ads by the docs when going back repeatedly for fatigue and pain. I have a form of arthritis, so get a lot of pain and the last gp I saw deduced from that that I must be depressed and that's what is making me exhausted. Despite having had the arthritis for 20 years, and the tiredness for only 2 or 3.

Didi I do understand they're constrained and I will argue for the NHS every day of the week. My frustration is that if TAAT is such a common acronym amongst 40+ women, that it seems to such a dispiriting experience for so many women. They're treating symptoms because the pathways and finance aren't there. I'm scheduled to see 2 consultants now, neither of which I think are appropriate in the basis of one symptom. I've been told it isn't a thyroid related issue but there's no more evidence it's related to the specialism I have been referred to and I've had a x Ray that unsurprisingly showed nothing.
Meanwhile a TSH level that would be treated in other western countries is discounted.
Why aren't we diagnosing people correctly instead of embarking down the AD route? :(

@crunchside there is evidence that thyroid brands do differ
enough that people do feel worse when changing brands.
In New Zealand they just had the one brand of Levothyroine for
all patients and hundreds of patients were complaining of feeling
worse: In the wake of a growing number of complaints about side-effects of a thyroid treatment drug, the Ministry of Health has approved two alternatives.
Medsafe, the ministry's unit responsible for regulating drugs, has given provisional approval to two products containing levothyroxine, giving patients in New Zealand access to an approved alternative to Eltroxin.With the alternative drugs now available, Medsafe said each company will be required to notify prescribers and pharmacists of the increased need to closely monitor patients who switch brands

Oh, bold fail

Okite , it's lansoprazole but only been on it for 2 weeks so that hasn't caused the long term problems. It can be a minefield to look at men's and potential men's and try and weigh up if they contradict each other though!

I totally get that, Didiplanthis and would understand if told that they simply don't offer the testing.
However, I do mind when I am told I have been influenced by 'some groups on the internet' and that ADs are repeatedly brought up in a consultation and I am told to reconsider my preconceptions about them for this specific set of symptoms.
I would accept ADs if they were necessary. I will not shut up, take the tablets to make me care less about pain and bad health and go away.

Oh and the other thing that enrages me is the ranges! I have one result on my blood tests which comes back low every single time and yet none of the GPs I've seen are interested in finding out why. They all say, oh a bit out of range is fine. In which case, if there's a level at which they aren't bothered, surely THAT level should be the start of the range? Or why bother having a normal range at all?

I heard that as well ashes

meds and potential meds that should say! Dear lord, I am far too tired to be weighing up mens and potential mens

okite Yes! I dug out old results, half of which are out of range and peculiar. Some of my current results are high but with the benefit of Google I can see that's not a problem in that combination. Now on the one hand GP's are complaining we're Googling stuff but failing to accept sometimes we're actually able to use it sensibly.
Sorry I find it annoying that GPs assume that I can't use IT critically. It presses buttons!

Yy, you'd think they'd be glad we went in prepared and not wasting their time.
Wonder how many women our age are taking medication to mask symptoms rather than treat them?
There used to be a GP who would think out of the box at that practice but he left.

This has been my experience too. Had to fight for initial blood tests. Keep on having to fight the "Are you depressed?" reaction. I do have a dose of thyroxine prescribed, but I'm still exhausted all the time, still have other symptoms...and yet, now I'm in "in normal range" no-one will look at it. I am taking vitamin D, but it's had no effect. When I said I was still tired all the time the reply was "Well we all fall asleep in front of the TV after work." I just don't know where to go next.

We need a Campaign. Once we've had a and a sit down.
Apparently there are ADs that have no side effects whatsoever and enable you to go to work without any adjustment period at all. The urge to tell her I'm not a fucking idiot was extreme

User has your b12, hb, ferritin been assessed? If you are older, 40s etc have you considered perimenopause?

So many conditions have overlaps in terms of symptoms, I often have pts who come after a couple of months of taking meds and say, I don't feel that much better. Also in fairness to my colleagues sometime there is underlying issues that are perhaps not bad enough for AD but are there all the same exacerbating symptoms. I know I feel better during my annual leave for example. To me this is an indication that some of how I have been feeling has related to work stress even though I would say I have v little.

Hi Idefix, B12 etc all been tested and fine. Not pre-diabetic or anything else similar. I am in my late 30s. This has been going since 2012. It may just be chronic fatigue and something I have to live with, I guess - but there doesn't seem to be much help for that, either. Oh well.