I’m sick of joint pains what can I ask my GP for tomorrow?

[EachandEveryone]

She won’t refer me to endo because my thyroid level is 2.5 on 125mcg of thyroxine. I’m tempted to put myself up to 150mcg. I literally dread getting out of bed in a morning. The pain is in my hips, feet and thighs. I’m taking every vitamin there is and have just ordered CBD. My blood is negative for arthritis and a colonoscopy said I haven’t got celiacs,

I had a hysterectomy a few months ago and have started estrogen tablets 1mg three weeks ago should I notice a difference by now? Should I ask to go up to 2?

I do yoga x3 a week but cant kneel down anymore as my feet won’t go back.

I’m due back off sick next week standing for 12 hours and I’m dreading it. Any suggestions when I see the gp? I’m at the end of my tether.

When medicated your TSH should be around 1 if not less. You are undermedicated. I would ask again that your dose be increased.

And while you may be taking vitamins you may not be taking a high enough amount of certain ones, or you may have some form of absorption issues which won't be coeliac disease but will cause certain lower vitamin levels for example. I don't have coeliac or a thyroid problem but my folate and B12 are always on the lower side.

What are your iron levels (especially ferritin), folate, vitamin D and B12? Were they tested? If not, request them. All of them.

They were all off at the beginning of this journey but tbh Ive been in hospital only three months ago and all my bloods where done then. Ive enclosed a photo of what I’m taking. My go is adamant that 2.5 is fine I have loads of packets of 25mcg I was just going to up in myself like they do on the American sites. What do you think?

Can you ask your GP to do a full thyroid panel. That way you could check where your FT4, FT3 and thyroid antibody levels are as well, as just the TSH, which is a very blunt instrument for measuring thyroid levels in the body.

Do you know why you are hypothyroid? Were your thyroid antibodies tested originally?

You may be one of the people who doesn't convert the Levo (which is artificial T4) into the FT3, which is actually what your body uses.

Just raising your Levo may not solve the problem, as you could end up with high levels of FT4, which can cause problems in itself but still not actually getting the FT3 that you need.

I doubt she will do it she said my T3 was fine. The trouble is I don’t really understand if anc neither does she. I wake up three times s night to put eye drops in Ive just found my results it says tsh in August was 3.1 I know it’s 2.5 now. Here’s the print out

Ask her to check your ESR and your c-reactive protein

I can't see FT3 anywhere on that results she doesn't know it is fine at all.

Your FT4 levels look low in the range, so you could probably take more Levo quite comfortably and that may well make you feel better.

GPs tend to have little knowledge about thyroid conditions. It doesn't feature highly in med school training and isn't a 'sexy' area of medicine with lots of research or high profile interest - like diabetes for example.

Thyroid UK and TPAUK are good websites to go if you want to find out more.

That’s my next question should I stop taking all my supplements before I have any bloods taken?

Get your Gp to check your morning cortisol levels (early morning blood test) just to check for Addison’s / adrenal insufficiency (which often goes hand in hand with hypothyroidism). I have both.

For joint paint you could try amitryptiline (sorry my spelling isn’t great!) or gabapentin if the doctor agrees to prescribe either but I would make sure there are no underlying issues first.

I’m going to up it myself. She took me off statins because of my pain but that’s made no difference. I eat healthily I’m convinced that’s my thyroid as well!

I'm not medically qualified, so I can't advise you or tell you what to do, but my understanding is you should not take any thyroid treatment 24 hours before a blood test.

With regards to the supplements, for things like B12 when they are testing for pernicious anaemia, I think to get a true indication of where you are it should be 6 weeks where you shouldn't take any B12 or folate.

Re the statins, your cholesterol should settle once your thyroid is properly medicated.

I’m going in a minute. I will ask for those three blood tests

Fingers crossed for you. Let us know how you get on.

I came out in tears she said I was talking about too many things at once and she had to write it all up. Practically pushed me out of the door. I tried to say I think it’s all related but again she said my levels were fine. I didn’t bother telling her I’ve put it up myself. She’s lovely but totally harassed which is what they all are. It’s awful the way things are going. However, I’m glad I wrote down the blood tests you all suggested as she has ordered them. Never booked me a follow up appointment which she normally does do if course when I tried at the reception they haven’t got any for the next week. I’m guessing if the blood results are fine that will be it for me. She did offer to sign me off work for another month but tbh I think I’ll lose mu confidence if I don’t go back soon

I'm so sorry but I'm not surprised. Big hug to you.

Make sure you get a print out of the results when they come in. Please head to either www.tpauk.com or www.thyroiduk.org - or both. They have lots of useful information and TPAUK has a forum where you can chat about your problems too.

It is an awful indictment on our health service, but you really do need to educate yourself about your condition and then think about the best way back to health for you.

Your Vitamin D could be better, although 77 is above deficient it's still low. Was that blood test taken after you'd been taking that high dose supplement?

If it was it could have been lower then that, D defficeny will cause joint pain. But you need to get everything sort as well.

Oh and if your vitamin D deficient and start taking a high dose without taking magnesium supplements. Your pain could actually get worse, you need to add that in to.

I’m just thinking that it’s been a really good Summer I’m surprised it was low in July. I only started taking the high dose yesterday. I can’t do a high dose of Magnesium as it literally runs through me will a bog standard one do from Boots? I suspect it’s in my Menopace

It takes a long time to up vitamin D levels and a few weeks of a heatwave won't fix a deficiency (not that you're deficienct, but you could benefit from higher levels).

Deficient*

Not surprised by the GP's response, tbh.
I have RA, fibro, and various other things, and have to have bloods every 8 weeks as my meds are pretty toxic.

In early June, the RA nurse booked me an emergency appt to discuss my abnormal results, which meant I should've been seen within 2 weeks. I'm still waiting as they keep cancelling.

Also found out in the meantime that my iron and ferritin are 3.8 & 3.9, my vitD is 18 and my B12 is 64. I'm suffering memory issues and constant pins and needles, and I'm exhausted all the time, but I've had to push for treatment. Had injections of b12 for 2 weeks, but not feeling any better, GP says they won't retest.

It's shit, isn't it? All I can suggest is that you keep on at them. Hopefully, that will work.

My GP just called me at home bless her. She said she’s been thinking of me and has booked me in for an X-ray of my foot. It’s very sweet but what would it show? There’s no broken bones. I know this because a year ago I fell in tescos and after that was when this all started. I had s foot X-ray then. I’m convinced that fall sent me into hypothyroidism, as bizarre as that sounds.

Would an X-ray shoe arthritis? Should I have it done on the opposite foot to before?

Well the results are in another GP rang to say that the CRP is slightly raised, the Cortisol levels were 500 which is normal and my cholesterol has gone up again so they want me on statins. He said the X-ray showed a narrowing of only my big toe and that’s not necessarily arthritis. My feet are so sore I can hardly lift my toes up. I’ve had enough now.

He’s ordered one more blood test I couldn’t hear what he said but I think it’s for some kind of antibodies.

I hate feeling like this it’s a year next month. I have another appointment on Monday they don’t have time so I would love to go in and just ask her to refer me to someone but I don’t know who.

Hopefully, the GP is testing your thyroid antibodies to see if you have Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune condition which slowly destroys the thyroid gland.

Get a print out of the results yourself, as a GP will say everything is 'normal' as long as it is in range, but normal and optimal are two completely different things.

With a TSH of 2,5, it's not surprising your cholesterol is raised. It's a diagnostic for hypothyroidism abd the guidelines re statins say that they should not be prescribed unless cholesterol is still raised when thyroid function is optimal.