GP appointment tomorrow

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

It's a beautiful sunny day here, hope that you are enjoying it somehow!

I've got a GP appointment tomorrow, where I am going to show her the results

from my adrenal salivary test, and ask to be referred to an endo, and ask for a

short synacthen test. I'm wondering if it's a good idea to take Dr P's book with

me or any print-outs from the files here, to attempt to persuade her that this

is a serious issue?

Part of me feels like, is there any point bothering with the NHS anymore? It

seems to be just one long endless battle... But I don't know if I would be

comfortable self-treating with HC without being monitored by a doctor. And

really I would prefer to get my medicine on the NHS!

Anyway, just wondering if anyone has any good advice for dealing with (generally

unhelpful/skeptical) GPs?

Georgie

[Guest guest]

Georgie - print off the attached document because any patient

getting tested outside of the NHS 'recognised' tests is likely to be met with

" We don't know anything about Genova Diagnostics and therefore do not

accept their results " . This is a cop out - because they don't understand

how to read the results so try to make out the laboratory is not up to scratch

and does not reach the NHS 'standards'. The attached is the Genova Diagnostics

Quality Assurance document. Make sure your GP reads it.

You would do well to write a letter to your GP listing all of

your symptoms and signs (check these against those in our web site under

'Hypothyroidism' www.tpa-uk.org.uk .

Take your basal temperature for 4 or 5 days and list these.

List any members of your family who have a thyroid or autoimmune

disease.

List the full thyroid function blood tests you need i.e. TSH,

free T4, free T3 and tests to check to see whether you have antibodies to your

thyroid TPO and TgAb. Ask also for the following to be tested because if any

are low in the reference range, no amount of thyroid hormone can be properly

utilised at the cellular level: ferritin vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium,

folate, copper and zinc. Ask for the results of all your blood tests to be sent

to you together with the reference range for each test done.

Ask to be referred to an endocrinologist of your choice so you

can get a short synacthen test done to see whether you are suffering with

either 's Disease (too little or no cortisol secretion - or Cushing's

Syndrome (too high a level of cortisol secretion) and that you can get a second

opinion regarding your thyroid status.

Ask for your letter of requests to be placed into your medical

records (very important) and be sure to keep a copy yourself. You might

copy out the chapter from Dr Peatfield's Book " Your Thyroid and How to

Keep it Healthy " (better than taking the whole book which I guarantee she

would not read http://www.tpa-uk.org.uk/adrenals.php

Hope this helps

Luv - Sheila

Hi everyone,

It's a beautiful sunny day here, hope that you are enjoying it somehow!

I've got a GP appointment tomorrow, where I am going to show her the results

from my adrenal salivary test, and ask to be referred to an endo, and ask for a

short synacthen test. I'm wondering if it's a good idea to take Dr P's book

with me or any print-outs from the files here, to attempt to persuade her that

this is a serious issue?

Part of me feels like, is there any point bothering with the NHS anymore? It

seems to be just one long endless battle... But I don't know if I would be

comfortable self-treating with HC without being monitored by a doctor. And

really I would prefer to get my medicine on the NHS!

Anyway, just wondering if anyone has any good advice for dealing with

(generally unhelpful/skeptical) GPs?

1 of 1 File(s)

Genova Quality Assurance.pdf

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this advice - I just came back from my appointmenet so didn't see it

until now! However, the GP was not too bad, she didn't say she wouldn't accept

my saliva test results, and she scanned them onto my records. But she also

didn't refer me for the SST. She took my blood pressure and said it was slightly

high, which she felt is a good sign as far as addison's is concerned. She said

she wanted to re-do all the thyroid tests before referring me to an endo, and

that she would look into doing a urine test to look at cortisol levels, but she

would have to contact the lab to find out how to do this. She did say that there

was no point doing a cortisol serum level because it wouldn't give a realistic

picture.

She also suggested that I could be feeling exhausted and some of my symptoms

could be attributable to sleep apnea, and said she would arrange a test.

She did suggest that depression might be the problem. I tried to explain that I

do get depressed sometimes BECAUSE of dealing with all my symptoms. She said

that sometimes we don't experience depression as a low mood or sadness but as

pains and different symptoms in our bodies. I said, that may be so, but I know

my body, and I'm not making this up! It's not all in my head!!!

So, I'm not sure how much further forward I am... She is testing TSH, Free T4,

T3, HbA1c and TPO antibodies. She did seem willing to investigate further,

although she said, 'if your thyroid results come back normal, then we'll know

your thyroid is working fine'. Really...?!!

So now I am wondering if I should start back on thyroxine so that the thyroid

tests reflect that. I don't really want to start back on thyroxine, but I want

to make sure I get realistic results from my blood tests. It's a question of

stopping all kinds of self-help practices in order to get help from the NHS, but

then if they don't/won't help, I'm back to square one with the self-help! It's

so frustrating.

Thanks everyone here, especially Sheila, for all your strength and support.

Georgie

>

> Georgie - print off the attached document because any patient getting tested

> outside of the NHS 'recognised' tests is likely to be met with " We don't

> know anything about Genova Diagnostics and therefore do not accept their

> results " . This is a cop out - because they don't understand how to read the

> results so try to make out the laboratory is not up to scratch and does not

> reach the NHS 'standards'.

> Anyway, just wondering if anyone has any good advice for dealing with

> (generally unhelpful/skeptical) GPs?

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Georgie

Thanks for this advice - I just came back from

my appointment so didn't see it until now! However, the GP was not too bad, she

didn't say she wouldn't accept my saliva test results, and she scanned them

onto my records. But she also didn't refer me for the SST

That's excellent - there's hope yet! Perhaps she needs to get

more information together so she isn't seen to be wasting anybody's time.

.. She took my blood pressure and said it was

slightly high, which she felt is a good sign as far as addison's is concerned.

That's probably because many of us have " the white coat

syndrome " - just seeing our doctor make our BP rise, quite unknowingly.

Buy yourself a BP Monitor from your local Chemist (about £10 from a Lloyds

pharmacy) - get the cuff version and take your BP on a regular basis at home to

get it's basic level. Take it sitting down, and then immediately on standing

and see how many points it drops (though it might now). The more points it

drops when standing, the more likely you have adrenal problems that need

treatment.

She said she wanted to re-do all the thyroid

tests before referring me to an endo, and that she would look into doing a

urine test to look at cortisol levels, but she would have to contact the lab to

find out how to do this. She did say that there was no point doing a cortisol

serum level because it wouldn't give a realistic picture.

Correct!

She also suggested that I could be feeling

exhausted and some of my symptoms could be attributable to sleep apnea, and

said she would arrange a test.

Sa\me old….same old…. but go along with this so you

can eliminate any other possible cause for your exhaustion.

She did suggest that depression might be the

problem. I tried to explain that I do get depressed sometimes BECAUSE of

dealing with all my symptoms. She said that sometimes we don't experience

depression as a low mood or sadness but as pains and different symptoms in our

bodies. I said, that may be so, but I know my body, and I'm not making this up!

It's not all in my head!!!

again, same old….same old….Doctors have got into the

habit of blaming the patient if they complain of suffering symptoms which they

are unable to attribute to any one particular cause. They spend millions of

pounds on antidepressants telling the poor patient " it's all in your

head " . Don't allow your doctor to do this to you. Somehow, I don't think

you will:o)

So, I'm not sure how much further forward I

am... She is testing TSH, Free T4, T3, HbA1c and TPO antibodies. She did seem

willing to investigate further, although she said, 'if your thyroid results

come back normal, then we'll know your thyroid is working fine'. Really...?!!

Wrong, wrong, WRONG!. If your thyroid function tests come back

as " normal " then this shows your problem does not lie with your

thyroid gland. If your thyroid is working fine, then you are not

suffering with 'Type 1' Hypothyroidism. Type 1 hypothyroidism, is

defined as primary, secondary, and tertiary hypothyroidism and is properly

associated with insufficient secretion by the thyroid gland, thereby

reducing the prohormone thyroxine (T4) available for conversion, to the

active hormone triiodothyronine (T3) to energize the body. The

most common cause originating within the thyroid gland is disease process. It

would however still be considered primary, secondary and tertiary

hypothyroidism (Type 1), even if it is due to a damaged gland, e.g. when damage

is caused in an accident or damaged due to excessive exposure to

radioactivity. Type 1 Hypothyroidism may be corrected by using levothyroxine

(T4-only) replacement.

So, she will need then to investigate whether you are suffering

with 'Type 2'. Type 2 Hypothyroidism is defined as deficiencies in

the peripheral conversion of T4 to T3, the subsequent reception of T3, and the

use of T3 by the body's cells. This ignored hypothyroidism reduces the

amount of the active thyroid hormone T3 in the body, producing the same sort of

symptoms that Type 1 hypothyroidism does. Environmental toxins may also

cause or exacerbate the problem. The pervasiveness of Type 2 hypothyroidism has

yet to be recognised by mainstream medicine but already is in epidemic

proportions. Type 2 hypothyroidism can be corrected by T3 hormone replacement

therapy - and not be thyroxine-only therapy.

So now I am wondering if I should start back on thyroxine so

that the thyroid tests reflect that. I don't really want to start back on

thyroxine, but I want to make sure I get realistic results from my blood tests.

It's a question of stopping all kinds of self-help practices in order to get

help from the NHS, but then if they don't/won't help, I'm back to square one

with the self-help! It's so frustrating.

When are you having the next lot of thyroid function tests done.

If within the next week I would stay off the thyroxine so you get a true

picture of what is actually happening. Have you asked for all the

minerals/vitamins to be tested to see whether any of them are low in the range,

which, if they are, would stop the thyroid hormone from getting into the cells?

Luv - Sheila

Thanks everyone here, especially Sheila, for all your strength and support.

Georgie