Am I crazy?!!!?!?!?

[Guest guest]

Sometimes I wonder to myself if this is 'all in my head' - the way I get treated

by the doctor it's like she's sure I'm some kind of hypochondriac who spends all

day googling diseases in order to annoy her!

So, saw the GP today, and got my blood test results back. She confirmed that I

have Hashimoto's but she said " it's irrelevant, because the treatment is exactly

the same. " (It's not irrelevant to me, thanks very much!)

My TSH is 9.22 (0.27 - 4.20) - Gp described this as 'slightly underactive'.

T3 she said was normal: 4.2 (range 3.1 - 6.8)

T4 is described as normal: 12 (range 12 - 22)

I can't see my antibodies, I think because the receptionist missed a page off my

results when she printed them out! I will ask for those next time I go.

She wanted to up my thyroxine to 150mg, but I wasn't taking any for a few days

before the test, so I don't think that's relevant. I asked her would she

consider prescribing NTD, and she said that was 'unnecessary' because

levothyroxine was the treatment.

Apparently, the endo told her that the saliva test is " worthless " because

cortisol doesn't show up well in saliva. He told her that the serum cortisol

test must be done at 9am, because after that, the cortisol level could be all

over the place and it didn't mean anything. So the GP said she will only send me

for the SST if the serum cortisol comes back abnormal.

I asked her to test for vitamins/minerals etc, but she said I definitely wasn't

anaemic because she'd tested for that, so there was no need to do ferritin, and

as for the others she thought it better to eliminate other possible problems

first.

Like diabetes - I tested normal but was at the top of the range so she wants me

to have a sugar test. Well, I asked her, if I test positive, what's the

treatment? She said 'diet and exercise', to which I responded, " Well, I already

have a really good diet, I don't eat any sugar or carbs, I eat lots of salads

and green veg and protein, and I exercise as much as I can, so I don't see the

point. "

Then she started going on about how it was not what I ate but how much I eat

(which she has no idea about, she's just assuming I sit around stuffing my face

with cakes all day long because I'm overweight. I bet I eat a lot healthier than

she does!)

I told her, " yes I am overweight. I have hypothyroidism and PCOS, both of which

are well known to make weight loss extremely difficult. If these conditions were

properly treated, I would lose weight. It doesn't work the other way round - my

problems are not caused by being overweight, my weight gain is a symptom of my

health problems. "

She didn't have anything to say to that, just said " well let's wait until we get

the results. "

I walked out of there so upset! For one thing, I have Hashi's, which to be

honest is not what I wanted to hear. I had been hoping that my thyroid problems

were a spin-off from the adrenal problems, and might be eliminated once my

adrenals were treated. Secondly, I am so frustrated that the saliva test results

have been discounted -- especially because she had taken them seriously, until

she spoke to the endo! Thirdly, I am so sick and tired of doctors telling me

that my weight is a problem - what do they want me to do? Starve myself?!! Why

don't they treat my symptoms and give me a fighting chance of losing the weight,

instead of acting like I'm some kind of idiot who doesn't know the difference

between a burger and an apple!!!!

Grrrr!!!!! So, I have started taking Erfa, and plan to continue with that, and

when I have my levels retested in a couple of months, hopefully they will look

better, and I will tell the doctor I'm taking NDT. As for the adrenal stuff, I

will see how the serum cortisol goes - I've got that booked on 18th. If it is

'normal' then I know I'm not going to get any more help from them with that, so

I will start HC.

It's so frustrating! I just needed to have a good rant! Thanks for listening. I

know so many of you have been through this same ordeal. I just want to be well!

I know I will never be like I was when I was 20, but I'd like to have my

confidence back and do the things I want to do. I missed my best friend's

wedding in Greece this week because I knew that there was no way I'd be able to

handle the stress of flying and partying, and I would be too exhausted to do

anything, and I just didn't feel brave enough to go anyway. I can never get back

all the times that I've missed. I just want to be well.

Thanks for listening.

Georgie