Kirst24
17-12-09, 23:13
Just wanted to post this to make people aware of doctors' incompetancies when it comes to thyroid problems. For the past 6 months I have been back and forth to docs with various symptoms - pains in my head, dizziness, tiredness, breathlessness, pains in muscles..the list goes on. I also started to develop a goitre(swollen thyroid gland) so the bottom of my neck looks quite swollen. Despite the fact I had this along with all the symptoms I was given blood tests which came back normal so was told what I had was anxiety/stress and prescribed beta blockers.
I was back numerous times as I felt that it wasn't just anxiety. Eventually I was made to feel that I was bothering the doctors by keeping going back until eventually I went back and asked what blood tests they had actually done. Having read about thyroid problems I am aware that many doctors fail to do all the tests and rely on what they call the T4 and TSH tests. I saw a female doctor this time(the others had all been males) and she said that they hadn't actually tested for thyroid antibodies. I asked why not and she just shrugged her shoulders. Anyway, it turns out my thyroid antibodies are over 900!!! You shouldn't really have any at all. This means that my thyroid will go underactive eventually and at the moment is failing and is being attacked by the antibodies, it is quite likely I have something called Hashimotos thyroiditis.
I am getting an ultrasound of my neck tomorrow to check for any nodules etc on thyroid but doc said she wasn't too worried as it felt fine. The next step after that is to see an endocrinologist. My problem now is getting them or my GP to prescribe me medication for it before it actually shows up on the first type of blood tests they did, it seems like some doctors just want to wait until it has stopped working until they do something. Apparently if it is hashimotos if they treat it when it is the stage of failing it can actually slow down the thyroid going underactive/overactive. Oh and guess what one of the first symptoms of a thyroiditis is - anxiety and panic attacks!! Explains why this has been happening to me for a while.
Anyway, sorry for such a long winded story but I just really wanted to make people aware of this, and that if you have a swollen neck like I did and lots of symptoms to insist that your doctor does all the thyroid tests. If this had been discovered before it could have been treated a long time ago and would have meant I didn't have to leave the great graduate job I had in France :-(
My health anxiety is pretty bad right now trying to deal with the prospect of living with this for the rest of my life but it is treatable and I just really wanted to make other people aware and that just sometimes our health anxiety can actually go in our favour. My constant worrying about what was wrong with me actually made the doctors listen.
xxxx
I was back numerous times as I felt that it wasn't just anxiety. Eventually I was made to feel that I was bothering the doctors by keeping going back until eventually I went back and asked what blood tests they had actually done. Having read about thyroid problems I am aware that many doctors fail to do all the tests and rely on what they call the T4 and TSH tests. I saw a female doctor this time(the others had all been males) and she said that they hadn't actually tested for thyroid antibodies. I asked why not and she just shrugged her shoulders. Anyway, it turns out my thyroid antibodies are over 900!!! You shouldn't really have any at all. This means that my thyroid will go underactive eventually and at the moment is failing and is being attacked by the antibodies, it is quite likely I have something called Hashimotos thyroiditis.
I am getting an ultrasound of my neck tomorrow to check for any nodules etc on thyroid but doc said she wasn't too worried as it felt fine. The next step after that is to see an endocrinologist. My problem now is getting them or my GP to prescribe me medication for it before it actually shows up on the first type of blood tests they did, it seems like some doctors just want to wait until it has stopped working until they do something. Apparently if it is hashimotos if they treat it when it is the stage of failing it can actually slow down the thyroid going underactive/overactive. Oh and guess what one of the first symptoms of a thyroiditis is - anxiety and panic attacks!! Explains why this has been happening to me for a while.
Anyway, sorry for such a long winded story but I just really wanted to make people aware of this, and that if you have a swollen neck like I did and lots of symptoms to insist that your doctor does all the thyroid tests. If this had been discovered before it could have been treated a long time ago and would have meant I didn't have to leave the great graduate job I had in France :-(
My health anxiety is pretty bad right now trying to deal with the prospect of living with this for the rest of my life but it is treatable and I just really wanted to make other people aware and that just sometimes our health anxiety can actually go in our favour. My constant worrying about what was wrong with me actually made the doctors listen.
xxxx