blood results-doctor and daughter

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheila further to my earlier post, blood results are

Serum ferritin 7 (11-307)

haemoglobin concentration 11.8 (12-16)

haematocrit 0.352 (0.36-0.47)

tsh 0.03 (0.2-4.0)

serum free triodothyrine 4.7 (3.8-6.0)

Considering how low my ferritin is, i feel not too bad,( awake, not depressed,

no foot pain, warm) but are unable to climb the stairs without resting. This

level usually causes me to be cold and take to bed for months.

I went to see my gp because of the breathlessness, and hot flushes, my iron is a

constant problem because i have a period for two weeks out of three.Have to say

though things are getting a bit strained with the gp. I had not asked for t4 for

a year or so ( was taking ndt) so I told him that i was taking ndt. He wasnt

fazed at all so i thought that he doesnt really know what it is. Now on this

recent blood form he stated that i wasnt taking any treatment, the comment came

back that my tsh suggests over medication. I go to the gp in the morning, but

got a blood form this morning for another test in 3 months time. Im not sure

that he knows what is going on, to be truthful i am dreading seeing him

tomorrow. apart from the hot sweats, i dont think that i had any overdsoing

symtoms.

Next my daughter. I asked you at the question and answer session at the

conference about her low ferritin ( she has positive thyroid antibodies) it was

31. now it is 23 but the endo has discharged her and sees no reason for her

tiredness!!! she did suggest asking the gp for iron tabs so i will do that. the

endos parting words to me where " the only way to know if there are thyroid

problems is a blood test " what about symptoms? i thought

honestly dont know what i would do without you guys xxxxxx

[Guest guest]

Janine, I just despair. Considering how low your ferritin level

is, it is quite amazing that you do NOT feel worse than you do, yet the

symptoms you are presenting with suggest something needs to be done and

quickly. If you are having breathing problems, please read the information here

from Dr Lowe and let us know if there are any parallels here between what

he says and how you feel http://www.drlowe.com/jcl/comentry/breathingproblems.htm

You don't have to stay with your present GP. Tell your Primary

Care Trust that you have lost all confidence in your doctor and he is not

making your problems easier and that you would like to see another one. They

will find you somebody nearby and hopefully, the new doctor will look at you

with a less jaundiced eye. How a doctor can ignore a ferritin level of 7 is

beyond me. This MUST be treated, probably by iron infusions with immediate

effect.

Did you take your NDT on the morning you had your last thyroid

function test done. If so, tell the GP and tell him that you wish to have another

test done now after not taking any thyroid hormone replacement on the morning

the blood is drawn for the test. This is required because any medication

containing the active thyroid hormone T3 peaks in the blood between 2 to 4

hours after taking it, and this would give a flawed result if you took it that

morning. It shows suppressed TSH always when you are taking any form of T3 -

which is as it should be. Why would your pituitary gland need to secrete ANY

thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) when it recognises that there is sufficient

thyroid hormone in the blood? Why don't doctors use their brain and work this

out for themselves.

As far as your daughter is concerned, she needs to get her

levels of ferritin,B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate, copper and zinc tested

to see whether any of these are low in the range. She also needs to check her

level of cortisol and DHEA to see whether these are low and get tested to see

whether she has candida antibodies. She MUST have a three monthly check up of her

thyroid function. The endocrinologist is absolutely wrong when he says that

ONLY thyroid function test results will show whether anybody has a thyroid

problem or not. He needs to know the family history, find out if other members

of the family have a thyroid or autoimmune disease, check the list of all her

symptoms and look for the obvious signs. He should do a thorough physical

examination, take her basal temperature etc. All of these should be taken into

consideration when diagnosing those with symptoms of hypothyroidism. I bet her

endocrinologist has a specialty in diabetes and not thyroid, so knows little to

nothing about thyroid disease.

Sadly, you may have to think about taking your own thyroid

health into your own hands if you are being left with such 'uneducated in the

field of thyroid' doctors. I have found over the years that those who are

getting back their health are those who have been forced to leave the NHS and

look after themselves. It can be done if you read our web site articles, read

all the information in our Forum FILES section, read books such as Dr

Peatfield's 'Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy' - ask questions on the

forum and be generally guided by those who DO know. It can be dangerous to

leave your thyroid/adrenal health in the hands of such incompetent NHS doctors.

Luv - Sheila

Serum ferritin 7 (11-307)

haemoglobin concentration 11.8 (12-16)

haematocrit 0.352 (0.36-0.47)

tsh 0.03 (0.2-4.0)

serum free triodothyrine 4.7 (3.8-6.0)

Next my daughter. I asked you at the question and answer session at the

conference about her low ferritin ( she has positive thyroid antibodies) it was

31. now it is 23 but the endo has discharged her and sees no reason for her

tiredness!!! she did suggest asking the gp for iron tabs so i will do that. the

endos parting words to me where " the only way to know if there are

thyroid problems is a blood test " what about symptoms? i thought