Moan about GPs

[Guest guest]

I got an official NHS diagnosis of low thyroid back in June, but progress has

been practically non-existent, with 2 months on 25 mcg thryoxine, then a further

2 on 50 mcg.

I went to see a GP at my surgery to ask for a referral to an endocrinologist,

but it happened to be a locum and she said one of the permanent GPs would

telephone me about it.

So I had a phone call yesterday and basically the GP who spoke to me said that

they don't refer anyone with hypothyroidism as this can be managed perfectly

well by the GPs themselves! She said that if she put in a request for a

referral it would be blocked by the practice.

I said that this wasn't what other GPs in Bristol did, as I knew friends who

were hypothyroid and saw a consultant endocrinologist. So then the GP amended

what she had said earlier and admitted that they would refer a young person, or

someone who needed a high dose of thyroxine. I also said that other friends of

mine in Bristol had been started on much higher dosages of thyroxine by their

GPs.

I reminded her that she had told me an endocrinologist would probably have

started me on 100 mcg thyroxine, and that the low dosages she was keeping me on

had appeared to do nothing. I said, " What is the worst that can happen? If I

don't feel well on a higher dose I can return to the previous one. " So she has

agreed for me to leap from 50 mcg to 100 mcg (!) and has arranged an appointment

with a senior GP at the practice for the 2 months' time, end of November. (What

I am actually going to do is to increase to 75 mcg for a couple of weeks and

then go to 100 mcg as I have read that Dr S follows a similar schedule).

I feel I ought to go along with their schedule because I need to be able to

argue that I have tried what they suggested and it has not worked. Supposing

nothing much has happened by the end of November, will I be able to insist on

seeing an endocrinologist?

Miriam