OMG I'm so excited!

I have a doc's appt today!

Ok it sounds funny to be excited about that... but I've been dealing with these darn hypothyroid symptoms for ages and I was having such a problem finding a doc that would take me in for testing... not that they wouldn't take me, but that every appt I could get was in like 6 months

So I finally found a doc that had a cancellation and I can go in at 3:30 Maybe I can finally start feeling better after all!

So wish me luck that all my tests come back saying I have hypothyroid A funny thing to wish for, but I just want to get on the right meds so I FEEL WELL... FINALLY!

WOOT, I hope everythign tourns out A-ok for you.

I hope they get you all fixed up real quick like!

WOO HOO!!! Hopefully they will find out what is wrong with you, and have you good as new soon.

Good luck! That is exciting! Don't you love it when people cancel?

I hope that the doc does find out what has been going on.

I hope you get the right diagnosis!

I was hypothyroid for eight years, on synthetic thyroid supplements, and got worse and worse... zip to several doctors later... I finally found a doctor who would test me for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I had it and got MUCH better on desiccated thyroid.

If you doctor is testing for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), it can swing high and low, and if it happens to be low when you are tested, you might be told you are fine. (!) The best way to find out what is really going on is to be tested for the actual thyroid in your blood (Free T4 and Free T3) and possibly a test for thyroid antibodies (Hashimoto's).

I guess my point is, even if the doc says your TSH is "fine" that doesn't necessarily mean that you have enough thyroid hormone in your body. I found out the hard way! PM me if you want, good luck!

He wouldn't even listen to me. I've never been treated so badly in my entire life.

I spent 45 minutes driving to the office and by the time I got there I was very nervous... for no other reason than doctors make me nervous... but when I'm nervous I get overly chatty and cheerful... so I know I came across as being in an upbeat mood.

I get brought into the exam room and the nurse asks me what I'm there for. I pulled out a list of hypothyroid and adrenal fatigue symptoms - of which I have almost every single one (even the oddball ones). I had highlighted the symptoms I have because I didn't want to forget anything. I also printed out a list of the tests I wanted. It's all back to being nervous... I forget things when I'm nervous. So anyway, the nurse tells me she'll show it to the doctor and leaves the room. Everyone was polite and things were going well.

So the doc comes in and sees the list of symptoms in my chart and goes "whats this?".. I said "a list of symptoms.. I marked off all the ones I have. I didn't want to forget anything." He tossed the list across the table and said "I'm not interested in anything you printed and highlighted"... "but those are my symptoms"...

When it became obvious that he wasn't going to do more than give a half glance at the list, I started telling him a list of them. He accused me of making things up and dismissed me as a depressive. He said (and I'm quoting here!!) "God doesn't hate you enough to give you all of these ailments" What?! WHAT?!?! I asked him if he was kidding since he knew full well that I had been on antidepressants before and they did *nothing*. I had also told him that my therapist, psychiatrist and gynecologist noticed symptoms in me and ALL of them suggested I get tested. He pointed again to the list and said "look at this... these are all symptoms of depression and anxiety... I'll put you on lexapro" So I grabbed the list from him, flipped to the second page and said "Really? Swelling? Sore throats? Lump in my throat? Always cold? Cold hands and feet? Hives? These are all symptoms of DEPRESSION to you?!"

And that's pretty much where things got ugly. He accused me of making up symptoms because he couldn't see any facial swelling *at that exact moment*. He also tried to tell me how he knew this was just depression because of his 20 years at medical school (blahblahblahblah)... which I countered with "Fine.. but I live in this body. If something is wrong with it, I know about it. Actually I'm the FIRST ONE to know about it. All your medical degrees don't mean a damn thing compared to me knowing when something is physically wrong with me".

And then it escalated. He told me "I'm not going to listen to you anymore while you're like this". He then lowered himself enough to say he would order a TSH test. When I told him that wasn't good enough I argued until he also agreed to a Free T3 and a Free T4 test. We almost came to blows over ordering a Thyroid Antibodies test. He said "You're being a hypochondriac. How many people do you know in this county with a thyroid problem?" I told him I didn't give a about how many people in the county had a thyroid problem, but I darn sure could tell him how many people in my family have a thyroid problem!

I wanted to walk out in the middle of it, but I paid my money I was darn sure going to leave with that prescription for the blood test - even if it wasn't all of the ones I needed. Heck even my mom's nutritionist told my mom to make sure I got a FULL thyroid panel. This man wants to diagnose me purely by TSH which is just insane!

Oh and then... after he gets me all riled up he decides to do an EKG. Why? For his own amusement is all I can figure.... and once its done he wonders why my pulse is up to 101. Gee.... let me think about that one for a minute.....

Oh, I'm so sorry you got such a lousy doctor. The guy is an idiot. Everything he said was stupid. Depression is a symptom of low thyroid, as I'm sure you know. I feel so bad for you, 'cause I know exactly how you feel.

I went to a doctor just like that. Her name was Amy Traum, and I saw her name listed as "TRAUM, A." as I walked into her office - not a good sign. I did the same thing as you - had done my research and I had every single symptom of Hashimoto's. She yelled at me, "I don't appreciate my patients diagnosing themselves!!!" I had to go to three doctors, and none of them would test me. I finally went to a thyroid specialist without a referral and paid for it myself, and for the tests he immediately ordered. I got a card in the mail six months later that TRAUMA had quit her practice and was no longer a doctor. Yay, some vindication!

Don't give up!

Guess you should change the title of the thread.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

I had to go to three doctors, and none of them would test me. I finally went to a thyroid specialist without a referral and paid for it myself, and for the tests he immediately ordered.

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I wish I could do this. Oh I WISH! See my health insurance doesn't require a referral, but the thyroid docs do... so no matter if I pay for it myself or go through insurance, I still have to get through my primary care physician... and apparently I need a new one of those since this one was Oh So Nice to me. And that's whats killing me... I was recommended a thyroid doc by someone who has hashimotos and and she loves him... but he won't take you unless you have a referral.

I found one PCP that prescribes armour, but I can't get in to see her until at least the middle to end of July

I'm not looking forward to going through this again...

(Erm is there a way for me to change the title? )

Oh and btw...

Trauma!

I went out of Trauma's office bawling. I was so sick and depressed and it was so difficult to even go in there... I wasn't up for a battle but did it anyway!

Screwy health care... I was in California when I went through this. The great doctor I went to was Dr. Stephen E. Langer, who wrote the book, "Solved: The Riddle of Illness."

Good luck and lots of hugs to you! You will get there.

Did I mention I now have a fear of new doctors?

I could imagine. I had a fear of them before... this surely hasn't helped any.

Good for you getting those tests ordered!! Maybe they will show something and your doctor will feel like an idiot!! When I moved out of state, I didn't have health insurance for a while. Then I got sick and was sure I had strept throat ( I get it often enough, that I KNOW when I have it). I went to a "clinic" that takes people w/o insurance. Unfortunately, it was in the ER of a hospital. So... I am telling the doctor how i feel, and he is being a complete jerk. Like you, when I am around them, I get all chatty. He probably thought I felt fine. I was OK at the time, but knew i was sick. I had a strept test that came back negative. He was such a jerk. He said, "The test is negative, what do you want me to do now?" in such a sarcastic tone. I left crying. They ran a culture on my test.... it came back positive the next day. They called in an antibiotic for me... after I had gone back to work and possibly spread it to all of my coworkers. I wish I could have seen that doctor again so I could have spread it to him. Ok, so I wouldn't have really tried to give it to him.... dunno, maybe I would have. That would almost be payment for treating me like crap because I didn't have insurance....

Hope everything turns out better for you. I actually have 2 people I work with have hypothyroidism. Was he saying that it is common or uncommon for people to have it? Seems pretty common to me for someone not wanting to even test for it!

Oh no he was trying to convince me that it was an uncommon thing... like how could I possibly think this was my problem since its gosh... just so rare! (What a load....)

I'm just hoping at this point I don't have to fight to get a copy of my test results so I can take them to another doc. I just don't have the energy for that kind of fight (darn if I won't try to find it tho!)

What I really want to know is... between my doc, your doc and SwampWitch's doc... when did docs stop caring?

Originally Posted by MuttigreeMom

What I really want to know is... between my doc, your doc and SwampWitch's doc... when did docs stop caring?

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Unfortunately, there are far too many healthcare workers out there that are burned out, or never cared. Maybe they believe that they are too good to deal with such "trivial" things. (not like these are, of course). BUT, that is what is making me be the best I can to the patients... if only for a few minutes at a time.

Well, I guess we know why that so-called doctor had a cancellation, don't we?

Sheesh, I am so sorry... I've been there too, a couple of times, and I don't know how a doctor gets so stuck on himself that he actually resents a patient doing some research on his own blasted health situation! Any doctor who resents that, or feels threatened by it, doesn't deserve the degree.

Reminds me of something I heard years ago... that a lot of doctors think "M.D." stands for "Medical Deity."

When your tests come back, please be sure you get photocopies of the actual printed results from the lab -- don't trust what this doctor verbally tells you, okay? And if I were you, I'd take those results to someone else to request treatment.

Don't lose heart... you'll find a better doctor eventually.

Originally Posted by MuttigreeMom

...I'm just hoping at this point I don't have to fight to get a copy of my test results so I can take them to another doc. I just don't have the energy for that kind of fight (darn if I won't try to find it tho!)...

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I've had more than one doctor - in the U.S. - tell me that the test results are the patient's property. (Let's hope you don't have to fight for them anyway.)

What tests did he finally order?

It says:

"Please do

- cmp
- tsh
- free t3
- free t4
- thyroid antibody
- fasting cortisol
- lipid level"

.. and then in the bottom corner he wrote:

"Dx tachycardia" (well duh, I was freaking out) "? hyper/hypo F/H of hashimoto thyroiditis"