Very disappointed in my GP and Endo

pam24 · 09-22-2004, 06:57 PM

Hi all

I went to see the endo on the ninth of this month and was told he was worried about my thyroid (underactive), he wanted to do more tests, anyway i got the results sent straight to me and the GP. I went to see my GP this morning and he said that the results meant that my red blood cells were slightly larger and that there is no reason to be worried. I am now being referred to a gynae. I am just so angry that i now know what is wrong with me and am being passed around and getting no treatment whatsoever. It will be at least another 2 months before i get an appointment. I just hope this gets sorted soon as i am getting really depressed about it all.

Thanks for listening

Pam

PaintedDaisy · 09-22-2004, 07:16 PM

Why on earth would an Endo send you back to your GP?? An endocrynologist treats endocrine disorders and an underactive thyroid most definitely is an endocrine disorder! The GP and gyn aren't trained to deal with these problems.

I suggest you go right back to your endo and demand to be treated, or see another endo.

pam24 · 09-22-2004, 07:26 PM

Hi

The endo sent me to the GP to get the results to see if i needed treatment, (endo would write and tell GP what to do). Now i really dont know what to do. The gynae is to help me with the fertility issues as we are ttc and metformin and clomid are 'apparently' meant to be prescibed only by an endo or specialist in reproductive medicine.

I am so mad i dont know what to do now

Thanks for your reply

Pam

AndreaC · 09-26-2004, 12:13 PM

Hi Pam,

Sorry they made you angry.

Why don't you call your GP surgery and ask them over the phone to read out the results of the last blood test you had. The receptionists should be able to do this (I know mine do).

You have every right to obtain the results of any tests you have.

Maybe you could get them and find out *exactly* what they were and what it means by searching on here?

HTH.

Andrea.

pam24 · 09-26-2004, 12:18 PM

hi andrea,

I have got a copy of the results, i asked the hospital to send a copy to me and waited until my doctor had got them and went to see him. all he told me is that they are normal and that i am being referred to a gynae. i will post them and see what you make of them (if you want)

Many Thanks

Pam

AndreaC · 09-26-2004, 06:27 PM

Yep, post 'em and we'll try to figure it out

pam24 · 09-26-2004, 06:34 PM

Hi Andrea,

these are my previous results and the bottom ones are the ones the endo wanted done to confirm the thyroid problem

22/07/04

Hemaglobin 13.6
White cell count 6.6
MCV 104.6
TSH 8.25
Free T4 17.6
LH 8.7
FSH 4.7
SHBG 34nmol/L
Free androgen index 7.1
Testosterone 2.4

these are my new results
09/09/04

Blood
Vitamin B12 198 ng/L (170-730)
Serum Folate 2.5 * ug/L (2.8-13.5)
TSH 3.14 IU/L
FSH 7.3 IU/L
LH 10.3 IU/L

Do you know what these mean, i have just about given up trying to figure out if they mean anything at all.

How are things going now you are on the met and clomid combo? i hope you get pg soon

Many thanks

pam

AndreaC · 09-27-2004, 10:32 AM

OK, so your TSH has improved (which is good). It's within the normal range (.4-4 uIU/ml mid-range normal in most labs is about 1.7). So yours (3.14) is on the higher end of normal but still within the normal range. They didn't do T3 or T4 this time. I think you really need the TSH and T4 levels to diagnose properly.

Your LH is higher than your FSH which is indicative of the PCOS (which, obviously, you're already aware of!).

With your TSH improving, I wondered whether these tests were done on specific cycle days or do you not have regular periods. It's just that most female hormone bloodwork is supposed to be done in the beginning of a cycle as levels can fluctuate throughout. However, if your periods are irregular then it wouldn't have made much difference.

I know it's frustrating but I would go back to the GP (again!) and explain that you are confused. Can he explain how they came to the conclusion that you now don't have a thyroid problem as previously thought. You may well NOT have a thyroid problem which is great! It must be because of your TSH improving because if TSH is high it means the thyroid is pumping out tons of it because the body is not responding. This doesn't appear to be the case in your situation.

Have you any idea how long the waiting list is for the Gynae? Has your GP actually referred you yet? You are entitled to call the hospital and ask how long the waiting list is. They can tell you approximately and you may feel better knowing WHEN you can expect an appointment.

One thing I wasn't sure about on your results is that the Serum Folate appears to be lower than normal (I think the numbers in brackets are the normal ranges for this test). I did a bit of a search on the internet and although most of it really confused me, I did find out that tests for Folate and B12 are considered in infertility. So, this may be why they did these. I think you also need to ask why this is lower than normal and what can be done about it.

I'm really sorry I couldn't be much help. It's sad that we even have to do this and can' t rely on them to do it and explain it to us!

I think once you get to the Gynae, you will be well on your way to ttc more agressively. The waiting list I was on for an Endo was 13-17 weeks and my cousins waiting list for a Reproductive specialist was around the same I think so maybe it will be a similar waiting time for you. I would definitely call them. if you don't want to, give me the number and I'll do it for you

You asked about me. Well, i didn't ovulate at all on the Clomid last month so I increased the dosage myself this month and I did ovulate I think. My apt for the Endo is tomorrow so I'm hoping to have some tests run and get more Clomid from them as I've run out now. I'll probably be searching my own test results on here in a few weeks

Sorry so long. Hope I helped a little.

Take care.

Don't worry, you will be pregnant soon!

Andrea.

pam24 · 09-27-2004, 06:11 PM

Hi Andrea,

Thanks for all the info you have been fantastic, i am going back to see the doctor later this week to ask him to explain everything properly and i am going to print this out and show him, all the tests that have been done is in the middle to later stages of my cycle, i have a regular 28/29 day cycle. i was due on fri/sat (no AF as yet), but i am pretty sure it will come.

Good luck with the endo tomorrow and i am sure it will happen soon for you

let me know what happens

Thanks again
Pam

AndreaC · 09-27-2004, 07:49 PM

Hi again Pam!

If your tests have been in the middle to late stages of your cycle then this could affect some of the results (especially the FSH/LH ratio, which should be done around CD3). The LH would definitely be higher at the middle of your cycle as this is the hormone that surges just before ovulation.

It's great that you have regular cycles as this means it's very likely you are ovulating most of the time. This is very necessary when ttc obviously!

Hopefully, af won't show at all

Glad you've got an appointment and I hope you get some answers

Take care and thanks for the well wishes.

Andrea.

pam24 · 09-29-2004, 11:10 AM

Hi

How did it go with the endo? Hope it all went well for you

I recieved a letter this morning from the endo saying all tests were satisfactory and that he has wriiten to a gynae to ask to see me in his out patients clinic, i just rang the secretary of the gynae and it is a 16 week waiting list and he hasnt even got the letter yet. My AF started last night

pam

pam24 · 10-09-2004, 09:03 AM

hi

along with my pre op assessment appointment letter (to have my gallbladder out) i got one from the gynae i have an appointment for three weeks after my op, so all is not too bad, enough time to recover and then see to the pcos

Thanks for all the help

Pam