Beauty

[IControlMyHappiness]

Thanks Ladies, every comment on here is well appreciated. Chrystal, I know you are "right" he saw me and I could tell on his face when he opened the door that he did not want me as a patient. I'm so thankful I'm in Washington DC where there are so many hospitals and doctors to choose from, I have brushed my shoulders off and am moving on.

I will continue to monitor, take notes of what my body is telling me and hope to find resolution if needed.

[Tricolor]

I would get another opinion from a different Endocrine. It is too bad that this one has made it to Chief. There is an Endocrine that is minutes from where I live and I refuse to see him. When I worked in the medical field we had so many complaints about his bedside manner. I travel a little further away to a wonderful group. Please get a second opinion. You were treated very poorly.

[PhatCat]

See a naturopath if you can, they will do all the necessary blood testing for you. Good luck.

Reminds me of a doc I had at UCONN medical. I was diagnosed with fibro back in the early 90's and had no relief so I bit the bullet and drove across state to see this one "fabulous" doc. He took one look at me and told me I was too young, blah blah. I wrote to hospital and got a nice reply several months later. Doc was now "teaching only" and has been taken off staff seeing patients. I am sure it was not my response but one of many and was more than likely the final straw.

[Disneylandfan]

Sunshine, it took me 3 doctors to finally find one that would check on thyroid. I had all the symptoms, tired, cold, foggy brain, etc. plus my neck hurt anytime I wore a necklace. The necklace would feel like a 20lb weight by the end of the day.

Turned out I had large tumors on my thyroid and my numbers were so out of whack that the doctor was shocked no one had detected my thyroid issue, Hashimotos disease.

Keep looking for a doctor that listens. Trust yourself.

[Mindy D]

Sorry, I missed the other post. I would like to know why you think you have a thyroid problem. I would also like to say that research for yourself serves to help you understand the medical condition and can help you express your symptoms to the doctor. I think the doctor you saw was just not the right endocrinologist for you. When you see the next doctor, tell the doctor what you are feeling. You can ask about testing, but you should be discussing your symptoms, first. I have read some articles by endocrinologists that say that test results with thyroid problems might not be the only way to decide if people need treatment, that symptoms should be considered for treatment, too. I read these articles at sites for professional endocrinologists and in journals.

[Stila]

Hello, as a former nurse,and no I am not a Dr. But I have had 40 years experience as a thyroid patient. My entire family has had severe thyroid disease.My father went from 195 pounds to over 300. Believe me it wasn't an eating disorder. He was so hypothyroid,he could not stay awake. When they realized how ill he was,he then got better with treatment. He went back to 195. He was 6 foot two. I have went through the same. Endo, Drs really treat diabetics more than thyroid as my experience. I have had the same treatment as you. Find a good internist. I had better care. Yes there are Drs who should not practice. Don't beat your self up. If a person can not handle the challenge of different type patients,then they should not be in that field. I treated every person as if they were family,and with the utmost respect. Don't give up. Good luck,and I pray you feel better soon

[Nightowlz]

Find another doctor. No way can the doctor tell you that you are not hypothyroid without a blood test just from feeling your neck. I don't know why doctors have a problem ordering labs to check your thyroid. I had the same problem. I was hypothyroid years before I found out. It got to the point where I had to quit my job because I could not get out of bed. All I wanted to do was sleep. I did good to keep the laundry clean. You can always order your own thyroid labs through Direct Labs & pay for the test or tests yourself. They use LabCorp. https://www.directlabs.com/Default.aspx You can order a TSH for $36 or a Free T3 Free T4 & TSH for $89 or they have several different thyroid tests to choose from. Go to their site click on Lab locations to see the nearest one to you. Click on order tests & on the left side of the page go down & click on thyroid to see all the different tests you can order. If you have the money pay to have a few tests done so you will know if you are hypothyroid or not. If you are when you are put on medication also ask for a copy of the labs for your records. I was still tired a lot after starting thyroid meds for years until I got copies of my records from a doctor when I switched that I was still not taking enough medication. You need your labs so you can see for yourself. I don't remember what the TSH range used to be but from ??? up to 5.0 the upper range. The doctor was keeping my TSH up around 5.0 & I was tired all the time. The doctor I have now lets me keep it around 1.0 & I'm not tired all the time. The new range the labs should go by should be 0.3 to 3.0 for TSH. Hope you get the answers you are looking for. Most doctors only want to order a TSH but there are so many other tests that need to be done. I find since doctors are taught to order a TSH that's what they do. I have mine run some of the other tests sometimes & he does not have a problem with it. He always runs Free T3, Free T4 & a TSH.

[QMaven]

On 10/19/2014 BRANDONLEE said:

I will probably offend some here but oh well.I am at the point that i am starting to believe that all doctors are just plain jerks.I have every symptom of thyroid problems one with extreme hair shedding that will not stop.I am so depressed over it.I have been to my gp,endo,two derms.I have done testings and these bimbos all tell me results are normal.Why,why don't they treat the symptoms instead of reading numbers????I have told them a a sign of hair falling out means there is something wrong.Instead my gp tells me get a a haircut another tells me it's age(if that was true theen many women would be walking around bald)Another says stress"yeah i'm stressed because of my hair" i hate doctors period.They are cold and so insensitive.I am living a nightmare with my hair and none of them give a $%$%.

Did the dermatologist do a scalp biopsy? Usually when you see a dermatologist for hair loss they will do a biopsy of the scalp and they can tell a lot about the cause of your hair loss: whether it is temporary or permanent as the result of hormonal changes or hereditary factors. That one doctor was correct, it definitely can be age causing it.

[BOYINTX]

OH NO ~ Get a new Dr.

[chrystaltree]

On 10/19/2014 moonstone dunes said:

On 10/19/2014 jackthebear said:

On 10/19/2014 chrystaltree said:

On 10/19/2014 sunshine3215 said:

thanks everyone for their comments, if a doctor does not even give you a blood test...how can he even KNOW...that is the problem I had with the doctor. It is one thing to do the required tests, get the results and say...from this the answer is XYZ.

It is another thing to not even want to take a blood test to discover is this even possible.

You misread the situation. I have worked in healthcare for 30 years. He did not WANT you as a patient. He WANTED you to leave and never return. Doctors can't say that, you weren't in need of any immediate medical attention. He brushed you off, not because of your weight. He saw you as a difficult patient that he had neither the time nor the desire to cater to. Forget him, move on. Get a referral to another endocrinologist. A woman. If possible. And try to refrain from ordering what you want like you are in a deli. Start with an honest conversation.

All good points, but why assume a female Doctor will be any better than a male.

I think we are starting to see a division that assumes that women only want women as doctors. I think women want to see the best doctor regardless of their gender.

Most male doctors tend to be dismissive and patronizing towards women. Especially the older generation of male doctors. You need to be assertive with them.

I try not to generalize but I find that women doctors are often more sympathetic and patient than male doctors. Doc aren't machines, a doc can be the best doc in the entire world but if he has no rapport with a patient, nothing good will happen. Treating a thyroid condition is not like treating a broken leg or an ear infection. It's tricky, requires many visits and patient and doctor must communicate and work as a team. The OP needs someone with patience and understanding. She also has issues regarding how her weight is perceived. She'll do better with a woman.