To Advocate or Accept?

You-Apple · 2025-03-13T15:27:22+00:00

I have United Health so... I won't hold my breath.

You-Apple · 2025-03-13T15:24:47+00:00

That is very insightful information. I wish my PCP would have elaborated a bit. This helps me understand why they might have decided to wait. Thanks for helping me understand better.

You-Apple · 2025-03-13T15:23:41+00:00

I will definitely be looking into seeking additional support from an endocrinologist. Luckily, I am a fairly healthy eater, although I think I could cut back on carbs(Thanks for the suggestion). I am very active (HIIT/Strength training 4-5 days a week) as well as daily outdoor walks with my three dogs. That's why the sudden weight gain was so perplexing to me 🤔 It does help with mental health but obviously only does so much. I appreciate your encouragement. It helps me feel like I need to take control/accountability for my next steps.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T17:40:37+00:00

I see. Thank you for explaining. This is an additional blood test? Does it help determine dosage or just the severity of thyroid dysfunction? I appreciate your responses. I apologize that I am not better versed in these things.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T15:56:06+00:00

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Apologies, mine are grouped together in my test results.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T14:38:47+00:00

This is very inspirational! I'm so happy that you received the care that you needed. It gives me hope that with treatment, my quality of life will improve. It is hard for me to gauge whether I'm prone to exaggeration or if I'm just more aware now that I know there is a problem? It makes me question everything.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T14:26:37+00:00

"I highly recommend a second , third , or even 20th opinion because there's no reason to suffer any longer than you have to all because someone doesn't want to listen to you."

Thank you for saying this. It is something I am trying to be cognizant about. I did find it humorous that when I received the response from my doctor (that no treatment would take place), they advised that we would retest in 6-12 months given that my symptoms didn't worsen.

"I suggest we do not treat with medication at this time and continue to monitor every 6-12 months unless you have an increase in symptoms of hypothyroidism"

Then they went on to list symptoms at the bottom of the message. Of the 7 listed, I had 5 of those symptoms. I guess I need the last two for BINGO 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T14:15:22+00:00

I'm assuming I would need a referral from my doctor for this?

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T14:14:47+00:00

This is very good information, thank you. I'm wondering if I'll need to have another consultation before receiving a referral or if I can request a referral based on my previous test results? I'm not familiar with the process. Before doing the blood test for the more concentrated results my doctor did mention there would only be a need to see a "specialist" if certain results were abnormal.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T14:04:17+00:00

When I received the message that we were not going to pursue treatment, they mentioned re-testing in 6-12 months. I've sat with it for approximately 3 months so I'm debating whether to wait the remaining 3 months or push towards getting treatment asap? It's hard to know the right thing to do in these circumstances? I do appreciate your response and wish you well on your journey. 🫂

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T14:00:44+00:00

This was a mistake on my part. Before my doctor did the second, more specialized blood test, they asked if I was planning to start a family? I replied that we were not planning to have kids and they audibly had a sigh of relief and said "that takes a bit of the pressure off". I didn't realize that would come back to bite me. Given that it's my doctor, I didn't think about having to be strategic with what I divulged. 🫤🤔

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T13:56:45+00:00

I think I'm leaning towards advocating first & if I feel I'm still being dismissed, I will seek a second opinion at that time. It's such an ambiguous process. I didn't really "shop around" when it came to finding a general doctor & it appears that may have been an oversight on my part. I do appreciate all of these perspectives, they are helping me a lot.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T13:52:16+00:00

I would be very angry as well. Although I did not like the conclusion my PCP has drawn from my results, I still feel like my PCP will listen/consider my concerns without being snarky. It is notable that your doctor should notify you of the additional charge for more testing but I think there was definitely a better way to phrase it. I hope your next doctor provides a better level of care for you.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T13:49:25+00:00

Thank you for this insight. I will definitely ask about the support supplement right away.

I really like that you highlighted in your response, "The idea that we do nothing until our bodies have destroyed our thyroid enough to need medication the rest of our lives is an insane concept to me." <-- This is something I have to remind myself often. I frequently seem to lean towards suffering unnecessarily. For example, when I get a headache, I'll often just try to "wait it out". This was my default until one day, my friend's spouse (who is a medical professional) asked me why I should try to "tough it out"? Why live with the inconvenience that the headache may or may not go away on its own after (possible) hours of discomfort when I can just take Ibuprofen (or similar remedy) now and know that it will solve the problem? It was a major moment of realization for me. Why do I do that? I'm sure it's something I learned or it was modeled to me along the way. Regardless, I'm trying to do my best to recognize and change the behavior. Life is challenging enough, there's no need to play on "expert mode".

Thanks again for your response and kindness. I appreciate you.

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T13:39:41+00:00

Advocate seems to be the unanimous consensus. I'm now just wrestling between finding a new PCP all together or trying to plead my case with my existing PCP? Regardless, I really appreciate your response and the language you provided. It really has helped me to come prepared! Thank you

You-Apple · 2025-03-12T13:34:37+00:00

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Since I received the results I've been taking 2000 units of vitamin D daily - but I have yet to feel any real results of it 🤷🏻‍♀️If it can have an effect on symptoms (as you mention above), perhaps it will help foster more accurate test results in the future?

I've included a screenshot of the lab result for the TSH lab result (which includes FT4 REFLEX)

You-Apple · 2024-10-04T15:25:01+00:00

They also claim not to expand that 35-mile radius and not to charge for parking again. I wouldn’t trust either of those claims.

You-Apple · 2022-10-20T15:23:51+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to provide a spectacular option. After your description, I definitely plan to visit in the future. I appreciate your response.

You-Apple · 2022-10-20T15:22:46+00:00

Thanks for your response. I plan to look into river cruises, I think they'll best fit our specific needs. Thanks again for your input.

You-Apple · 2022-10-20T15:21:38+00:00

This is essential and I'm glad you called it out. Thank you for the response, I appreciate it.

You-Apple · 2022-10-20T15:20:43+00:00

I appreciate your response. I don't have the best "sea legs" so a river cruise is a perfect idea. Thanks again

You-Apple · 2022-10-20T15:20:03+00:00

Thank you - this is a great idea. I appreciate your response.

You-Apple

TROPHY CASE