I am really starting to feel bad for other other doctors that work in a traditional setting. Under the surface, over 80% of doctors in this country are disillusioned with medicine and over 60% are considering quitting in the next 2 years. But most people in the healthcare service industry are pretty good at hiding that painful reality…until lately.
I’m seeing more and more lab results from patients that went to their doctor with a genuine concern that is affecting their life. I can’t tell you how many people have showed me those labs, looking at their thyroid specifically, with ONLY a TSH and maybe some metabolic markers and were told, ‘you’re fine.’
The other day, I got one with just a TSH and vitamin D and she was told her thyroid was all good. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not lazy healthcare, it’s pathetic and apathetic healthcare. If someone is coming to me with a list of complaints asking for me to help figure out what it could be, I’m going to dig. Running a panel of 2 values just shows me that doctor is done caring. Time to find a new one.
Let’s dive into what a full assessment might look like for your thyroid.
There’s a host of symptoms that can arise with a thyroid imbalance: fatigue, cold sensitivity, constipation, dry skin, unexplained weight gain, difficulty losing weight, brittle nails, constipation, enlarged thyroid, high cholesterol, irritability, sensitivity to cold, sexual dysfunction, slow heart rate, sluggishness, or irregular uterine bleeding. But guess what? There’s a host of other issues that can cause these as well.
How do you know if your doctor is apathetic? They run tests, deem them ‘normal’ and end the discussion, even though you are struggling. If you persist, they hand you off to a ‘specialist’ or suggest you take an antidepressant to numb you to what you’re feeling. If my wife had these symptoms, was told that her labs were fine, and there was no plan to look at potential other causes, we would find another doctor.