Rant. I have just been to see an NHS consultant about a thyroid problem I have been on medication for (for the last 2 or 3 years). First (without introducing himself or greeting me) he told me I didn't have a thyroid problem and when I questioned all the dozens of abnormal blood test results (showing underactive thyroid according to my GP), he told me that the results were actually normal. I was mighty confused because I have had really severe symptoms at some points, and the GPs have upped my dosage 7 times as the thyroxine level kept getting so low. So I questioned why I had been put on meds in the first place he ranted on about how crap GPs are. Then I pointed out that my symptoms correlate very strongly with my thyroxine level at which point he dismissed everything I said somewhat rudely. As I continued to ask questions I got really upset because this problem has made me so ill and I was hoping to get it sorted, and I was crying. Then, in the middle of a question from me, he announced that he was terminating the appointment, and said he would thank me very kindly not to laugh at him. I was certainly not laughing at him- I was in a flood of tears and had accidentally made a bit of a hiccupy noise that he had interpreted as laughter. I said that I was absolutely not laughing at him, and he repeated 'yes you were, now I am terminating this appointment, so leave'.

I am absolutely astounded by how rude these people can get away with being. I was so upset afterwards that a nurse pulled me into a side room to see if I was okay. I stayed there for a few minutes cos I was crying my eyes out by then, and she said his attitude was not unusual for him and others had complained. He then burst in (presumably one of the nurses had gone to tell him I was upset), saying that he was not responsible for me being upset and would I kindly not take up the time of his nursing staff because they were very busy.

Is it just me?!! I have never ever been treated like that in my life. I now have no idea as to what the issue is with my thyroid, and I am so infuriated and upset that I wish I had never been. I certainly will not be going back, and am somewhat tempted to write a letter of complaint. Has anyone else ever had an experience that bad? I genuinely feel really distressed by it and have spent the last 2 hours crying. Best, KB

A doctor once laughed at my erect willy. It's a bit of a stand up comedian!

Get the SH*T out of here.

KB - oh you poor dear, but this is abusive behaviour! He was abusing his position of some kind of power and I absolutely think you need to complain. NO - not necessarily in anticipation of any immediate outcomes, but this is something which you need to send to authorities higher than him and somehwere somebody shall take note. And if there already have been complaints then you are likely to be believed. I'd be inclined to take a gendered take on this too...

Best, and chin up, you're very sweet and did nothing to deserve this!!

bug

first remember he is only a consultant, and therefore not that important :-), second, complain, in writing to the hospital, you have the brains to word this correctly, and will be championing all the other folk who have had the same bad treatment, but cannot put into words what needs to be said, or who are too much in awe to question his actions. Don't forget to mention that you have it on good authority that this is not the first complaint, and ask what action will be taken. They have to take notice of complaints. Follow the letter up if nothing has been forthcoming in a week, and if you have started low in the chain of admin command, go higher and cc in the first point of contact, also tell the GP what the consultant said about him, and ask for a referral to someone else. Do make sure you do something positive, for yourself and all the others who get treated in this way by people who think their status lets them get away with things, he has a boss who needs to sort him out, you are the one to poke that boss into action - go for it!

I totally agree - complain! These people get away with this sort of behaviour because most people feel too awed and intimidated to say anything, and start doubting themselves, and feel that the person they've seen is the 'expert' so must be right. You're intelligent and articulate, so you can stand up to this (though I totally understand that you might not be feeling intelligent and articulate about this particular thing, I know when it's something personal like this all my intelligence and articulativeness (is that even a word??) seems to abandon me and I'm just a gibbering wreck) - but you have far more skills to be able to challenge this than most of the people the consultant will have treated in this manner. And it's not acceptable for anyone to be trated this way!!!

The other thing to say is that thyroid issues seem to be one of those things where patients have to fight the whole way to get the treatment they need. A friend of mine went through some fairly similar circumstances a while back, and ended up becoming more of an expert on her own condition than most of the health professionals she consulted, just because it was the only way she could be sure that every appointment didn't actually set her treatment back. Frustrating and difficult and not the way it should be - but you can cope with this, you are strong enough!

There must be a complaints procedure you can follow? But I totally agree about going back to your GP and explaining what happened and asking for a referral to another consultant.

Oh I'm in total agreement with Joyce and Batfink - you need to stand up to this kind of bullying, for the sake of all those who really can't, for one reason or another. Make sure your complaint letter is strongly worded but not emotional - so maybe wait a while...! And if he's getting a reputation for this kind of behaviour my guess is it won't surprise anyone but may add force to a previous complaint and actually get something done about this, in time.

Disgusting way to treat someone - doctors are in such privileged positions, with one-to-one contact with vulnerable people, that it's all the more shocking when you hear of them abusing the power. I hope you're feeling a bit better now and that you get some answers about your condition that make sense to you soon.

Would echo what everyone else has said - unfortuantely thyroid is on of those conditions that doctors seem to have problems with - I have had mine tested I don't know how many times - I exhibit all the classic symptoms of an underactive thyroid and many of the rarer ones (in fact ever doctor I ever go to for almost anything suggests getting it tested) but the tests always come back "normal" and so I am not on medication.

Have you contacted the British Thyroid Association as they have some great advice http://www.british-thyroid-association.org/ (and a lot of case studies about doctors not recognising it)

You should definitely make a complaint but maybe leave it a few days (wanted to send a smiley but none seemed suitable)

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Hey KB! Really sorry to hear you've been through this. I too have had thyroid difficulties - I now have no thyroid gland whatsoever (I had it removed back in 2006) so can't really think of it that way any more - mine's more of a thyroxine problem! I also had too fight every step of the way in order to feel normal, and I still get GPs raising their eyebrows at my 200mg per day dose, they say things like 'that's an awful lot, you shouldn't be on more than 100'... even though I have no gland so I produce zero myself.

Doctors in the UK appear to have a very odd attitude to the problem and seem to hate giving out thyroxine for some reason - it's as if we are all thyroxine addicts and they're trying to wean us off, many of my extended family have had the same problem. I know doctors in France told my friend - who lives there - that they tailor the dose according to the way the patient feels, and in Australia my friend self-medicates because they recognise it is a condition which is in continual flux. The UK criteria for what is 'normal' is also out of synch with, and lower than, what is considered acceptable in many European countries and in America. I ended up self medicating after a GP suggested I might be suffering from depression and talked about putting me on Prozac - which I think is a pretty dangerous thing to be taking if you do not actually suffer from depression. My doctors only believed I need more thyroxine when the supposed depression - and horrendous PMT etc suddenly lifted the day after I moved myself up to 200mg per day from 175mg (which I also had to fight for, they wanted me on 150! I'd have been comatose by now). I am now convinced there are many people on mental health wards who are actually suffering from undiagnosed thyroide problems.

Yes, complain, but you may also want to change your consultant, get a second opinion. But you do have to fight, it took me a few years after my operation and I also had to really struggle for things like blood tests: I had an intollerance to Carbimazole which they give you for hyperthyroidism and this GP told me to stop being silly about having a sore throaght - an indicator that my immune system was dangerously low - he refused my a blood test until I threaten to stand in the reception area and inform all who would listen how incompetent he was and why. Hyperthyroidism makes you do things lake that, unfortunately, as you know hypothyroidism has the opposite effect, but you still must stand you ground. Good luck and let us know how you get on. xxx you are certainly not alone... my aunt struggled for a decade to have her condition recognised at all, then again for the right dose.

Oh also, there are two different systems for testing and some people show as under/over on one and not the other - swapping is what finally got my aunt her medication.

Let me try hehe - :-s and :-( on your behalf and sending loads of (up) good wishes to deal with these people in as cool 8-) a manner as poss! (snowman)

Awww, thanks guys, your support means loads to me. I am really angry still and have made a formal complaint by phone, but will put it in writing tomorrow, when I have calmed down. I am worried that the doc will just show them my bipolar history and just say, 'oh look, she's an unstable mental case' or something, but I know for a fact that other people have already complained about him, so I will add mine to the list.

Eska, I am on 200mg per day as well- and I've never felt better. I know when my thyroid is wrong because it makes me so poorly, and I know when it's okay because that's when I feel fine, and all of my symptoms correlate with the level of my thyroxine. I fought to get on the thyroxine and it is so frustrating, because I KNOW that's what's wrong and the GPs have been confirming it for years! So now I am so puzzled as to what's going on with me....am seeing my GP tomorrow to talk about it, thank god she's nice :) I keep thinking maybe it's not that....but I'm not imagining my symptoms! I've been sent home from work when I've been poorly because I look so ill!

Hopefully will have calmed down by tomorrow. Thanks guys xx

Oh!Also: it pays to have you T3 AND T4 checked. Often they only check for T4 forgetting that althug we carry less T3 it is a much more powerful hormone - it's the supercharger. I can't produce my own so need more synthetic T4. Also make sure they looked at you TSH levels.

urgh I hate GPs, they can be complete idiots. Maybe he heard you are doing a PhD and realised you'll be a proper dr and his title is just honorary?

I'd do as others have said, lodge a complaint and in the meantime suss out a sympathetic GP and then stick to them like glue.

Hey Eska, I've had all that checked! Ages ago, I've been on this medication for a few years now! That's why I'm so confused- the GPs say the results are consistently abnormal and now this consultant has said there's no abnormality!! Luckily my GP is lovely (it's the consultant thst was horrible sneaks, not the GP!!) so i'll try sort it out with her tomorrow! Thanks, KB

I'd lodge a complain, all right. What a jumped-up, little, paranoid and self-important fart. I think you could use your Patient Advice Liaison Service to help make an official complaint.

oh sorry KB - had a long day of training yesterday and my brain was/is fried. I think a lot of consultants can be like that. My one informed me of my degenerative spine by bringing around 10 junior doctors and saying "patient X - has degenerative ....." got me to stand up, walk a bit and then said some more mumbo jumbo and walked off Didn't even speak to me!

He does look like a very fat Mario though, so I win!