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I have had T2 diabetes for around 15 years, and around 12 years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. In the mid-90s, my GP expressed concern about my thyroid and said I should keep an eye on it, especially as my mother had an operation on her thyroid (and she later developed diabetes).
However, since then my diabetes has developed and I am now on insulin. No doctor has been in the least interested in the Hashimoto's since the diagnosis, and I have now developed a goiter. I suffer from insomnia, and tonight in bed I stumbled across a report on this site linking diabetes with thyroid disease, and both need to be treated as they are related diseases. After more research I discovered that the NHS blood tests for thyroid function do not give the full picture so many people fall through the net.
I have recently been diagnosed with anemia and instead of linking this to diabetes - poor kidney function can make you anemic - they fast-tracked me for an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, both of which produced negative results. Of course I am delighted, but was this necessary? The cost to the NHS compared to a kidney function test must have been huge, and I had to wait and worry all through Christmas until this week for the results.
This all may seem rather rambling, but what I am trying to say is if a holistic approach had been taken from the outset, I might not have suffered all the debilitating symptoms of Hashimoto's over the past 12 years, and perhaps the diabetes issues could have been addressed. I am so angry - I know the NHS is falling apart and has been for a number of years, but it is negligent not to address the fact that diabetes and hypothyroidism are linked and can exacerbate each other if not equally treated. My life has been debilitatingly affected for years and I am beyond angry that this could have been avoided. Am I missing something? Have I just got my wires crossed? If anyone has any knowledge of the situation I would be so grateful. Thank you so much for reading this far.
However, since then my diabetes has developed and I am now on insulin. No doctor has been in the least interested in the Hashimoto's since the diagnosis, and I have now developed a goiter. I suffer from insomnia, and tonight in bed I stumbled across a report on this site linking diabetes with thyroid disease, and both need to be treated as they are related diseases. After more research I discovered that the NHS blood tests for thyroid function do not give the full picture so many people fall through the net.
I have recently been diagnosed with anemia and instead of linking this to diabetes - poor kidney function can make you anemic - they fast-tracked me for an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, both of which produced negative results. Of course I am delighted, but was this necessary? The cost to the NHS compared to a kidney function test must have been huge, and I had to wait and worry all through Christmas until this week for the results.
This all may seem rather rambling, but what I am trying to say is if a holistic approach had been taken from the outset, I might not have suffered all the debilitating symptoms of Hashimoto's over the past 12 years, and perhaps the diabetes issues could have been addressed. I am so angry - I know the NHS is falling apart and has been for a number of years, but it is negligent not to address the fact that diabetes and hypothyroidism are linked and can exacerbate each other if not equally treated. My life has been debilitatingly affected for years and I am beyond angry that this could have been avoided. Am I missing something? Have I just got my wires crossed? If anyone has any knowledge of the situation I would be so grateful. Thank you so much for reading this far.