I can't Stand Doctors! A bit of a Vent

[wkingmom]

I've been going to doctors ever since I was 19 and I'm 39 now and they have never been able to help me!

When I was pregnant and complained of being tired he said it was because I was tired.  Then after the pregnancy it was because I was a young mother and had just had a baby.  I've gone to doctor after doctor over the years, I get fed up and stop going for a while.  Then it gets so bad I have to go back and at least get something to help me sleep and to help manage my back pain.

I just recently went to my PCP doctor and told him I was tired all the time.  I know, I know, they don't know anything about anything, but at least he did run some tests I needed.  

B12         538    Standard Range - 180-914
Vitamin D  71    Standard Range - 32-100
Iron           71    Standard Range -  28-170
Ferritin    391    Standard Range - 255-450

for the past month or so I have been taking a liquid vitamin that among other things has B12, vitamin D, and iron.

My Vitamin D has gone from 30 (Standard range 30-100) to 71 (standard range 32-100) so that's good news at least, but doesn't look like my B12 levels have changed much - last year they were 545 standard range 211-911.
And my iron and ferritin levels aren't very good either.

So I ask the doctor to call me to discuss the lab results.  Of course, he tells me everything is "normal".  I said if everything is normal then why am I so tired all the time?  He said maybe I'm depressed and I should see a counselor.  I told him I'm already on anti-depressants!  The jerk didn't even bother reading my chart to see what meds I was on!  

I have been doing the best I can to treat myself for my hypo symptoms.  I've been taking this liquid vitamin to improve my B12, Vitamin D, and iron levels.  I have ordered "thyroid-gold" online and just started taking one a day a couple days ago.  But because of my thyroid levels, I suspect something is wrong with my pituitary gland, something I can't treat on my own.  I recently paid to have them tested on my own - 1/15/2016 and here are the results:

TSH  -     0.65  Standard Range - 0.3 - 3
Free T4 - 1.1  Standard Range - 0.8- 1.8
Free T3 - 2.5  Standard Range  - 2.3- 4.2

My scores have pretty much been like that for the past year.  But when I ask my doctor about it she says "everything is normal".  Being on the very bottom of the range doesn't say "normal" to me!  I'm sick of these doctors lying to me!  While going through my medical records, I discovered many years back I had a T3 score of 203 (standard range 60-181), but I remember the doctor calling me and telling me everything was "normal".  She straight up lied to me!   Then now THIS doctor telling me all my lab work is "normal".  Well, here are some results that I don't view as "normal".

BUN - 13            standard range   7-20
Creatinine .447  Standard range   0.8-1.4
Calcium 8.9       standard range    8.5-10.9
Protein 6.4         Standard range   6.3-7.9

I looked it up, and a low score for these tests means malnutrition.  I tell my boyfriend that and he says I need to exercise more.  WTF?  We get into an argument because I spent all day long researching my health problems, and then I come home and tell him him what I think might be wrong and he poo poos it.  He's usually a supportive guy, but when it comes to my health problems, he says things like "well, the doctors know what they're doing", or "you just need to exercise more."

He tells me vitamins are a scam and they're not going to help me.  But I think the problem has been I've been tablets, which are hard for a body to absorb, which is why I recently switched to taking liquid vitamins.  I've been taking liquid vitamins for about a week and I do feel a difference.  

I have a feeling I have a problem absorbing nutrients, hence the tests indicating malnutrition and the reason why I have a hard time keeping on weight.  I'm 5'4" and have gone up and down between 108 to 102 pounds in the past few months.

I just WISH I could find a decent doctor that knew what they were doing and actually cared about their patients!  Don't tell me everything is "normal" when I don't feel normal!!

Whew!  Sorry, but I had to get that out.  Thanks for letting me vent!

[Belle313]

Have you ever looked into MTHFR gene mutations? It's a condition that has MANY health issues and that most doctors don't test for. Basically it's where your body doesn't break down folate. If you take methylated folate & B vitamins I wonder if it would help you any. There is a website dedicated to this condition. MTHFR. NET (no spaces). Might be worth looking into a little. Hope you ladies get to feeling better soon!

[wkingmom]

Yeah, I think doctors are just lazy.  They don't want to bother and troubleshoot and get to the root of your problems.  Part of the problem is the way our healthcare system is set up.  It's not really "healthcare", it's "SICKcare".

I suspect I may not be producing enough stomach acid.  I will have to try the HCL and see how that does.

Thanks.

[1Kel12]

Vent away, I understand totally. I don't know if Docs today are lying....or just ignorant...lazy? LOL

But then again, 2 last year blatantly lied to me ;)

Assuming you thyroid is the culprit....I found in my case my stomach wasn't working...due to low thyroid. I was not producing enough stomach acid. My protein/B12/D3/Iron were all very low. I eat great too, my doc says given my B12 my deficiency probably went on for at least 2 yrs. That would fit when I started having symptoms which I now know were hypothyroidism.

So that's my experience, and helped my stomach even before thyroid meds when I started taking Betaine HCL with meals, it calmed/cured my reflux, heartburn and choking. Seemed crazy but it worked for me.

I also took B12 shots, not expensive and if you are ok with needles you can do them at home for convenience and less cost.

Hope this helps, Kel

[Red_Star]

I have issues with eating enough protein. When I started at the gym and started eating protein bars to my shock my nails started to harden. I've always had bendable paper thin nails so this was amazing!

Causes of low protein in blood include liver diseases, kidney problems, malabsorption (eg: Celiac disease, Crohn's disease), malnutrition (lack of protein in the diet), drugs (estrogens, oral contraceptives and any drug toxic to the liver), hyperthyroidism, thiamine deficiency, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hodgkin's lymphoma, uncontrolled diabetes, heart failure, pregnancy.