Any suggestions???
 

I posted awhile back about discomfort in my throat and that the doctor mentioned it may be my thyroid. On top of that I have high blood pressure and really bad anxiety. My doctor wanted to do a sonogram of my throat but since my husband is in college we currently do not have health insurance. I tried to get some government help but you can only make $290 a month. Can you believe that? Who could survive on that? I'm not pregnant or disabled so I don't qualify for anything. Grrrrrrr..... I'm not employed so I can't get it through my work. I guess I just don't know what to do. :confused:

They can check your thyroid levels w/ a blood test...I think it is the TSH (?) levels...and then go from there. I had three sonograms done on my neck for my thyroid and a cat-scan too....even w/ awesome insurance, those were all still pretty high out of pocket costs! Course, it doesn't help that every tech charges you too! (aurgh)....I got bills from places I had never been and when I called, I found out that it was the techs that did the tests (I guess the hospital has different doctor offices that have techs work there??, I don't know). Then you can go from there. You will probably need to get your blood pressure back to normal first before they do much about your thyroid, but I am not sure. Good luck!

Oh my!!! Yeah I just don't know what to do about my blood pressure, it just never seems to go down. It's been like that for over a year. I've been stressed to the max the past 4 months, I'm sure that isn't helping. I guess I'm just scared. I get easily frightened.

Have you cut back on your sodium and been trying to eat right? A few years back, I had high blood pressure (first time ever - and haven't had it since). I was on pills for three months (I think), but I cut down sodium (drastically) and quit cokes (I had a Mtn. Dew habit), etc. I havne't had high blood pressure since. I get nervous and stressed a lot and I am over weight, but thankfully, it hasn't been back. They say it is genetic, but I know your environment contributes to it too.

Regarding the thyroid, sometimes the blood work doesn't even show up anything wrong, that is why I did so many sonograms and cat-scan. They still haven't figured out mine. I went to an endocrinologist (thyroid doctor) for a short time, but I couldn't stand him....I just see my regular doctor to try to figure out what is wrong with me. BUT with no insurance and thyroid not being a "major" medical problem (which to me, I think it is), I doubt if you can get assistance to pay for it. Even with my insurance, that year of testing/checking/etc was so expensive!

I forgot what the statistics were, but it was high...the number of people that have an undiagnosed thyroid problem! It is just one of those medical problems that don't get check often or enough or thought about.

Do you have a county health dept.? I just had the entire blood panel at my health dept...includes, Chemistry, CBC, Lipid Profile also added the Thyroid Panel (T3, T4 & TSH)...all for $100.00, this would have cost over $1000.00 at our hospital lab, some Endocrinologist will do these test in their office much cheaper. I had the ultrasound (sonogram) of the thyroid, plus the Nuclear Thyroid scan and uptake...NO INSURANCE...but was able to set up payment plan in advance, the hospitals expect pretty hefty payments, but it was all worth it to find out what was wrong, I was barely able to function from an overactive thyroid..took anti-thyroid medication...for awhile, then it went underactive which is way easier to treat, just take my thyroid supplement, get thyroid levels checked regularly, at the health dept...and feel so much better. Good luck, go to a thyroid doctor, endocrinologist, he'll know what test you'll need for what ails you.

I don't think I have a high sodium diet I barely seem to eat at all cause I'm so busy. I do drink pop, not a lot, but maybe 2 cans a day. My mom and dad have high blood pressure so I'm sure I got it from them. Can stress make thyroid conditions worse? I was just curious.

I don't know if my county has this or not, worth checking into though. Hopefully I can get some insurance when hubby goes back to school next fall because our income will go way down. Hopefully enough to help with something. Thanks!

I'm not sure, but I don't think they do in my area. :rolleyes: Oh the luxury of living in my small town. hehe