# Endo threatening not to refill my medicine unless I get lab corp bloodwork in NYC during the pandemic...



## graves84 (Oct 7, 2013)

I have been dealing with something really frustrating. I have been on the same dose of Tirosint for years and 18 months ago added T3 into the mix. A new Endo whom I started seeing in August 2019 decided to try having me go to 5mg a day vs splitting it into 2.5. My last labs Dec 19th showed in range T4 and T3 levels but TSH was slightly elevated (0.19).

Since I felt fine and was not having any hyper symptoms she agreed to let me stay on my dose and have follow up labs. This deadline fell around early March when everything started closing in NYC and it became unsafe to go out.

We began quarantining March 11th and myself and my husband are both high risk. In addition to hashimotos I have fibromyalgia and other issues.

We don't even go to a grocery store and have everything delivered-basically never even going outdoors because we have no places without people to walk.

I had been communicating with my doctor reception via email about how unsafe I would feel being exposed by having to go to a Lab Corp and she was understanding. I expressed these concerns to my doctor a my video appointment last week and she was combative and confirmed that she will not renew my medicine unless I have labs within 30 days.

I explained to her that Lab Corp is very unsafe right now and I would also have to expose myself by riding the nYC subway to get there. She didn't seem to care. She just seemed to want to prove me wrong about my dosage. She said the ONLY way she will give me a (only 30 day) renewal is if I agree to drop my Tirosint dosage but then she would require bloodwork in 6 weeks again. I was crying when the appointment ended. Seems like a lose-lose situation. Things are still not good in the city and I am not willing to risk the life of myself and my husband to get labs. I have been on this thyroid medicine over 10 years and will get very sick without it.

I have been getting severe panic attacks and nightmares about having to get bloodwork since the video appt and my stress is through the roof.

Any thoughts on this situation?


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Have they ever run FT-4 or FT-3? Having a high RT3 could mean your FT-4 is high range.

Are you supplementing D? If not you should. It takes me 5k iu daily to maintain 75% range. Good D levels are suppose to help keep us immune to Covid-19.


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## graves84 (Oct 7, 2013)

Thanks for the input but that doesn't really help my current situation of not getting medicine. Yes i've had all the tests done you can imagine (thyroid patient since age 13) and yes I take 5,000 D every day but my levels are still very low.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Have you contacted pharmacy? Did they decline the pharmacy request for refill?

My doc's office won't even speak with me about prescription refills. Maybe if it comes in as a refill request it will slip past and nurse will send the request in.


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## graves84 (Oct 7, 2013)

I'll give anything a shot. I have even reached out to my PCP and Fibromylgia Dr and they said they couldn't help me. This is crazy. Everything I read said even if we are both in masks close contact like bloodwork is still very risky.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

I understand if both are masked and one is positive the risk is 1.5%.

I had blood drawn last month - I wasn't too excited to go either. Hubby just had blood drawn yesterday - said everybody was masked.

Covid-19 is going to be around for awhile so as scary as it sounds - we will have to figure out a way to live around and with it.


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