I wanted to die... thyroid mother urges better care
SHE was once so unwell she contemplated ending her life.
Lorraine Cleaver’s health was destroyed by a thyroid problem that left her sleeping most of the day and unable to care for her son.
But now the Scots mother, from Ayr, has won a victory in demanding better care for patients, following a five-year campaign.
MSPs have backed a petition lodged by Mrs Cleaver for improved testing and treatment for patients across Scotland with thyroid problems.
Years of fighting for adequate hormone replacement treatment led her to lodge the petition with the Scottish parliament.
Mrs Cleaver piled on weight, lived in pain, lost her hair and was so fatigued she slept for up to 20 hours a day, before finally getting an effective treatment from a private doctor.
But she says her story is similar to that of many women with the condition.
‘Women’s symptoms are being dismissed as depression, anxiety, the menopause and fatigue. It is a scandal,’ she said.
Around one in five people will suffer some form of thyroid disease by the time they reach 60, predominantly women.
Mrs Cleaver, 50, was put on a synthetic form of thyroxine, to replace the hormone normally produced by the gland, but her health deteriorated further and at one stage she was on 18 different drugs. She even contemplated suicide because she could no longer live in such misery and was too exhausted to care for her son Drew, now 13.
Only after consulting a private doctor, who put her on different medication, did she improve.
The petitions committee has called for ‘clear guidance’ for thyroid problems amid concerns standard treatment does not work for many patients.
Mrs Cleaver’s petition, which was first brought before the committee in 2013, warned that some of the current tests used do not detect problems with thyroid levels sufficiently.
Yesterday, petitions committee convener, Labour MSP Johann Lamont, said: ‘The daily struggle against pain, depression and uncertainty is difficult enough, but for this to be compounded by not being believed by those in a position of trust is unacceptable.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We welcome the committee’s report and value the important contribution they have made to understanding this complex issue and raising awareness of it.’