Thyroid Care in West Palm Beach, FL

What to expect

• A conversation about how you have felt, how long, and any diagnosis you already carry
• Blood work your physician orders, with results reviewed with you at the visit
• A plan for the next check, set for your situation
• Thyroid questions handled in the same chart as your other conditions and medicines

Why a thyroid question usually starts with a blood test

The NIDDK explains that a blood test might confirm an underactive thyroid, and that doctors may use several thyroid blood tests and imaging tests to confirm a diagnosis and find its cause. Symptoms alone cannot settle it, because tiredness, weight change, and feeling cold have many other explanations. That is why the first step here is a visit and, when your physician decides it is needed, labs.

What the in-house lab means for this office

The West Palm Beach office runs in-house lab services, which can shorten the path from a visit to a result. Which thyroid tests are run on site and which go to an outside lab is something staff can confirm when you call, because it depends on the test. Either way, results come back to the same chart your physician is already using, so they are read next to your other numbers.

Who the NIDDK says is more likely to be affected

According to the NIDDK, women are much more likely than men to develop hypothyroidism, and it is also more common among people older than 60. A family history of thyroid disease or an earlier thyroid problem raises the likelihood too. These are patterns across many people, not a diagnosis, and a physician reading your history is the one who can say whether any of it applies to you.

If you already have a diagnosis

Bring the name and dose of your thyroid medicine, the date of your last blood test, and the result if you have it. If you are moving from another practice, a printed summary from that doctor saves time. The NIDDK notes that doses are sometimes adjusted and followed by another blood test, so a patient who knows when the last change happened helps the new physician pick up where it left off.

A visit in a language that suits you

Dr. Akhter speaks Bengali, English, Hindi, and Urdu. A thyroid history involves small details, such as when a symptom started and how a medicine was taken, and those are easier to get right in the language you think in. Mention your preference at scheduling and ask about availability on the day you want to come in.

Thyroid care next to the rest of your care

A thyroid visit does not have to stand alone. Patients often pair it with a medical weight management visit, an annual physical, or a review of chronic disease management so that one physician reads the results together. The practice's thyroid care overview describes the approach across all offices.

Getting to the Forest Hill Blvd office

The office is on Forest Hill Blvd in West Palm Beach and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Patients come from Palm Springs, Greenacres, Lake Worth, and Wellington, which has no office of its own. Call in the morning for the widest choice of appointment times.

What this page does not say

It does not diagnose and does not promise any result from care. Whether a thyroid condition is present, and what to do about it, is decided by your physician from your own history and labs. If you have chest pain or trouble breathing, call 911 instead of booking a visit.

Who you'll see in West Palm Beach

Dr. Shahnaz Akhter, MD

Physician — West Palm Beach

Sources

• NIDDK — Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid)

Also offered at our West Palm Beach office

• Family & Internal Medicine
• Hormone Therapy & PRP Treatments
• Preventive Care & Chronic Disease Management
• Diabetes Management
• Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Management
• Joint Injections
• Wound Care & Minor Procedures

See Thyroid Care across all our offices, or view the full West Palm Beach office page.