blood results and reference ranges

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheila,

Having read so many of your e mails you are clearly one of lifes angels helping to empower so many people who are so unwell.

please would you let me know what you think of this situation with my gps surgery. I rang yesterday to ask for my blood results for TSH and T3 and others. The receptionist emphasised that all my blood results were in the normal refernce range and that no futher action was needed. I asked if she would tell me the reference ranges and she said that she could not do that but that anyway the results were all normal and that no further action was needed. I asked very calmly and politely, " are you telling me that i am not allowed to have the refernence ranges" she said " No who is your gp" when i told her she said she would ask him to ring me to tell me the refernce ranges for my blood results later in the day.

no one rang me. I find this all very stressful. every time i have blood results should i just ask for a printed copy of my results and there reference range. IS this a reasonable requestthat perhaps i could put in writing so that it would save me all the stress of going through this kind of conversation with the receptionist. Have you any suggestions about the best way i can get my blood results and there reference ranges with the least fuss ?

I am very poorly ( for the last 3 and a half years ! ) and am due to see an NHS endocrinologist consultant on 7 th MARCH who acknowledges hypthyroid symptoms even if blood results dont show this.

I would really like to have all relevant blood results for the consultant when i see her on 7th march.

The blood tests that my gp has done on the 3 rd feb were;

VITAMIN b12,bone Profile,c-reactive protein, copper,electrolytes and eGFR, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR),Full blood count, ferritin, folate, free T3, gluecose ( Plasma),liver profile,lipid profile, T3-total, thryroidfunction tests.

Also do you think it is resonable for the nurse practioner to tell me that i can only see a gp ,at the practice ,when i am well enough to attend the surgery.at present i get a telephone consultation when i am too ill to attend the surgery.What are your thoughts on this please. Most days i am 2/3 out of 10. 10 being well .

kindest Regards and thankyou for giving so much time and expert knowledge to all of us on this chat room.

Bernie.

kindest Regards,

Bernie Bateman

[Guest guest]

Bernadette,

The blood test results, are yours by law and it would be reasonable to expect

to receive the reference ranges with the results, so that you can interpret

them.

Don't bother speaking with the snotty receptionist, just write a letter to the

doctor and cc it to the head of practice. Say that under the terms of the

2002 Freedom of information act you would like a written copy of your test

results for (list them.... Free t3, TSH T4 etc ) taken over the past 5

years, along with the reference ranges.

Enclose a stamped addressed envelope and say you would like them returned to

you by (give a date about 10 days away).

You do not have to say why you want the results as they are yours by rights, but

you could say that you have an appointment with XXX on whatever date and you

wish to discuss the results with him.

When I wrote to my doc I said that if they were too busy to find this

information I was more than willing to sit down with my notes and extract the

information myself. ( I got 9 years worth of results with a couple of days).

Don't get stressed, don't argue, just write a letter, the results are yours by

law.

.

>

I asked very

> calmly and politely,  " are you telling me that i am not allowed to have the

> refernence ranges " she said " No who is your gp " when i told her she said she

> would ask him to ring me to tell me the refernce ranges for my blood results

> later in the day.

>

> no one rang me. I find this all very stressful. every time i have blood

results

> should i just ask for a printed copy of my results and there reference range.

[Guest guest]

Hello Bernie.

please

would you let me know what you think of this situation with my gps surgery. I

rang yesterday to ask for my blood results for TSH and T3 and others. The receptionist

emphasised that all my blood results were in the normal reference range and

that no father action was needed. I asked if she would tell me the reference

ranges and she said that she could not do that but that anyway the results were

all normal and that no further action was needed. I asked very calmly and

politely, " are you telling me that i am not allowed to have the

refernence ranges " she said " No who is your gp " when i told her

she said she would ask him to ring me to tell me the refernce ranges for my

blood results later in the day.

no

one rang me. I find this all very stressful.

I would find this extremely stressful too, and such an attitude

must be cause many of their other patients a great deal of unnecessary stress.

I would actually make a small, but official complaint about this receptionist

and her obvious lack of knowledge and the need for training of staff to know

the facts. Here is a link to the NHS Choices web site where it clearly states

that under the Data Protection Act, you are entitled to access the information

in your medical records and this includes blood/urine or other tests done,

together with the reference ranges for all tests http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1309.aspx?categoryid=68 & subcategoryid=160

every

time i have blood results should i just ask for a printed copy of my results

and there reference range. IS this a reasonable requestthat perhaps i could put

in writing so that it would save me all the stress of going through this kind

of conversation with the receptionist. Have you any suggestions about the best

way i can get my blood results and there reference ranges with the least fuss ?

Yes, ensure that every time you have your blood, urine or any

other testing done that you are given the results with the reference range. It

is a very reasonable request and shows that you are interested in your own

health and what is happening and enables you to see if any changes are being

made because of treatment/lack of treatment etc. Ask in your letter of

complaint (mentioned above) that all staff at the surgery are aware that you

wish to be given these results at all times and ask for your letter of request

to be placed into your medical notes.

I

am very poorly ( for the last 3 and a half years ! ) and am due to

see an NHS endocrinologist consultant on 7 th MARCH who acknowledges

hypthyroid symptoms even if blood results dont show this.

Read the information in our FILES under 'NHS TREATMENT'. There,

you will see the document entitled 'First Visit to Endocrinologist'. Read

through all of that as there are lots of tips that will help you and questions you

might want to write down to ask him/her. If possible, always take somebody with

you - doctors are often more careful in their manner and what they say if there

is another pair of ears and eyes there.

I would

really like to have all relevant blood results for the

consultant when i see her on 7th march.

The

blood tests that my gp has done on the 3 rd feb were;

VITAMIN

b12,bone Profile,c-reactive protein, copper,electrolytes and eGFR, Erythrocyte

Sedimentation Rate (ESR),Full blood count, ferritin, folate, free T3,

gluecose ( Plasma),liver profile,lipid profile, T3-total, thryroidfunction

tests.

Again, when you write your letter to the Head of Practice at the

surgery, point out that you wish to have a full copy of all your blood tests

for the last three years, including those below.

Also

do you think it is resonable for the nurse practioner to tell me that i can

only see a gp ,at the practice ,when i am well enough to attend the surgery.at

present i get a telephone consultation when i am too ill to attend the

surgery.What are your thoughts on this please. Most days i am 2/3 out

of 10. 10 being well .

No, this is not reasonable. Doctors are there to make us well. If

we are not well enough to attend the surgery, then you need a telephone

consultation or you need the GP to give you a home visit.

kindest

Regards and thankyou for giving so much time and expert knowledge to all

of us on this chat room.

You're welcome Bernie - this is what Thyroid Patient Advocacy is

here for.

Luv - Sheila

Bernie.

kindest

Regards,

Bernie

Bateman