I have a blood test tomorrow to see how my functions are to date.
I have a wellness check next Wednesday to discuss the results.
Its awful that I am having to wait a week to get the results - my nerves are really frayed.
I know in the US you can usually get the results the same day but here in the UK everything is so slow. Then you have to go and beg the receptionists for a print out.
I am more tired but insomnia is one of my issues and this extra pressure does not help.
I would really appreciate some suggestions.
By the way this will be the first blood test in 6 months - yes I have had to wait that long.
Thanks for reading
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fartikins
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does your doctor office offer a portal you can check . Some of my labs come back right away but at some doctor it a few days but I can usually check before my visit on the portal I’m sure Europe doctors have portals where you can check your info .
Getting anxious to see your lab results is a very normal reaction; one I'm sure most of us have. I have often felt like I was sitting on an egg waiting for it to hatch.
I know that things are done differently in the UK. I would call the ordering doctor's office and ask if they do have a patient portal that you can log onto to see lab results. They should be able to help you.
If not, ask if someone can call you with the results, or the quickest way to see them when they are available as you are worried and would appreciate knowing to relieve stress.
In the meantime, keep yourself busy and try not to think about it. I usually go out shopping or visit a friend the day of a lab draw. I may also clean the flat, and in the evening watch a relaxing movie.
In the US expediency of seeing results may depend on many factors; the lab, how busy they are and the policy of the medical group are just some. We don't always have the lab results the same day.
My nephrologist's practice mandates that the doctor review them and then posts them. So it may take a few days for me to see them.
I hope that this helps a bit. Make sure that you are well hydrated before the bloods are drawn, etc. and stay positive!
I have a portal to the lab where they are done so i usually get them in 2 days.. in the beginnng i used to be on pins and needles waiting.. for me anyway i no loger make myself cray about it..i t is just a number and i refuse to allow myself to become held hostage by a number.. i watch my diet and go about my life.. hell.. i could have a heart attack due to worry...lol...or shot by a crazy person with a gun..or slip on cat vomit.. again..
every day is a gift to be enjoyed.. and we all die eventually.. it is how we live not how we die,,, watch a funny movie...you know you hae done your best and that is all you an do..
I just read your post about waiting for test results. It reminded me of the early days when the technicians would finish up the test, then button up their lips as if just so much as a hint would start the next world war. So frustrating. One lovely tech whispered in my ear after a critical test that he didn't see a thing to worry about. I wanted to hug his neck.
And I agree with you that we can get get a bit too hung up on numbers at times, as I've learned from other health issues.
I guess I'm the odd man out, here. I don't get all that rattled when I have labs. I've spent quite a few hours in quite a few waiting rooms waiting for my mother who was getting one draw or another taken. I knew which numbers we were watching, and I knew which values were good/bad/normal.
Fast forward 40 years, and I don't get hung up on them. Sure, I do my best to keep my numbers in the good ranges, and I check my labs as soon as they're on my clinic's portal. But, I don't stress. And, I guess I'm lucky that way.
by the way.. we here in the us a do not get results the same day..i get labs done every 6 mos.. just like you..appointments with docs can take several months here also..i needed an appointment with crdioogist.. 4 month wait..we baby boomers are doing a number on health care.. and yes i know you have problems in the UK since Brexit.. but be grateful in the UK you do not loose your home for health reasons as many do here.. appreciate what you have that we don't
Waiting for lab results is no fun and especially when the wait is long and you have no control. The way i look at it is that i did what I could or coukdbt to slow progression, so whatever happens is going to happen. It's like a crap shoot. We know SOME ways to.slow progression, but there are times when whatever we did or didn't do, the results are not consistent. I got my results today after being tested a few days ago and my gfr was up a few points and my creatinine was lower. However, I have to admit I was off my diet a lot these past few months eating a few more processed foods than usual and more sweets. But. I'm not advocating breaking a renal diet. I simply want to point out that there are other factors at play and lab results are not under our total control. So try to breathe, relax, and whatever happens will happen and once you get them, you'll start to work on the results. BTW Some may view not getting results so often as a blessing.
I'm in the UK and I downloaded the app Airmid on my android phone. You might have to get a login from your GP surgery, or it might accept your NHS login. Once everything is ok you can request your GP records to view through the app, current and previous.I'm like you too, blood test this Friday and review of results next week, last tested August 22
I used to have mine the same night.they are sent to patient view, an app you can down load but that is now changing to patient knows best which started In February. It's worth you down loading the app and register with patient knows best,you may be able to see your results sooner than going to see the doctors. I live in South Wales, I am at stage 4 function 24%.
The question was how do you deal with the stress about labs? You don't. It is just part of the whole disease process. I get totally rattled before I have to do labs. I start the week before. I watch everything I eat. I make sure I drink lots of water. I don't sleep and I am usually cranky. My hubby knows that for me, a number drop is critical. He gets it, but I am still cranky. When my GFR was higher, it was no big deal. Now it is dialysis or not time. So don't feel like you are alone in the fear. It is natural. But like most things, it too will pass.
My neph has a portal but I had to complain to the hospital that the labs were not being entered-that was corrected. My PCP has neither portal nor email. I'm tired of changing docs, at least for the moment.
And I hate to say this, but not all the information in the portal is correct. I've tried several times to correct misinformation and the doctor promises to do it, but never does. I even see them trying to correct it. So far, they're not important enough to cause a major discussion.
Try and take your mind off of it...read a good book, take a walk, weather permitting. Do you have any hobbies? Putting a puzzle together or crosswords or that new word thing could hold your attention for quite a while. I play a lot of solitaire on my phone, it's mindless but allows me to not think of things.
Hi. I too will have a blood test this week and see my doc. early next week. Thankfully my lab has a portal so I can see results that day or the next. Each blood draw now makes me nervous because it could mean dialysis. I do try and distract myself. I have a great jigsaw puzzle app that I spend too much time on. But it help’s keep my mind occupied. And I also trust that God is in control and that gives me some peace. But I can’t always feel connected to it.
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