Blood Test - Opinions on best day please

[PAwithRA]

Afternoon all, I haven't yet started my meds (methotrexate & hydroxychloroquine) as I am waiting for my prescription from the hospital. Once starting on them I have to have bloods done every 2 weeks for 6 weeks, so basically 3 tests. I plan to start the Mx on Tuesdays so if they make me feel crappy then hopefully I will feel okay by the weekend so I can go and be sociable if I feel like it. I watched a great video yesterday about how Mx is processed by the body in 24 - 48 hours so what I wondered is, is it best to get the blood test done when my body is processing it on Weds/Thurs or wait until either Fri or Mon? I just wanted to gauge opinions on when people think the best time to do this would be. I am waiting for the nurse to call from the hospital this week so I will ask them but in the meantime I would appreciate any input. Thanks

[KittyJ]

As it’s two weeks after starting then I would assume in the second Tuesday to have your first ones and then two weeks after that or maybe I’m not understanding what you’re asking? It won’t start working that quickly so the tests are checking it’s not affecting your liver etc mainly. Good luck and 🤞🏻

[PAwithRA in reply to KittyJ]

Thanks KittyJ, I think in my head the question was clearer than it was written down lol. I understand that the test is to check for raised LFT so what I wondered is would the LFT continue to be raised throughout the week or just when my body was processing the med. I just want to make sure that they get the correct readings that are needed.

[charisma in reply to PAwithRA]

It also checks neutrophils and RA markers… best take the advice given by your Rheumy professional when the call comes. Good luck… MTX and HCQ together can work very well but no noticeable benefits for 3-4 months. Watch for brain fog with HCQ, and make sure you get eyes thoroughly tested too as HCQ could affect them. hth

[PAwithRA in reply to charisma]

Thank you charisma, I have tried to read as much as I can about side effects even though not everyone is affected by them but I would rather be prepared if possible. Fingers crossed for no brain fog. I had an eye scan done on Sunday and the optician has given me a simple test to do at home to check for any retina issues.

[KittyJ in reply to PAwithRA]

I’ve never been told to have my blood tests on a certain day after mtx but I’d wait to speak to your nurse as it may just be that I should have been but was never told 🤷🏻‍♀️ I hope you get it sorted before you start them but at least you have a couple of weeks to get a response.

[PAwithRA in reply to KittyJ]

Thank you KittyJ, I think I just need to be patient and wait for the call.

[Boxerlady]

Hopefully your rheumy nurse will advise but mine said that it was best not to have blood tests too soon after Methotrexate so I usually aim to have mine on Thursday/Friday as I inject at the weekend.

[PAwithRA in reply to Boxerlady]

Thank you Boxerlady, it's interesting that your rheumy nurse said that so I will wait to see what mine advises.

[Happy5 in reply to Boxerlady]

Concur I tend to have mine before taking my MTX .

[Egpa]

Hi, my nurse at the doctors told me to have my blood tests 2 days after taking my mtx injections as the readings will be more accurate. Hope that helps. I take mine on a Monday, bloods on a Wednesday. When I used to have my bloods taken on the same day as my injection,they were up and down. Kept having to repeat them. Hope that helps.

[PAwithRA in reply to Egpa]

Thank you Egpa, that is helpful.

[Gilliancheche]

In my non medical opinion I think it is better to get the test Friday or Monday. I have consistently low white cells and neutrophils. If I have a blood test the day after MTX they are terribly low, sometimes below 1 but if I wait and have a day or 2 Before MTX they are usually acceptable. Have a chat with your rheumatology team, when I did they were happy with this.

[PAwithRA in reply to Gilliancheche]

Thank you Gilliancheche, I was also thinking Friday or Monday but as I am new to all of this I wasn't sure.

[Leics]

I inject mtx on a Tuesday night and get my bloods done at the GP’s as appointments for anything are hard to come by I take whatever appointment I can which happens to have been 2 Wednesdays and 1 Thursday. So far my bloods have been absolutely fine so as I’m going to monthly bloods I will take whichever appointment I can get. I’m on a quite low dose of 7.5 and have brain fog on a Wednesday and usually have to have a sleep in the afternoon but the mtx seems to be calming things down so I will settle for one day a week to be a bit blah and a little confused. Just as hopefully a helpful suggestion have you had baseline bloods done because I waited three months for the prescription to be filled only to be told they were awaiting bloods 🤷‍♀️ I should have realised but was in so much pain at the time I couldn’t function properly. So if they’re calling you ask the question or you’ll wait for a long time unnecessarily. Good luck hope it works for you. I know different rheumys have different ideas about timing of bloods so see what they say. Just my experience hope it helps.

[PAwithRA in reply to Leics]

Thank you Leics, I will definitely ask about the baseline bloods when the nurse calls even though I have had them done at the hospital back in June would hate for them to be waiting for me to have more done before I can start this whole process.

[Leics in reply to PAwithRA]

Yeah I thought that as I had them done at the hospital whilst going through the checks for mtx that I wouldn’t have to wait for meds. They will almost definitely want some new ones as they were last done in June they won’t consider them up to date. Don’t get caught out like I did it was so frustrating to wait another 3 months just because of that.

[Lizbain1]

I was told to get my bloods done just before taking the next week's mtx so if I took it on a Tues get them on a Monday if poss x

[PAwithRA in reply to Lizbain1]

Thank you Lizbain1, I was also thinking similar, either Friday or Monday.

[Cirrostratus]

A good question - one that hadn’t occurred to me. No one has ever given me any instructions about the timing of blood tests, it rather depends more on when I can get an appointment as you have to book them at my doctors and/or the hospital. Fingers crossed they don’t cancel my next rheumy appointment again and I will ask him. I hope it doesn’t matter too much as all my timings have been very variable!

[PAwithRA in reply to Cirrostratus]

Thank you Cirrostratus, I think because this is all new to me I am full of questions. I am also very lucky that my GP has a second surgery nearby that I can go to if I need the bloods done on a certain day (and they have been really helpful with appointments so far).

[Cirrostratus in reply to PAwithRA]

Good luck with the meds PA and the ensuing journey into treatment. Good to hear that your surgery is helpful…..that’s half the battle!! All the best

[CagneysMum in reply to Cirrostratus]

I arrange my blood tests (bimonthly) to suit my calendar, so they’re all over the place during the last 4 years since first diagnosis. My results are fairly consistent regardless so I’m not sure it matters too much ? No one has ever suggested a specific day or time frame after injecting methotrexate to me. Your question never occurred to me tbh.

[Hidden]

I’ve never even thought of this 😂. Just get my bloods done when there’s an appointment.