Mtx and 1st blood test

[Shell1967]

Hi everyone I hope I find you well and have a lovely weekend.i have a question as I'm worrying at home so thought here is where I may get an answer.i had my 1st blood test last Monday,I rung the dr today and receptionist said the results are back but she's not medically trained to tell me but did Say a few figures were highlighted which meant I was high in something or low in something.so I'm now thinking there's something wrong !!! Nones rung me which I was promised they would do if something was wrong.ive left a message for rheumo nurse as it was an answer fone and they said they would get back to me within 24hrs but not weekends?so my predicament is I take my mtx at7am Monday mornings,can anyone think of anything else I can do to find out or do I take it no news is good news? I am a worrier and cos she said a few figures are highlighted I think now its the drug,but surely my blood wouldn't stay the same after taking this powerful drug anyway ?! Confused,please help anybody thankyou Michelle xxx

[helixhelix]

Hi there,

Yes it is worrying when you can't get answers to your questions as then you just fret endlessly. Not v good of your doctor's surgery...and the receptionist should really have either told you what they were or said nothing. Anyway, the chances are that you have some high readings anyway as you've only just been diagnosed. Do you have your last results? As quite likely that ESR and CRP were raised as they show the level of inflammation, and 1 week of MTX is unlikely to have got them down so quickly. However, if anything was dangerously high I would have hoped that the doc would have responded before today! So you could try to think that no news is good news. But if you really think you're not going to be able to put it out of your mind until Monday, and don't want to delay your MTX a few hours

'till you've got hold of someone on Monday, then I suggest you phone back to your doctors surgery and tell them that they've now made you panic so can they please tell you exactly what the results are. At least that way you'll know. But you can delay MTX for up to 12 hours if you look at the instructions in the packet, so it's not a disaster if you don't find out today. I often forget (I take them in the evenings) and end up taking them the following morning. Polly x

[Tillytop]

Hi Michelle

So sorry you have been worrying - I'm one of the world's worst worriers so I completely understand.

I agree with everything Polly has said. It's easy to forget that, when we have RA, our blood test results are not always in the normal ranges anyway and can go up and down depending on the inflammation levels and the particular meds we are taking at the time. I don't know what dose of mtx you have started on but usually the starting doses are low so, as Polly says, I think it is very unlikely that that one dose would have caused a worrying change in your blood tests.

Just as Polly suggests, my advice would be to call the surgery back, explain the situation and ask to speak to a doctor or practice nurse asap. I think it was very unfair of your surgery receptionist to say what she did to you and I have been in that situation myself before so I know how worrying it can be.

Thinking of you and really hope you can get an answer very soon so you can stop worrying.

Tilly x

[allanah]

Hi

Polly has said it all I think. Its really worrying when you first start the drugs, but I wouldn't expect your levels to be low after only a week, it usually takes 6-8 weeks for most people to see any difference. And you can wait a few hours as Polly says to take the MT8 .But call the surgery and ask to speak to the Duty Doctor as they should call you back or the Practice manager and say its an urgent enquiry and hopefully you will get a reply today, good luck.

Axx

[Beth58]

Hi

If you have your bloods done at the hospital they would have already been checked and someone would have contacted you to retest if there was a problem. I'd say take your meds as normal unless you hear otherwise.

Also, at the GP surgery they would have been checked by a doctor prior to being input onto the computer and your doctor would have contacted you if there was a serious problem or you needed to retest.

Try not to worry I know easier said than done, you could ring the surgery and request a telephone consultation this afternoon, explain why you need to talk to a doctor and I'm sure the GP on call will ring you back before end of surgery tonight.

I do agree with Polly though receptionist should have kept her mouth shut if she didn't understand the results.

Beth x

[Shell1967]

Hi I had my bloods done at the GPS,I've just rung back,and she told me a few results and dr ringing me at 3 about my liver one as she said there's to many figures to look at.my other results were ESR 26,fbc normal,egfr normal,so I know my ESR is raised anyway as I have inflammation but I will feel better when he rings about my liver.i will update you then xxx

[Shell1967]

Hi just to let you know rheumo nurse has rung and my bloods are ok to continue mtx.she said she would ring me if anything was wrong.so all fine and carry on !!!!!! Thankyou everyone xxx

[Judi]

Hi Shell, coming in on this late as I have only just read it - but thought I would say that I'm very glad your bloods turned out ok.

Thought I would mention though 2 lots of blood tests where I was contacted:

1: came with a call from my rheumy consultant within 3 days of a blood test to tell me I had a problem, this call was late on a Friday evening (from what I can remember it was around 7 o'clock). Which proved to me that when there's a problem it's flagged up quickly by the hospital.

2: came from GP's receptionist informing me that I needed to have another blood test within the next 2 weeks which I found worrying until when having the next blood test done I was told the reason for the rush was 'because of impending staff holidays'. All that worrying for nothing !

Have a good weekend

Judi xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Tillytop]

Hi again Shell

So pleased you got the answers you needed before the weekend so you can stop worrying.

Enjoy your (hopefully worry free) weekend!

Tillyx

[minka]

thought esr standard rate was between (0 - 7)mm/h

or am i wrong

[Shell1967]

Hi everyone thankyou for all ur advice.yes minka my esr is high,this was one of the tests I had done which confirmed RA with other symptoms.they are hoping mtx will bring it down eventually.we went out last nite to a Thai restaurant to celebrate my daughters 21 st.we all had a fab time and went dancing at a disco after.you could have looked at me and you wouldn't even dream qi had RA.as I danced for hours while my friends were drinking I just kept dancing !!!!!!! With a diet coke haha :)))))).so at the min I'm not missing my alcohol at all,and this morning while hubby is nursing a hangover I am up and making a fry up yumyum !!! Have a lovely weekend each and everyone of you.michelle xxxx