Blood test results are back - BUT...: Right. I... - Thyroid UK

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Blood test results are back - BUT...

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11 years ago•14 Replies

Right.

I don't know where to begin with this or do any more than I have been, but I asked the receptionist at my GP practice for the blood test results.

This is what they have said has come back:

Free T3 and Free T4 normal - I wasn't aware of this test being ordered.

Vitamin B12 normal

Some part of my thyroid test has come back abnormal.

Plasma glucose high - I wasn't aware of this being ordered either!

Iron low

Nothing said about folates, Vitamin D, plasma viscosity, celiac or autoimmune profile.

Since at what time during the appointment did my GP suggest my Free T3 and Free T4 to be tested? Does that mean my TSH was tested? Which part of the thyroid tests came back abnormal? And all of a sudden I seem to have developed diabetes going by a high result on the plasma glucose!

GP has put on the notes that she wants to talk about the results, which was what I thought but why oh why was I not given a phone call to mention these abnormal results? I just can't understand that! The only time I've ever been contacted about abnormal results was when I had a high TSH!

Anyway, I have an appointment with her on the 23rd and I'll post the results up when I get them - that's if I haven't lost my sanity by then.

Jo xxx

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14 Replies

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11 years ago

Hijo, please don't try to run before you can walk! If anything was seriously abnormal they would have called you. Blood results can and do routinely come back with some elements out of ranges,or marked high / low by labs.mostly this means very little. Raised glucose level, again does not mean you are diabetic on just one test,also there are no levels given so probably not much wrong.try to relax and enjoy your trip away and sort it all thru with gp on 23 rd!

• in reply to11 years ago

Hi Cupi, thanks for your reply.

I'm just a bit worried about the plasma glucose reading as my mum, nan and uncle are all type 1 diabetes and I've read that diabetes is caused by Hashi's so that's now got me very worried. I presume they did the HbA1c test which has never been done on me before. Plus the receptionist could not go into a lot of detail about all of this.

The GP hasn't called me as she's been on house calls all this week and so hasn't gotten back to me. I think that's probably why i haven't heard but it might be because there was nothing to worry about - I hope.

When I was tested for thyroid antibodies at the start of this year they were abnormal but the GP did not call me then either. I also cannot get a copy of the blood test results as the GP wants to speak to me about them. That to me does not sound good.

At least I'll know when I come back and that would be a nice Christmas present for me to get some sort of closure on all of this.

Thanks

Jo xxx

humanbean11 years ago

What time of day did you have the blood drawn? How long before the test had you eaten? Were you fasting? All these things would have an effect on your glucose levels. If nobody told you you were having this test done how could you possibly have known about eating/not eating/fasting etc.? It just suggests to me that the NHS wasted their time and your time in having the test done because you weren't told to prepare properly for the test.

The same comments could be made about your thyroid tests. Unless people are consistent with the timing and conditions of having the tests done, comparison between tests is difficult or impossible.

Edit : Just wanted to make it clear that I'm trying to tell you not to panic. The NHS decided to spring these tests on you, and I think they have just panicked you for no reason!

• in reply tohumanbean11 years ago

Hi Humanbean thanks for your reply.

Just to answer your questions:

I had the blood drawn at 9:20 in the morning.

I had not eaten anything in the morning before the test but had eaten as normal the day before.

I wasn't told to fast at the appointment but my GP told me to continue eating gluten as I was being tested for celiac disease as well as an autoimmune profile and the other above tests.

When I was first tested in January for thyroid antibodies, that was also done at exactly the same time as last time, 9.20 in the morning. I remember that day very clearly.

Yes, I do feel very panicked as the receptionist very casually said I have a high plasma glucose, which when I looked it up translates into an HbA1c test. Surely that spells out diabetes.

Thanks

Jo xxx

Clutter11 years ago

They really need to use a little wit and tell patients whether or not fasting tests have been ordered. I didn't know a cholesterol test had been ordered and didn't fast. Waste of resources.

• in reply toClutter11 years ago

Hi Clutter, yes, I now feel like my time and energy has been wasted with this blood test. I wasn't at all aware that an autoimmune profile meant an HbA1c test was included and I would have fasted if I was told to. But my GP told me to continue eating gluten in all its forms as usual to prepare for the celiac test.

Thanks

Jo xxx

11 years ago

Thanks reallyfedup, by the look of it I will not know any more until the 23rd of December. It's a ridiculous amount of time to wait and I could ask to be seen earlier if the GP has cancelled appointments. I'm now wondering if I should just see any GP up there but the other 2 I've been seeing are not quick to accept I have an "autoimmune illness". Maybe a different one might help? Would my usual GP mind if I see a different one altogether? She put a comment saying she wants to see me so does that mean simply that?

Ferritin was done also, sorry - I wasn't sure if iron was the same thing as ferritin!

Jo xxx

11 years ago

Hi reallyfedup I ate lots of gluten a week before the test. Should I have started much earlier than a week?

Thanks

Jo xxx

11 years ago

Hi, yes, I had diarrhoea (runny) and gas from eating loads of gluten. In the past if I ate just a little of it I got constipated.

Thanks

Jo xxx

11 years ago

No mention of coeliac at all.

When I went to the practice yesterday I asked the practice manager to print off the blood test results that would have included coeliac disease since the GP ordered it. Although the results I have are on 3 pages I've noticed that the codes for my blood sample do not follow on from the other.

So the first code (I won't give out the complete number) ends in 2354 and the one after that ends in 2356.

Sample 2354 results are for Vitamin D, Anti-TPO Antibodies, Folate, Ferritin, Vitamin B12, plasma viscosity and glucose (fluoride) These are part of what my usual GP ordered.

Sample 2356 results are for Free T4, TSH and the other Ferritin reading. This is what the other GP had ordered.

And at the blood test I had my blood put into 5 phials, so where are the other numbers? Is the coeliac/autoimmune profile in one of the numbered samples not listed? I don't know, but it seems that she picked and chose what ones to print off.

Thanks

Jo xxx

11 years ago

Hi Reallyfedup

Results for all other tests on that date are:

Vitamin D - 43.6 (anything above 75 normal)

FT4 - 15.6 (12-22)

Ferritin - 21 (30-400)

Anti-TPO - 41 kIU/L (>34)

Folate - 4.1 (4.6-18.7)

Vitamin B12 - 363 (180-900)

Plasma viscosity - 1.64mPa.s (1.50-1.72)

Glucose (Fluoride - I take it this is the HbA1c) - 4.9 (<10.1)

Is it possible the coeliac one could take so long to come back? I had the test done over a week ago.

If the result was negative for autoimmune profile and coeliac would it say either way on the results printout?

Thanks

Jo xxx

11 years ago

Hi reallyfedup, sorry, I don't quite understand. Would I have had the full glucose test done going on my results or the other one?

Thanks

Jo xxx

11 years ago

Hi reallyfedup, thanks for your reply and the info. I cannot get Vitamin D meds until I come back off my holiday and see my GP on the 23rd December.

Vitamin C is something I can look into provided I can get chewable tablets, which I have seen about on my travels. Also multivitamins would be good if they were in the same form (I have trouble swallowing big tablets)

The iron I can make do with the Spatone I still have. I take 1 sachet a day - I went straight into taking 3 a day as per daily allowance and I felt sick. Not sure if I should slowly work my way up to 3 or just take 2.

I know my Vitamin B12 is low, but surely if my GP looks at that when I next see her she would say it's normal? Upon reading the passage in the B12 section on the printout it says this:

"Low B12 less than 145 ng/L, Equivocal B12 145-180 ng/L".

Equivocal means "vague" or "unclear", so now I am confused what is low and what isn't.

Thanks

Jo xxx

Coastwalker• in reply to11 years ago

Have managed to find you and your test results Jo853, good to get hold of our results, but understanding them is a different matter, need an Ology in them