Problems with blood testing.

[carojay]

I'm just wondering if anyone else has problems with bloods? Specifically actually giving the blood? I have recently been having problems and needed a test but getting blood out of me is virtually impossible. This week 3 people have tried and failed. Now my doctor has said we can treat to my symptoms which I'm fine with in theory but it's a bit hit in the dark if we don't know my TSH etc. I was losing hair again which I haven't done for years and when I lowered my Levo from 175 to 150 I was freezing cold, had numbness in fingers and my fingers were constantly prune like?? Feeling very disheartened. Any tips or advice will be much appreciated.

[sezzy]

Same as me , i was told to take a bath and wrap up warm and go straight for bloods which helped.

Or people take a hot water bottle to keep warm .

[helvella Administrator]

We have seen a number of people reporting this sort of problem. The consensus seems to be that there are things that will help:

Make sure you have drunk enough liquid.

If able, have a brisk walk for a few minutes before the blood draw - allow your arms to swing!

Ensure that you are pleasantly warm.

Rod

[carojay in reply to helvella]

Thanks Rod. I do always hydrate before as much as possible and try and get warm which is quite hard. I will try the walking though.

[rosetrees]

This may be irrelevant. The only time that ever happened to me was when I was severely anaemic and the nurse was unable to get any blood.

[shaws Administrator]

Once on medication the TSH could be irrelevant although our doctors like to medicate us according to the TSH result. rather than giving us optimum medication so that our clinical symptoms improve. As most holistic doctors do.

Excerpt from Dr Lowe:-

Our treatment team uses the TSH level only initially to help clarify a patient’s thyroid status. But during treatment, we completely ignore the level. The reason is that the TSH level is totally irrelevant to normalizing the patient’s whole body metabolism and relieving his or her suffering. The only clinical value of the TSH level is to see the effect of a particular dose of thyroid hormone on the pituitary gland’s "thyrotroph" (TSH-secreting) cells.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

How you feel is the most important question a GP can ask.

[carojay in reply to shaws]

I totally agree with you but I feel ok apart from hair loss which I know with me is an indication something isn't right. I think that's why he wanted a test because I have been fine for a long while. I may be suffering with anaemia but have to be tested. Vicious circle.

[Muffy]

I take 75mg of aspirin before I go for my blood test. Maybe it means out blood is too thick?! Anyway, it works.

[Maxdog008]

I also have this problem so much so that a doctor had to be bleeped to come and do mine eventually from my hand!! They did say to make sure I have drunk plenty of fluids in future!!

[ellarose1234]

I have same problem but make sure I drink a lot of water for a couple of days before the blood is taken. I then walk (fast)to the surgery which is about a 20 minute walk. The nurse knows that I have to have the finest needle, for children I think, and she puts a cuff on me as well. I always tell her where the one and only vein is....you can't see it but I know where it is! I have vowed to have a tattoo on it saying "take blood here". Some nurses are kind and take notice and are pleased with the guidance, others are "don't tell me my job!" types. When I get one of those I produce a photograph of the results of a "don't tell me my job!" type, both arms black and blue, which is enough to scare even the hardest hearted nurse. If it keeps happening with the same nurse you are entitled to ask for a more competent one...you won't be popular but the photo should do it Good luck!

[WAHINE]

If a they fail to get a venous sample from your arm you could ask them to do a capillary sample from your finger ( might be good idea to run warm water on your finger first if you are cold)

Capillary samples are taken on Children and babies all the time. The Lab can get enough serum to test TSH if they can fill a paediatric sample bottle.