Is this a first? I went for tft and this time they've ONLY done t3...

[puncturedbicycle]

I had to ring the surgery three times to get them to confirm that they'd add the t3 to my usual thyroid tests (I take both t3 and t4), so I've gone to collect the results this evening and when I got home I looked at them and there is nothing but my t3 results - ?

I guess it is the most important one because it tells me I haven't been taking too much thyroid hormone all in all, but it isn't at the top so it would be nice to know what my tsh is so I'd know if there was room to take a little more.

I find this so bizarre and perplexing. More than anything else I'm sick of not getting what I expected when I have my blood drawn. I only had a test for ferritin, b12 etc a month or so ago. I don't really fancy having my blood drawn again only a week after my last test.

I'm a bit hacked off about this. Am I overreacting?

[HarryE]

I wish they would all just do the correct things!! I don't think you're over reacting PB, in fact someone else suggested that blood being taken for things you don't know about, and having to have repeat bloods done for what should have been done is assault!

[puncturedbicycle in reply to HarryE]

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I think that was me! Not that I don't stand by it, but I know some people think that is an extreme view.

[HarryE in reply to puncturedbicycle]

I don't think it's extreme, I agree with you xx

[puncturedbicycle in reply to HarryE]

Bless you. Thanks for your support.

I'm accustomed to people finding some of my views extreme, but in this case it seems just completely logical to me that if you give permission for a certain test it doesn't allow them to do what they want. Nice to know that doesn't sound bonkers to you. xx

[HarryE in reply to puncturedbicycle]

The longer this stupid farce of being ill and being ignored goes on, the more extreme my views are getting too

[puncturedbicycle in reply to HarryE]

Yes, what they don't seem to understand is that our anger and upset doesn't come from nowhere; it percolates over years of being ignored and/or mistreated.

[LindaC in reply to HarryE]

Sadly, my whole family [many now long deceased] have only ever known this. I acknowledged all of those things but it never affected me... until it did! For the last decade now I have [as if I needed the example] seen 'it' in all of its glory... horrendous. Where pools/lottery wins used to be in the dreams of some... my only wish now is to be able to FULLY afford decent [long research to find it] healthcare.

Best to you and everyone in their quest!

[puncturedbicycle]

Okay, thank goodness for the lovely lady on reception, who, despite the late hour, rang the lab and then rang me back to say that they still had my blood and would do the full tft. Result!

[shaws in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Good news and the reception lady was good to phone and it puts your mind at rest.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to shaws]

If I was being guided more I might not be very concerned about the tsh and t4 tests, but because at the moment I'm figuring out my meds on my own, I felt that knowing the other levels might have been helpful. Goodness knows I don't fancy being stuck again.

[puncturedbicycle]

No, apparently there was a mixup with the tests which were ordered. The gp said she expected tft incl t3 to be done. The phlebotomist noted some discrepancy and thought she had sorted it but apparently not.

[Aurealis in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Glad you're getting them done from the extra blood, I know what you mean about needing the results when you're doing it yourself - and I also think it's assault to take blood if they don't test what they're supposed to.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Aurealis]

Thanks for your support!

I think what I wrote about assault got someone's back up, but as I said, the police (for example) wouldn't be able to test your blood without your permission, nor would they be able to test you for anything but what you had given permission for. They'd love it if they could get your permission for, say, a blood alcohol test and test you for drugs or whatever while they were at it, but they're not permitted to.

I'm really pleased that the nice receptionist sorted it out, but it has got to the point where any small thing like this has me in a lather (esp after 5pm on a Friday evening) and it doesn't seem fair that you should always be on a knife edge about whether or not the correct test has been done or if you're going to have to have an argument about it.

[LouiseRoberts]

For goodness sake!!

I am SO glad that they are sorting it out for you!

Kudos to that receptionist!

Louise

x

[puncturedbicycle in reply to LouiseRoberts]

Yes Louise, it was a relief.

She had asked me to come in just before the surgery closed to collect the printout, so she'd have enough time to ask the gp to okay it, so when I got home it was only 10mins before closing - 18:20! on a Friday! - and I thought it was far too late to get anything done, but bless her, she rang me back within 5mins of my call and said it was sorted.

Mind you I was the one who suggested they call the lab, but I didn't realistically expect them to do it. xx

[Hidden]

You're certainly not overreacting! When my first TFT3 wasn't done my GP told me it must have been a mistake because my Endo Dr............was so highly regarded that they wouldn't dare ignore his order for it to be done.I inwardly smiled and thought perhaps he should read some of these posts on here from people who are banging their heads against a brick wall trying to get that one done.

I was so determined to do everything I could that next visit I told the phlebotomist it hadn't been done first time + who had ordered it.She did quite a lot of writing on that phial and then declared she'd done her bit,now it's up to the lab.....a few days later I rang the hospital to check if it had been done as I felt the consultant was being undermined and I was wasting my time keep making journeys to the hospital to have blood drawn for nothing.

Eventually I made contact with the Consultant's secretary who managed to sort it out and sent me the results by E mail for which I was thankful and could finally relax until my appointment.When the appointment came and I had to wait over Two hours and then went in with a registrar I began to wonder if I was going to ever see my Endo and even after all that time I stepped back again because an even older lady was showing so much distress that I agreed to let her go before me.

When I saw my Endo come into the corridor and call another patient ...it just came out of my mouth..." Have I been overlooked"? ....no I will come and see you in a minute.

Of course I then sat there feeling uncomfortable.

It's strange isn't it.....you do someone a good turn and then when I eventually was seen

and came out,the Pharmacy was closed and also the reception for booking the next appointment,so I had to drive back again the next day and spend another hour in the Pharmacy waiting area for my prescription........at the end of all that I finally have some T3......keep going....you'll get there in the end X

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Hidden]

Yes, marfit, someone else was saying here that their endo ordered the tests and they were done in endo's actual hospital and they still didn't do the t3. (Have never heard of them only doing a t3 and nothing else though.)

Poor you, you must have been exhausted at the end of that day. I'm tired just reading about it. And even more than that I got anxious thinking about what it's like sitting there for two hours thinking about whether or not you will be listened to or if you will leave in tears, etc. I think this is what I most object to, this feeling that you must be on top of everything at all times and then they throw you a curve ball (t3 only results - ??) and you find there was one eventuality you hadn't prepared for.

Good for you getting t3! Good luck with it! xx

[Hidden in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Having sat there all afternoon watching people complain and keep asking others what time their appointment was and then asking the registrar when were they going to be seen,I kept calm.

Then when I was called and we walked down the corridor and the Guy noticed this poor old lady getting very agitated,he asked me if I was in a hurry?!!!!!!!!!

Obviously I was willing for him to see her and I was way past being in a hurry.The funny side of it was when I eventually came out,I walked back up the corridor thinking that my husband would be wondering where on earth I'd got to, and I found him talking to the last remaining patient waiting there.I said to him " you must have wondered where I'd got to" ...the lady who he was talking to said .

No he hasn't.....he's been chatting up all the ladies !!!!

Why do we worry !

Thanks for your good wishes and I hope all goes well for you tooX

[nightingale-56]

Hi PB, I posted last Wednesday that I had just been tested for T3 only and wondered if they had finally seen the light, but now I think about it, maybe it should have been FT3 anyway. Are they being awkward on purpose? Janet.

[helvella in reply to nightingale-56]

Not sure I have got the right end of the stick here, ...

Are you saying that you got a result to a T3 test? To a Total T3 test?

If it said "T3", that leaves you guessing. You can take an educated guess from the reference range, but they certainly should properly identify the test.

If it said "Total T3", then that is not so very unusual. Although there seems to be a majority of labs that do FT3, a number do perform TT3 tests. Few labs do both.

So if you got TT3 when you expected FT3, that seems rather unlikely to be intentional, more that is the test the lab does.

Rod

[nightingale-56 in reply to helvella]

Hi Rod, Yes, this has now got me guessing. It just had T3 on the blood form and my son has to have one (written the same - T3) in a couple of weeks. Will, hopefully get results on Monday, so might have to guess then! Will post when I get results, whatever. Janet.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to nightingale-56]

Hi Janet.

I've never heard of a t3 test alone (maybe because they're so wedded to the tsh, they seem to have it done no matter what) but I suppose the time they missed it out and did tsh and t4 only, and I had to go back and have blood drawn a second time, maybe the t3 test came back alone.

Are you on t3 alone?

To be honest, I'm not even clear on whether they do tt3 or ft3 at my surgery (if those are the correct options). There is a line beyond which they will not go, so at this stage if they do my tsh, t3 and t4 I'm happy enough.

If it becomes too big a deal getting these tests out of them I will just resort to private testing three or four times a year and I will have to find a way to absorb the expense somehow.

At my surgery I believe they genuinely don't have the depth of knowledge about the tests and don't really understand it, so I don't think they're being awkward, but I do think the labs are obstructive for budgetary reasons. And surely the labs must think the docs have no idea either, otherwise why would they be able to override the wishes of the gp? They must think the gp just orders random tests out of ignorance, otherwise why would they veto some testing?

[nightingale-56 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Hi PB, I am, at the moment on Wockhardt Levo and not doing as well as on Eltroxin, but marginally better than on MP Levo. Yes, such a long time since I had any sort of T3 test done that I am not now sure what one they do. In our area, they used to do TSH, FT4 and FT3, but for at least 5 years have only had TSH done (tied in nicely with them dropping the Eltroxin - possibly because they thought I would not notice!). FT4 has always been just above and FT3 about 3/4. TSH very variable, but usually under 2.5. Have normally had FT3 done privately. Janet.

[Aurealis in reply to nightingale-56]

Hi j_bee, can you tell me what differences you've found between MP and Wockhardt please.

[nightingale-56]

Hi Aurealis, The difference between MP and Wockhardt on the first tablet was that my legs and scalp did not feel as though they were burning. Legs are not so painful and move much better. Air hunger went. Unfortunately, some mornings I now wake with a left-sided headache and the dreaded 'plastic' covered spots are still present and particularly sore on my mouth. All in all Wockhardt are much better than MP. At the moment am waiting to see what blood results are and hopefully will post these next week. Also have a little more energy, but not enough to have a day out and not suffer for it the next day. Janet.