Steam is coming out of me ears.

[beaton]

I wanted a blood test as symptoms seem to be returning.

Our town surgeries have merged ( to make it easyer to see a doctor). Blood tests are walk in now," but not if it's thyroid, better see a doctor." the receptionist says. So today I had said appointment with a doctor. Not my own GP as that would be too easy. When I get there I'm booked to see a nurse practitioner, not a doctor, so I asked her what her role was. "Extra training, able to prescribe etc." When I asked for a blood test she wanted to go through all my history, did I have a thyroid condition? was I on meds.? then what were my symptoms. Having gone through that,she looks at last bloods which were taken in June. According to her they are abnormal. They are, I'm on T3 only, so TSH and T4 are suppressed. she tells me she will have to consult with an endo. and to come back in a week and take it from there.

I'm so frustrated, The "New system" was supposed to release doctors to see their patients yet I can only see an NP.who won't sanction a blood test, who sees my bloods as abnormal without knowing why. She was running over three- quarters of an hour late so I've spent most of the morning out of home without meds. in case I got the blood test. I don't think they have heard the last of this.

Rant over.thanks for reading.xx

[sandpebble]

Hi,

Rant is understandable, I can almost feel your frustration coming off your post. This kind of Surgery merger has just happened in my area too, and I did my first prescription with their new online system the week before B.Holiday, and Hubby is hopefully getting my tablets at last today. Major nightmare, but at least the order has 28th Aug on it so I can prove it wasn't my error. Good job we keep spares. Thanks for the bloods warning though, I'm T3 only too so I shall keep your experience in mind and try to avoid it. Hope steam output has lessened a little...

Liz

[shaws in reply to sandpebble]

If we're on T3 alone they get agitated if our T3 is high and the TSH very low. Never mind if we feel much better they'll try and persuade us to go back to levo and maybe give us one or two scare stories for persuasion.

[Heloise]

Hi beaton, do you think you tripped yourself up? It seems she would have agreed to a blood test since the previous was abnormal if you had said nothing. I was hoping to do that with MY P.A. but she directly asked if I was still taking Armour. I wish I could lie, but never can. Are you paying for T3 yourself or do you have to rely on a prescription? We have to become shrewd with these anarchists of medicine.

[beaton in reply to Heloise]

Hi Heloise, I don't know, When I went in she asked what I wanted and when I said a blood test she started asking questions. She hasn't read my notes so I guess when she saw the last bloods they looked abnormal to her, even though they had been passed by my GP as ok.

I think being new she is over keen but also knows little about thyroid. I think from what she said, she is of the idea that "one little tablet is all you need."

[Heloise in reply to beaton]

To tell you the truth, on T3 only I really don't know what ideal numbers are supposed to be, particularly T4. Does it matter anymore? Maybe we are in new territory here and positively for the M.D.'s so I thought the less I say the better. I get my own hormone so it doesn't really matter.

[shaws in reply to Heloise]

T4 will be low because we don't take it. Our T3 will be high because we do and our TSH will be low or very low for the same reason.

[Heloise in reply to shaws]

Yes, Shaws, thank you. I'm curious about exactly how low the FT4 can go. I'm concerned about the reserves of T4 I have or may not have particularly if something happens with T3. Have you had enough tests to know what exact numbers you should aim for?

[shaws in reply to Heloise]

I haven't had a blood test for about a year but I am not worried if I ever get a test again because I feel so well but assume GP will want to. Maybe if our thyroid is still producing a little T4 we might get a figure.

[beaton in reply to shaws]

Exactly Shaws.x

[shaws]

It is really disgraceful and I would write a letter to someone to complain. All we need is a blood test of several hormones and a print-out. You can tell them you can interpret your own blood tests and ask if hey can find a 'new' way to alleviate all the waiting around to be told the NP cannot assist you.

[Hidden]

Absolute disgrace . I think I would have been arrested bloody nhs is finished

[beaton]

Further to my rant last week, Weii I went for a blood test at the new walk-in hub. It took a bit of explaining, but I got my test, the girl who did it quoted from my endo.s letter. Thus explaining that I'm on T3 only.

Just got the results of said blood test. The girl who answered the phone told me the bloods were "normal", that was all she wanted to say so I asked for the results and was told a number but not told what this referred to, I explained there should be three numbers so she gave me another number again without telling me what it referred to.

I might aswell have waited till tomorrow when I see the nurse who thinks she's a doctor again.