Should I go private or NHS?

I have my next bloods due end of March. I at the moment am suffering from awful anxiety and agoraphobia due to my physical symptoms flaring up my anxiety disorder again. The fatigue daily and the ground moving/bouncing as i walk has made me too afraid to go to appointments, shops etc... My GP has been out to my house 3 times in 3 months due to my symptoms. So this means i can't go for bloods, especially fasted at 8am by myself, and I have 3 children to get to school.

So my question is do i go back to Blue Horizon or the NHS for my bloods. My last bloods were with Blue Horizon in mid January this year.

My results with the NHS August 2015

TSH 5.35 (0.35-5.50)

FT4 11 (7-17)

Blue Horizon January 2016

TSH - 6.54 (0.27-4.20)

FT4 14.2 (12-22)

FT3 5.37 (3.1-6.8)

Total T4 110.3 (64.5-142)

Antibodies all fine.

So would it be best to go with Blue Horizon to compare to January? Are they a well known lab and accurate? I just want to make sure I am getting accurate results. The NHS say they wait for TSH to be 10 before treatment but someone here told me recently that results differ from lab to lab, I assumed it was just the range that differed not the actual result. So I thought a TSH of 6.54 with Blue Horizon would be 6.54 on an NHS test. So would it be closer or further away from 10 on the NHS range if I had it done with them, I feel I need to know this if my GP is waiting until I hit the magic 10. I hope this makes sense lol!

Thanks

Julie

[Hidden]

It. Is a quandary isn't it? Blue horizon is a well established lab. I am in the south east England and it is apparently the lab that is used by NHS Gp's in my area.

The plus for you using B.Horizon will be that you can get all three tests done with NHS they may not do beyond TSH as you know.

I was fortunate my GP treated me when tsh was just over 5, after I showed him the BH test,he then did his own, which came out just a smidge lower, but with certain symptoms that may have indicated hypo.

As ever so much depends on the gps take on it.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I have symptoms but my GP disagrees they are hypo related as my T4 is normal. It's so frustrating. He is saying as my TSH is only result out he isn't convinced my fatigue, floor bouncing as I walk and exertion causing intense fatigue and weakness, is due to my thyroid. It's due to something and he said anxiety/depression after the trauma I have recently been through with my son.

[HarryE]

All laboratories are inspected & accredited by the same organisation, so there is no reason for an NHS doctor to refuse to accept their results. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it did to me!

And the results may differ slightly depending on the test method & manufacturer used, but I wouldn't think by much.

And you obviously have to pay for private ones, and I don't think you should have to. You need treatment, end of

[Hidden in reply to HarryE]

Thank you. I agree, I am just hanging on, and that's how it feels as daily I feel terrible,, to the fact next month when my results come back I can then insist on treatment and hopefully T4 will have dipped and their GP can comment that i need treatment.

[Hidden]

This is simple - NHS refuses to test t3, the most important hormone to get in range. So go private.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I don't know much about T3 if I'm honest. M gp seemed to think of my t4 was within range then I am fine. My gp did on my test t4 and tsh on the NHS test.

I will go private again.

[Karen321]

I see an Endo privately in Lancashire and he writes to my GP to tell them what to test, consequently I get TSH FT3 FT4 VitB12 and VitD3. It can be an awful battle to get treatment for symptoms instead of blood results... I only went private because the waiting list at my local hospital was 20 weeks.

[Hidden in reply to Karen321]

It is awful. I have felt ill since last summer and I am no closer to being taken seriously. I have to cope with 3 children feeling like this, it's horrible. My GP just blames anxiety and depression.

[Karen321 in reply to Hidden]

Ah yes I kept going to GP for over 2 years and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, menopause, IBS and Diverticular Disease. The fact that I'd lost 3.5 stones didn't seem to register until I collapsed and ended up in A&E... I believe it was hyper all along. Don't give up keep going back

[Nanaedake]

I feel terrible if my TSH goes higher than 3.0 so I think I would be nearly dying if my TSH had to reach 10.0 before they treated me with levothyroxine. People might have different 'normal'. Have you made a list of symptoms to show to your GP at the next visit?

[Nanaedake]

Sorry, just noticed this was a few months old post. How're you doing? Did you get it sorted?

[Hidden in reply to Nanaedake]

Hi

My last test last month showed my tsh was 9.28!! Ft4 15.7. Gp put me on 25mg thyroxine and will retest in 8 weeks. I've been on it almost 4 weeks now.

I'm hoping it'll bring that tsh down next test.

Thanks for asking after me.