I asked my GP to request that I be tested for Free T3 and Free T4 as well as TSH, as advised by the endocrinologist. The nurse who took my blood wrote this on the form, but she said sometimes the lab does not do the requested tests, they just do the ones they want to. So it came back and they had just tested T4 and T3 and TSH.
I had blood tests at private hospital when I saw the endocrinologist privately and they charged me £157 for the phlebotomy and three blood tests. Looks like I will have to pay this again if I want to see what is actually going on with my blood levels. Grr.
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Coachv
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If you can get blood drawn anywhere (maybe ask your GP surgery) you can have a vacutainer test instead of the fingerprick one for the same price, they send what you need
First time I managed with finger prick but not the second .I am mean giving my blood! For an extra £35 Blue Horizon arranged for me to go to a BMI hospital of my choice for the blood draw.
I posted the blood last Wednesday and the results were emailed last Friday.
Are you taking t3? I am under the impression that this is the only reason I get the test done. Well, that and the doctor writing it on the form and the amazing phlebotomist making sure everything is done correctly and then making sure I get the results and if they're not there ringing the lab and getting them to test the reserved sample etc etc. It takes a team of vigilant professionals (and me) to get it done.
Yes, this is normal, my gp requests it all the time as I am on T3 only so t4 and tsh only is pointless but they will never do for him, they are not allowed, only the endos - rediculous!
When i went in for my yearly thyroid check the other day the nurse said that they are only checking tsh not even t4 what a bloody waste of time, am going to get mine done privately in the future.
My advice is to get your own (private company) blood tests. At first it will be expensive but when you have finally got to good levels, meaning you feel well at that dose, you will only have to do a blood test maybe once a year. Perhaps that yearly "maintenance" blood tests your doc does (on the NHS) will be all that you need. One small point about the DIY approach, make sure you always test at the same time of day under the same conditions (e.g. before/after breakfast, always before taking your meds etc) that way you do not mistake diurnal variation for change in your condition.
A short story about getting a blood test from my doc. I was ludicrously busy helping with our last election ( I have always been volunteered for that "honor") and I was down to my last pill. I was so panicked about getting to the pharmacy that I completely forgot that I had taken my last pill that morning. I picked up my prescription and dashed round to the blood lab for doc's TSH TT4 and TT3. My TT3 registered off the charts and I got this urgent e-mail telling me to stop my meds since my T3 was at crisis level and my TSH was 0. It was only then that I realized that I had taken my meds just before the blood test! I wrote back immediately informing the doc and reminding him that my T3 would be close to zero about 4:00pm. Now, if I hadn't read books and been on this forum I would be sick now and wondering what ever should I do next, and probably still be in a mess a year from now.
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