Anonymous thank you.

[NickP1]

Just like to say an anonymous thank you to a nurse.

Had bloods taken on Friday for sugar and cholesterol. Took a chance and asked if it was possible to add TSH, T3 and T4 to the mix. She said normally we need request from GP, but she managed to find a way to wing it and added them anyway.

Don’t want to mention where or when in case it causes issues but many many thanks.

[spongecat]

Let's hope the lab complies, that is the main hurdle for GP's and Nurse Practitioners. It's a circle, the lab needs to be paid and if a certain test is out of the financial scope that seems to be that.

Some years ago I got lucky with GP ordered bloods for FT3 because the hospital they were sent to (Southampton General Teaching Hospital) were doing a study on thyroid conditions, apparently.

[NickP1 in reply to spongecat]

Fingers crossed. We’ll find out on Wednesday.

[ITYFIALMCTT]

If your TSH is in range, then the lab. will probably not do the FT4 and it will be interesting should you obtain the FT3 because even endocrinologists are having their requests for them refused in some CCGs. I shall watch for an update.

[NickP1 in reply to ITYFIALMCTT]

Yep. She did say the labs could refuse but would request it in a way that hopefully they wouldn’t.

Have to add, every time I’ve requested T3 T4 and TSH they’ve obliged.

[NickP1 in reply to ITYFIALMCTT]

I may be one of the lucky ones.

They did the TSH, T3 and T4.

😀

[ITYFIALMCTT in reply to NickP1]

This just emphasises how much the NHS is not only a postcode lottery but also reliant upon flukes at times.

I have to ask, did they do the FT4 despite the TSH being in range or was TSH out of range - and similarly test for the FT3 altho' the FT4 was in range (or not)?

[NickP1 in reply to ITYFIALMCTT]

TSH was out of range. I don’t have the figure in front of me but I think it was 0.2

Thoughts were it was low but nothing to worry about at the moment.

[ITYFIALMCTT in reply to NickP1]

Ah, iirc, you might have been a little fast in titrating a thyroid hormone - and I should think that might have influenced/suppressed the TSH and possibly pushed down the FT4 - so it's making some sense.

[Rmichelle]

Good luck👍