Hi
I've only ever used the full blood draw option for testing. But I have to pay the surgery £20 for the privilege.
Does anyone know if there is a difference, reliability wise, between full blood draw and finger-prick test? If you get a better, more reliable result from a full blood draw I'll stick with it. But I just wondered what you all thought.
I have had a GP test done within a couple of days of doing BH fingerprick test, and made sure conditions were the same apart from the GP test was would have been just after 9am (their earliest appointment) and the BH test was 8.30am. Taking into account the difference in ranges, I worked out the percentage through range my results were and there was virtually no difference. FT4 with Medichecks 75%, and with GP 72%. TSH suppressed (as it always is) and just a couple of % difference in FT3 as well. So in my experience a fingerprick test is as reliable as a venous blood draw.
Thank you. That's good to know, especially as you worked it all out like that.
I’ve found that too when I’ve had an NHS one close to my BH one. BH and my GP use different lab ranges but I go by my position within the range and my position is very similar in both.
The problem with a finger prick is that to be reliable we should let the blood flow out but never squeezed out. This was the point we made to medical students and that some parts of the body flow better than others i.e. The ear lobe and the fleshy part of the finger though better to do that towards the side as less likely to pick up an infection than using the prominent part.
So do you do the prick test Silverfox7 or do you do a blood draw when you test yourself?
I'm fortunate that my Endo does regular bloods so I don't have that problem.
Thank you for pointing that out.I will try a home finger-prick next time & that is useful advice
Assuming you mean your NHS surgery, I can't find my reference to confirm, but I believe your Dr is going against the GMC guidelines by charging - or at least, against the principles, which is perhaps more difficult to argue. They are expressly forbidden to charge for anything that they are supposed to provide within the terms of their NHS contract. They can charge for matters pertaining to holiday vaccinations and say, reports to employers/insurers, but not much else. I guess they might argue that the testing you are doing is supernumerary, but nevertheless the only cost to having a draw at the surgery is opportunity cost - and the only effect of that is that any patient that would have seen the nurse is delayed by one appointment, but no cost to the practise. That's pure opportunist profiteering. The only time I've had a veinous draw was a few years back when BH was offering a very detailed set of tests carried out in India, and I simply presented myself to the nurse and instead of handing her the GP's request form, gave her all my vials to fill. She couldn't have been less interested, and simply took the blood.
I tried a finger prick and screamed the house down...hit a nerve. My finger ached for about two weeks afterwards; never again. I pay the money.
Blimey!
A few days ago I read on here of someone's horrendous experience doing the finger prick method,and this was with a fully qualified retired nurse doing the collection.I'm so glad I read that.I've just been to my local private hospital,who have an arrangement with Medichecks.The saving I made on Thyroid Thursday paid for the full blood draw by a professional nurse.I then blew £6.50 to send it registered post.I don't trust Royal mail.
I pay the GP surgery for the nurse to do it for me and she sends the bloods off with the rest of them. I will stick to that I think. The idea of 2 weeks of aching nerve has put me off a bit.
I don’t know if there is a difference reliability wise but I have successfully done finger prick draw at home. The test I had need two little vial things. I made sure I was really hydrated & warm plus swung my arm a bit and put hand in bowl of warm water just to cover all bases. Made sure to prick side of top part of finger and not use index or thumb and then left it to gravity - does help to have someone catch the drops of blood as I can be clumsy & knock things flying. Didn’t have any pain afterwards, but we all respond to pain differently.
I’ve done home fingerprick loads of times and I’ve never had any problems. I do it like you describe and it’s really easy. More recently I’ve been filling two little tubes without any problem - like I’ve got a tap on the end of my finger ☝️
😃😂❤️
I did a BH Plus Eleven yesterday (very similar to Medichecks Ultravit). BH only require 1 x microtainer. My blood came up to exactly the 0.8ml mark and at 12 noon today I had my results, every test successfully done. No idea why Medichecks require 2 x microtainers to do 10 tests when BH can do 11 tests from 1 x microtainer.
That is interesting-will make a note of that & use BH next time,when I will try the DIY home method.Thanks for posting that info
I am extremely clumsy-only just found out this is yet another hypothyroid symptom to add to all the others
Although I get my tests done at the hospital my GP did say if I wanted to do any private tests myself the nurse will do them. So checked with her and she was happy to help with one condition-I showed her the results. She was interested in hearing about other tests and what they can show. Made me wonder if she had been asked advice and felt at a lost though knowing there were other tests the NHS wouldn't do but wasn't familiar with them.
Thanks for all your replies ladies. I've ordered my Blue Horizon kit today. I only need the basic TSH, FT4 and FT3 this time to see if I can increase my dose, didn't need to repeat other things, will probably do that next time.
I was brave and went for the finger prick after all. I'll see how I get on.
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