New here - need help

[ShelWhitt]

I am still here, hanging around. Just providing am update and posing a few more questions. hope you don't mind. Things have not changed much since last week. Discovered I am not able to access medical results on line - it says should be available spring 2020. Calmed down and saw different receptionist at Health Centre, who was at least pleasant and understanding. Was told, sorry for delay, but were so busy had to do when had available time.Then would notify me by phone to pick up. Not ideal I know. but I accepted this as did not want another futile row, so am now waiting. Picked up letter from GP, ready to take to specialist, in sealed envelope, presumably for me to make appt. when I am ready. Wondering whether to open it and see what she has written, but haven't so far. Taken another look at the advice you have all given me on here, but obviously need to wait and see exactly what results I get back before I do anything else. From the limited results info. I have been given in past, (no actual figures, and to be honest I have never asked for them previously, just accepted docs. say so, that things were OK at face value) do think my vitamins will have also been checked. So, if that proves to be the case; after having yet another look at the list of medicheck tests, think the one doing TSH, T4, T3, plus TGAb and TPOAb should be suitable. Am I on the right track here, please? I have also had a rethink and wonder if I will be able to do the test myself, to save having to go early morning to a centre, bearing in mind I will have to take disabled DH with me. Is it just a finger tip test. Is it easy to do, and has anyone else on here done one and found it to be satisfactory. Thnnks once again for all your help and advice.

[Marz]

From reading many posts over the years it is very clear that B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD are rarely tested as routine and must be requested. So I would add then to the Private Testing - and at least they will be up to date !

I have not done Finger Prick testing. There are 104,000 members on this Forum and thousands use Private Testing - for diagnosis and for monitoring treatment - so it must be reasonably simple !

Have read various tips here - from drinking lots of water the day before - stop your Levo for 24 hours before test - to be done fasting so only water - and test early in the morning. Am sure others will be along soon with more advice.

Maybe change the heading of your post - First Finger Prick Test - help please ! Or do another post if you do not receive many Replies. Often quieter here at weekends ...

Medichecks have Special Offers on Thursdays. Best to do test on a Monday and post quickly so sample is not hanging around ! Results within days ..

Your surgery seems unreasonable and I doubt they will phone you 😥

Keep up the good work - you are making progress ...

[ShelWhitt in reply to Marz]

Thank you Marz. Helpful advice as always. Will keep in touch.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

ShelWhitt

I do fingerprick tests and have no problems, some others find they can't do them. All you can do is try. If you fail, the company (If it's Medichecks or Blue Horizon) will send you another test free of charge, you can try fingerprick again or opt for venous blood draw kit and arrange to have the blood taken somewhere or arrange a home phlebotomy visit (the blood draw will cost extra whichever way you do it).

These are the tips I give for fingerprick tests:

* Be well hydrated, drink plenty of water the day before, and before you do the test.

* Some people take a shower before hand, some run up and down the stairs to get blood flowing. Personally, as I can't run up and down the stairs, I circle my arm round, windmill style.

* Have a bowl full of hot water, dip hand in and out, swish around, hand needs to go red. If blood flow stops, you can always swish round in the hot water again.

* Stand up to do the test. Make sure your arm is straight down when collecting the blood. Either use a small step stool to raise yourself well above the work surface, or put the collection tube on a lowish shelf. One member uses an ironing board so she can get the perfect height.

* Prick finger on the side, not the tip. I find that half way between the nail bed and tip is about right, or maybe slightly nearer the nail bed rather than the tip. I use my ring finger, but middle finger is next best for me.

* Do not squeeze your finger to get the blood out, it can damage the blood and it may not be usable

I've recently done 2 tests. The first one there was very little blood coming out which was unusual for me so I used a second finger and between the two I gradually filled the tube. However, when I checked the prick site for the first finger the actual cut was very small and as I've had some of these lancets fail before I put it down to that. When I did the second test this is what I did

* Prick my finger as usual, make a very slight twist with the lancet whilst blade is still in the finger. I'm not talking 90 degrees or anything, just a very slight twist to make the cut just slightly bigger, it doesn't hurt or cause a blood bath! This made a big difference, 11 generous drops of blood filled the tube in less 2 minutes.

If you supplement with Biotin, or a B complex containing it (B7), leave it off for 7 days before doing any blood tests as it can give false results when biotin is used in the testing procedure, and most labs do use it.

The cheapest way to get vitamins tested as well is as part of a thyroid/vitamin bundle with either Medichecks or Blue Horizon:

Medichecks Thyroid Check ULTRAVIT medichecks.com/thyroid-func... You can use code THYROIDUK for a 10% discount on any test not on special offer

or

Blue Horizon Thyroid Check PLUS ELEVEN bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/t...

Both tests include the full thyroid and vitamin panel. They are basically the same test but with the following small differences:

For the fingerprick test:

Blue Horizon requires 1 x microtainer of blood (0.8ml), Medichecks requires 2 x microtainers (total 1.6ml)

Blue Horizon includes Total T4 (can be useful but not essential). Medichecks doesn't include this test.

B12 - Blue Horizon does Total B12 which measures bound and unbound (active) B12 but doesn't give a separate result for each. Medichecks does Active B12.

Total B12 shows the total B12 in the blood. Active B12 shows what's available to be taken up by the cells. You can have a reasonable level of Total B12 but a poor level of Active B12. (Personally, I would go for the Active B12 test but that is with Medichecks who require 2 x microtainers.)

If you only want the complete thyroid panel then it's:

Medichecks Thyroid Check PLUS medichecks.com/products/thy...

or

Blue Horizon Thyroid Check PLUS SIX bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Both require just 1 x microtainer but only do this test if you are certain that all the vitamins have been done by your GP.

When doing thyroid tests, we advise:

* Book the first appointment of the morning, or with private tests at home no later than 9am. This is because TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. If we are looking for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or looking for an increase in dose or to avoid a reduction then we need TSH to be as high as possible.

* Fast overnight - have your evening meal/supper as normal the night before but delay breakfast on the day of the test and drink water only until after the blood draw. Eating may lower TSH, caffeine containing drinks affect TSH.

* If taking thyroid hormone replacement, last dose of Levo should be 24 hours before blood draw, if taking NDT or T3 then last dose should be 8-12 hours before blood draw. Adjust timing the day before if necessary. This avoids measuring hormone levels at their peak after ingestion of hormone replacement. Take your thyroid meds after the blood draw. Taking your dose too close to the blood draw will give false high results, leaving any longer gap will give false low results.

These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with doctors or phlebotomists.

[ShelWhitt in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you SeasideSusie for the helpful advice. One concern I have if I need to have blood taken, is that it would be at Superdrug in our local shopping centre. Obviously I haven't contacted them as yet, but wouldn't think they open before 9 am. It does also seem early if I need to get someone in to take a test. I am probably seeing problems where they don't exist. I am sure you can put me right. Thanks again.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to ShelWhitt]

A 9am blood draw would be fine, it's after 9am that TSH starts to lower.

As for home phlebotomy, it depends where you live and where their phlebotomists are based and how far they have to travel.

The timing of the test affects TSH only, not the FT4 or FT3.