Advice needed as telephone appointment at 11-45 tomorrow

[Spoticus]

Haematology dept has informed my Gp that my low results in ferritin which have been erratic since 2018 needs investigation & if the iron tablets I have been taking for 2 months have not helped to refer me back to them . Huge shakeup at my Surgery all the Doctors have left & it’s now being run with 2 new Doctors & a Nurse practitioner who’s calling me tomorrow plus 4 other nurses. The nurse calling tomorrow is the one who referred me to haematology, I told her that I thought it was my thyroid causing the problems I was having & was cut off as I was spelling out some of those problems , that’s when she said she thought it best to refer me . I had another blood test this morning & I asked for vitamin D to be checked . I have just gone on to patient access & found some results from this morning’s test , no ferritin results and the only one abnormal is Haemoglobin estimation 119 g/L 120-150 . I’m hoping there are more results to come but I’ve just noticed my previous results in December are no longer on Patient access. I’m hoping that’s not suspicious & I wondered if anyone can give me advice on what I need to say as it’s just a phone appointment again .

[fuchsia-pink]

Gosh what a nightmare - all doctors leaving at once! - could be an opportunity too though ...

I would take the opportunity to ask for FULL thyroid testing done - TSH, free T4, free T3, antibodies - and key nutrients - ferritin, folate, vit D and B12. Say that these are the tests recommended by Thyroid UK. Say your concerned that historic results have been removed from Patient Access and ask that they be mailed to you, for your records. And that you are concerned that your thyroid concerns are dragging and your previously-identified low ferritin isn't being addressed. Important to have an early morning fasting blood test when TSH is highest.

In my experience if you are quietly sure of what you want and VERY polite, it sort-of throws them. They expect us to be querulous, or see GPs as all-knowing (which we know they aren't!) - but it's important for you to stand up for your own health. And that mean, at the least, getting the right tests done - and the results

Good luck x

[Spoticus in reply to fuchsia-pink]

I am hoping she listens to me this time but I’m not holding my breath , she was very abrupt last time on the phone. Hopefully they are going to investigate properly now and luckily I wrote the last results down & posted them on here. Yesterday’s tests were required so quickly & the lady taking bloods didn’t know what they wanted tested, I should have been on the ball & postponed them for a few days although she said she was just going to do everything including vitamin D . Shall see what’s said & go from there as I am so tired and aching and it has been going on for a few years now that I had slipped into thinking it was normal. If I hadn’t found this forum by chance I would probably not have realised just how important the thyroid is !!!

[nellie237]

"I’ve just noticed my previous results in December are no longer on Patient access. "

Do you:

In the 'test results" screen against say FBC click on a pink down arrow, which then brings up your latest results like this

Total White Cell Count...........Result................Range................Normal/Abnormal..........Date

Red Blood Cell Count.............Result................Range................Normal/Abnormal..........Date

Haemoglobin Estimation......Result................Range................Normal/Abnormal..........Date etc

and are Names of the tests that I've put in bold bright pink?

If you click/drill on the Name on the test it should bring up all your old results for that particular test underneath a pretty useless graph.

[Spoticus in reply to nellie237]

Thankyou , did what you said & found them