Blood test for thyroid at my surgery 😡

[birkie]

Hi everyone ❤️

This post will be a bit of a rant...sorry🫣

So I'm on ndt supplied by roseway clinic, my surgery are awear of this and know I'm increasing slowly , so my last bloods in January 2025 show my T4 is still low at 9.8 range..11.00..22.00]

I was due to speak to a doctor at my surgery to discuss the T4 result , he rang me on Feb 6th I had the conversation about the ndt and he recommended I try to increase it to see if my T4 comes into range, saying I can then have my thyroid bloods done after 7wks, just call or pop into reception and make an appointment....great!! seems a simple task🤔.....or is it...😡

So today I'm at the job centre 🤦‍♀️thanks to Mr starmer picking on us disabled people getting pip

After.. I call across to my surgery to do this very simple task, tell the reception the story..GP called me, the thyroid bloods to be done.

She taps he trusty computer asking me the usual questions..name DOB...then happily tells me there's nothing on the system saying I have to have any bloods done😡

I calmly tell her again, the GP rang me informing me thyroid blood will need to be done after 7wks because I've increased my thyroid medication.

" there is nothing on the computer about any bloods"

"OK I say, can you inform this GP Dr ##### I'm waiting for his go ahead to have thyroid bloods done?

" no sorry you will need to ring between 8am and 9am to speak to someone about this"

1, you can never get through to speak to anyone , they knock the phones of if all appointments are taken😡

I also explained if I don't get these bloods done my next prescription for ndt [ my thyroid hormone medication] roseway clinic will refuse to do it because they need my new blood work.

That went right over her big head😡

Why can't there be a system were receptionists can send a message to a GP telling them they have not sent the relevant message to my file saying I have to have thyroid bloods done? Surely it's not my fault, it's there's , so shouldn't they be held accountable 😡 why punish the patient.

I'm so sick how the nhs works today...it's a shambles 😡😡😡😡

[SlowDragon Administrator]

as NHS blood test very unlikely to test Ft3 …..can you test yourself?

10% off code here

thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

Just TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 test - £32

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

10% off code here

thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

Or including vitamin levels

Monitor My Health (NHS private test service) offer thyroid and vitamin testing, plus cholesterol and HBA1C for £65

(Doesn’t include thyroid antibodies)

monitormyhealth.org.uk/full...

10% off code here

thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

[birkie in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi slowdragon ❤️

I've actually been very lucky in that I've had all my thyroid levels done including T3 ...the GP I spoke to over the phone pointed out my T4 was still low, so in that instance I could have a full thyroid panel done T3, T4, TSH ,including calcium [ for phpt] .

I'm being re- assessed for my pip 😔 just filled the horrid form in..so any money I have I will need to keep hold of incase I'm refused pip 😔

My son is still saying he will pay for my ndt, but having to pay for blood work when this GP said I could have it within the surgery is a kick in the teeth😡

I'm just going to have to ring between 8am and 9am and hope to God I can speak to someone.

But a letter of complaint will be winning it's way to the practice manager 👍

Why are we made to suffer when the GP made the mistake?

The system is well and truly broken 😡

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to birkie]

It’s pretty common when on adequate NDT for Ft4 to be low (but within range) …..and typically TSH low, below range or suppressed

[birkie in reply to SlowDragon]

really the only reason im getting these bloods done is so i can present them to roseway clinic on my next prescription, otherwise i can't get it..so because my gp green lit these thyroid bloods i though..great i wont have to pay out of my disability money 👍

[Obsdian in reply to birkie]

I'm scared about a PIP review as well but mine won't be for some time unless they change that. Already collecting paperwork as I go.

It was so hard getting PIP in the first placem

[birkie in reply to Obsdian]

I really didnt think I could claim it till my then lovely GP [ a lady] told me she would do all the info on my conditions, she wrote a great letter to the DWP laying out my chronic conditions .

I've been getting it ever since, low rate and only have to tell them if I become better..[ fat chance of that] or I become worse, well I've got primary hyperparathyroidism now so that's another string to my bow😁

But I've just done my form 🫣 with all starmer and kendal are doing I'll be lucky to get it...my lovely GP retired to have her twins , I've never seen her since🤷‍♀️ so can't ask her to help me this time😔

[Kerry124 in reply to Obsdian]

I am landlord and own properties in the UK and one of my tenants is blind and has had to do this. She is registered blind so had to get her mother to fill in the form and I had to fill in a form as well. Completely ridiculous as she had been my tenant for 15 years. This UK government is causing problems for a lot of disabled people

[Obsdian]

Idiots. My receptionist books it anyway and sends a note on the system for the GP to approve it.

[birkie in reply to Obsdian]

Yeah wouldn't you think she could just have done that🤷‍♀️ I have a number of chronic conditions, let alone dealing with a thyroid hormone problem [ no thyroid]...but unfortunately the receptionists at our surgery are jobsworth ladies..it's like they can't think for themselves, or workout a problem for a patient who needs the bloods done..[ because the GP said so] They make it so hard for me to even contact them, well as I said...another complaint letter to the practice manager👍, we must complain if we don't they will always get away with it.😡

[Obsdian in reply to birkie]

At ours if you haven't got on the econsult system in the first 10 minutes that's full too now.

[birkie in reply to Obsdian]

Yeah we have to sit on the phone from 8am till 9am and without fail at around 8.30..840 the line goes dead [ bit like the nhs🤣] that means all appointments have been filled😡 and you can't even ring up after 9am to speak to anyone....I poped in today at about 10.45...only 4 people sitting to see a GP.....God I would say those 5 gps we have must be run of there feet this morning 🙄🙄

[waveylines in reply to birkie]

Feel for you Birkie. It IS a shambles. I dread any contact from GPs these days. Can you drop a note to the GP who said you could order tests requesting if he would set this up as you were turned away at reception.

I'd say order some private ones but u shouldn't have to use your finite resources for this when he offered.

He clearly forgot to make a note of it.....lol Hugs x

[Tina_Maria in reply to birkie]

I remember a surgery in North Bristol (going back a few years now), no phone-in appointments, you had to physically come into the surgery at 8am on the day and queue to get an appointment!! No need to say that the queue went all the way outside, so this was really lovely when it was pouring with rain or when it was freezing cold .... if you weren't really sick by then, you certainly were afterwards! 😡 Certainly not what you'd expect in the 21st century ...🤦‍♀️

[Ellie-Louise]

I say, “Thank God when October comes”…not that I’m wishing my life away…but that is when the dreaded 8:00 am call rush will end and we can make our appointments online again.

[JoJoloveschocolate]

The whole system is nuts! Everything is such a long, drawn out process.

My husband has just started using a glucose monitoring sensor and the instructions said to use an alcohol wipe to clean the skin. Because he’s starting insulin he has to have it monitored by the community team now instead of the gp team, but he has to have blood tests and tablets from the gp diabetic team not the community team.

There were no alcohol wipes provided in the box with the sensor.

The nurse didn’t provide any when she gave him the sensor etc.

The pharmacy couldn’t provide a wipe. They didn’t sell them.

The receptionist at the community diabetic team said we had to ask our Gp surgery.

The receptionist at the gp surgery said she hadn’t received the letter from the community diabetic team (which wouldn’t have said anything about an alcohol wipe anyway).

She suggested an appointment with the practice diabetic nurse in two weeks time …when he was due to start his insulin and the glucose sensor the following day

I asked her just to leave a message for the nurse to see before her clinic. She said no.

She said it would have to go through triage system. The nurse may or may not see it.

Eventually we got a message saying the nurse had left some wipes at the reception for husband to collect.

We’ve also had problems with blood tests because the community team asked for him to have one, but when he tried to book it with the gp, they hadn’t had the letter so wouldn’t book it.

[Catlover1981]

At the hospital we just message them saying you didn't order bloods for patient name etc. Sorry but a clinician does have to order bloods we can't just demand them. Normally it just is a matter of reminding doctors and the receptionist shouldn't have treated you that way

[birkie in reply to Catlover1981]

Well I said could she not just contact the GP in question or just send a message to him saying he hadn't sent the relevant blood order to my file,...no I have to sit on the phone between 8am and 9am in the hope I can speak to someone. Well day one this morning..no luck in getting through to speak to any gp😡

Try again tomorrow 🙄

[Catlover1981 in reply to birkie]

They might have a different procedure to our ones at the hospital but it's so easy to just send a message or look at the consultation on the computer and see because the doctor will have said bloods to be taken in and forgot to fill out the forms. Annoying I know but I would make a complaint about the way you are being treated

[cyberbarn]

I would make a complaint to the practice manager, and fill in a Friends and Family form which should be available on the website and will be anonymous.

And if you can manage it ask to join the Patient Participation Group too!

[birkie in reply to cyberbarn]

I totally intend to do a letter of complaint to the practice manager, got up this morning feeling like I'd just stepped off a fast merry-go-round 🤮 heads everywhere 😵‍💫

[Lovecake]

Hi

With regards to the blood tests and your frustration with the receptionist (aka medical know it all), we sometimes get that issue at our surgery. But…..when someone interfered with my prescription for migraine meds and I was really upset (furious, but didn’t show it) the receptionist sent a message through to a doctor to get the correct medication added (the prescribing pharmacist had changed it). They did change it back within 2 hours.

We can also email our doctors. It’s not a private portal - but I am beyond caring if I need something sorted - I have pinged a message to my doctor requesting a thyroid blood test (inc FT3 as I’m on some T3) because my private endo needs to see up to date results for my next appointment. This always generates a reply within 2 days that a test has been put on the system for me to book (we have to go to a hospital or nhs hub place as our surgery won’t do bloods for basic tests 🙄). Maybe you are able to do this and if so might solve your problem? 🙂

[mcflyforever]

I feel your pain - I am seriously considering changing my surgery because it is so bad but as I live in a rural village there aren't any other options that are within a reasonable distance and no guarantee another surgery will be any better. I put in a request at the beginning of December for a steroid injection in my shoulder and still haven't got an appointment as it's considered "non urgent" even though I am in a lot of pain. My daughter had a scan at the beginning of January and we still haven't got an appointment to discuss the results!. You can't talk to anyone as they insist everything has to go through the triage computer system but that is only open during working hours and you have to go through 20 pages of irrelevant questions before you can get to the part where you can say what you want. If someone doesn't have access to a computer they will fill in the triage thing for them rather than dealing with the enquiry. I am sure there are going to be deaths soon as the elderly are just going to give up rather than battle to get hold of the doctor. Whenever I have been in the surgery there is only ever a maximum of 3 people in the waiting room but usually it's empty! This is despite there supposedly being 2 doctors and at least 3 nurses on duty! The last time I was in trying to sort something out they said they were currently running at least 2 months in arrears on the appointment requests! So basically it's tough if you have anything serious.