Blood tests

[LONGEATON]

Due to covid when an endo was not available on the NHS I was forced to go down the private route.

Due to cost pressures I have been trying for several months to revert to the NHS to get an endo appointment but without any success. Each time my GP'S have asked our NHS hospital for an appointment and arranged one, the consultant has cancelled it on the grounds I'm seeing a Private endo.

Up until now my GP has been doing any blood tests but now refuses to do them saying the 'shared care' arrangement when I was on both Thyroxine T4 & Liothyronine T3 no longer applies since the endo stopped the T3.

The 8 blood tests, as below, my private endo is asking for are being quoted at £627 at the local private hospital which quite frankly I cannot afford. My endo appointments are already costing me £200 per visit!

U&E £64

LFT £53

Hba1c £61

B12 & Folate £105

9am Cortisol £61

Prolactin £61

T4 & TSH £124

IGF1 £98

Can anyone please suggest a solution..

[SlowDragon Administrator]

well you also need Ft3 and vitamin D tested plus ferris

Blue horizon currently have 15% off if new customer

Or 10% discount using the code TUK10.

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes BOTH TPO and TG antibodies, cortisol and vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

BH also offer private blood draw at clinic near you, or private nurse to your own home…..for an extra fee

This Blue Horizon test at £59.35 covers

U&E £64

Hba1c £61

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

LFT £53 Blue horizon bit cheaper at £49.85

labtestsonline.org.uk/tests...

That leaves

Prolactin £61

IGF1 £98

Very unusual test. Do you normally have this done?

labtestsonline.org.uk/tests...

Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.

Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

If you normally take levothyroxine at bedtime/in night ...adjust timings as follows prior to blood test

If testing Monday morning, delay Saturday evening dose levothyroxine until Sunday morning. Delay Sunday evening dose levothyroxine until after blood test on Monday morning. Take Monday evening dose levothyroxine as per normal

[gset]

I too had the same problem in 2021 when I was hospitalised due to Graves related AF. I was diagnosed and couldn’t get GP or endo referral so had to go private to get my meds. To reduce the inflated blood test costs I bought the Randox ones and had the results for my appointment.