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Blood Tests - how often

Posted , 4 users are following.

carmel83758
carmel83758

I am an anxious person and unable to go to see  or speak to my doctor or surgery now (long story so do not ask me to explain it) hence I ask this here. Have had an underactive thyroid for at least a year, still feel ropey, going up and down with it.  The doctor used to arrange for a nurse to come and take blood for test each six weeks, but now he wants a test just two weeks later. Any ideas about why?

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • jean34329
    jean34329 carmel83758

    Posted

    Dear Carmel

    I empathise with you.

    I suspect he is just trying to establish a pattern. Is the blood test for TSH, t3 and T4?

    Have you got copies of previous blood tests?

    Try not to worry.

    Kind regards

    Jean

  • debra15034
    debra15034 carmel83758

    Posted

    Really don't know why every two weeks unless he's checking something else. I've always heard that it takes 6-8 weeks for a new doseage..

    Question your doctor about this. 

    • jean34329
      jean34329 debra15034

      Posted

      Dear Debra and Carmel

      Perhaps he feels that he needs to double check the results from

      previous tests due to a wide variation . Having copies of all blood tests may provivide the answers Carmel is seeking.

      Perhaps Carmel may pluck up the courage to ask him or her the reason why.

      KIind regards

      Jean

  • LAHs
    LAHs carmel83758

    Posted

    I agree with Jean et.al., get copies of all of the test results he has taken. If you do not want to speak to the doc ask if you can access your results on the web - or write or e-mail him. Ask his receptionist if you do not want to interact with the doc at the moment. Have a look at what normal values are supposed to be and see if you can make sense of them. It may then become clear why extra tests are necessary. Is he altering your dose? I can imagine a number of scenarios why more frequent tests are required, you are lucky, asking my doc for extra tests is like asking for the moon.
    • jean34329
      jean34329 LAHs

      Posted

      I received an e mail from the People's Pharmacy stating that a host of drugs including calcium, magnesium, ppi's etc blocks absorption of thyroid drugs etc.

      Jean

    • LAHs
      LAHs jean34329

      Posted

      Hi Jean,

      That is true but it is a topic I have not researched in detail yet. However, if you take your thyroid medication one hour before you have breakfast then you have bypassed this problem because it has entered your blood stream via an empty stomach. I wake up about 6am, go to the bathroom, take my pill,  go back to bed for one hour, then get up at 7am. As I lie there I can feel the meds hit my system after about half an hour. For what it is worth, I think it is best to get your vitamins via food, e.g. eat yoghurt for calcium, fruit and veggies for Magnesium and Potassium etc. etc. But yes, keep about 4 hours between thyroid pill and SOME minerals.

      I will research this blocking problem - it was close to the top of my list, it is important and I will post here.

    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 jean34329

      Posted

      Hello Jean:

      Spacing is important.  Thyroid meds need to be taken on a empty stomach and not with any food.  Some people take it at night as long as you take it alone.  I take mine in a.m. but my cholesterol med at bedtime.  Certain meds compete in the bowel for receptor sites so that is why it is to be taken alone. I hope this helps.  XO Shelly

    • LAHs
      LAHs

      Posted

      Hi Jean,

      Well, I looked this blocking thing up and found the following.

      Foods and minerals which block the absorption of Thx medication are: Cruciferous Veggies (like Kale and Cabbage), Coffee, iron and Calcium supplements, High Fibre cereals e.g. Bran Cereal. Don’t take your pill with a calcium fortified fruit juice, High Calcium Greek yoghurt (Oooops I eat a lot of that), Grapes, Soy, Papaya, Medications which lower stomach acid, especially antacids. (Thx meds need the acid to break them down). There are some complicated medications which I don’t know anything about: Proton pump inhibitors (esomeprazole, omeprazole) things like that? There was a suggestion that taking your pills with a glass of water with 500mg of ascorbic acid mixed in improved the absorption – think I’ll stick to water though, that sounds a bit rough on your stomach.  Anyway, there may be other things, but this is a start.

      BTW the reason you have to drink at least 8oz of water with your pill is that although you get it swallowed it could stick to you esophagus wall on its way down and get absorbed there, that is not a good thing because your esophagus wall may begin to corrode over time and there is nothing to fix that (horrible) problem - so lots of water to wash it into your stomach.

    • jean34329
      jean34329 LAHs

      Posted

      Thanks for this info especially the tip about drinking plenty of water. That is actually a very valuaable and important tip because it could account/explain why I very often get bad gastric pain after taking certain tablets such as warfarin. and sometimes eating

      Jean

       

    • barbara98940
      barbara98940 LAHs

      Posted

      Hello everyone, I'd just like to say that one should still eat these foods to get a balanced fiet. The point is, eat them at leat 4 hours after taking the thyroid meds. There is a misconception that cruciferous vegetales are bad - they're fine providing they are cooked. Kale and broccoli are excellent sources of nutrients - one of the medical conditions they help prevent is macular degeneration.
  • shellyC19
    shellyC19 carmel83758

    Posted

    Hello Carmel:

    My name is Shelly and I am a Nurse.  I live in the USA, and I have hypothyroid disease.

    Doctors order blood work for a number of reasons.  Maybe the prior lab values were off and he wants to make sure that it really is that way.  Lab people are humans and they could have not taken enough blood for a test or your doctor wants a retest of the lab value in question.  Lab people can make mistakes!

    It is protocol to have 2 lab values (for the same test), be abnormal or low.   You can always call your doctor and or e-mail him if you can, and ask why. 

    I am thinking they forgot to run a test and need more blood to do it.  Like others have said, get a copy of your blood work (lab values) for your files.

    Be well, Shelly

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