To wish my GP practice had told me about this upward trend earlier?

I’m also in Scotland and have the same difficulty getting blood results. My GP is great and will print them out if ask but obviously, they are not going to give me a GP appointment to get my blood results and the nurses and reception are less keen. I had a phone call last week to say I needed my blood rechecked next week as something had come back abnormal. When I asked what the result was the receptionist told she wasn’t clinically trained but she thought something was high! I suppose I should have pushed further but I’m a terrible people pleaser.

@polarband I’m going to try to be a bit more assertive and insist on a printout. I also had results that were “just over” normal limits recently and it’s a bit of a shock when everything has always been fine (as far as we know) up until now.

I never had anything like that at 50 (or any age).

I also can't see any test results in the app, it says "you do not have access to this section". Yet, I've had plenty of tests over the years.

Despite all that, I always ask for printed versions of blood tests and check the levels myself online.

OP you could write to your MP demanding the app. I can't believe you don't have it!

In Scotland?

This is a good point and sadly points to a line I read recently in an article which said "GP services are pretty much being forced private and it seems like the government are on board with this, in an attempt to shelve off another service they won't be paying for anymore". It reminds me of NHS dentistry few decades ago now.

My GP now gate keeps all tests and it makes a mockery of trying to stay well and healthy.

the government still didn't wake up to the fact that a healthy population equals a productive population...

I should have had 5 of them by now then! I think it must depend on your GP/local area rather than being a national thing.

I agree with you @KnewYearKnewMe - it seems sensible to alert people to downward trends, even if that is an opt in thing - some people would rather not know.

I understand why it isn't happening yet, it would be too time consuming for a human to do this, but the government is talking about using digital solutions and focusing on the NHS being about health rather than just fixing disease so maybe this is something that will come.

@polarband

Okay, I asked about betablockers as the can raise blood glucose levels. Something I was not aware of until recently and I have been on them for many years for palpitations due to heart defect.

@Paganpentacle- tracking trends and creating an advisory/alert based on threshold breaches, etc, is something a simple dashboard can do - not something individual staff would be expected to do.

hopefully this won’t be too far in the future for healthcare.

This is why you go privately for an annual check up. It cost a few hundred pounds but it’s so useful.

OP you are completely right to be annoyed and infuriated.

The NHS babies you as though you are 3 years old and unable to interpret any data or anything at all really and should just 'wait to be told what to do' and never ask any questions.

Thank God for the app because without it, I wouldn't have discovered that I had a life-altering disease that NHS trusts locally to me had actually moved the goal posts on, but the app still had the old measures.

You are 100% correct you need to take your health into your own hands as the NHS will literally have you crawling on the floor before they take any action or allow you any kind of proactive interventions at all.

I've found since the age of 45 I've had to become my own doctor because they won't take any of my health issues seriously. Having seen my own DM die of complications, it's driven me to be far more proactive.

I'd ask for all your data, as legally provided for by whatever NHS act provides for it. Ask ChatGPT. What else are they hiding from you?

On another note, with regards to migraines, you could look at the scientific data on vitamin B2 - high dose - to see if this helps you at all. It's not for everyone, only those with MTHFR gene and a certain type but if it works, it's life-changing and you could come off the drug.

Additionally I really recommend the Zoe Nutrition program for lowering cholestrol.

I've been repeatedly fobbed off. Just recently I've had an operation which has cured my condition which would have literally robbed me of good health but on the NHS it's a condition where you 'watch and wait'. I've watched numerous women crumble in a Facebook group waiting for help and they are repeatedly pushed back on again and again and again.

I really don't trust the NHS unless it's for acute issues or terminal diagnosis.

Even then A&E is a shocker and terminal help is also a complete shocker too. It's made me consider moving abroad, the healthcare here is so woefully underfunded.

I agree with you, OP. An upward trend over time is certainly something that in an ideal world, you should be made aware of.

those saying ‘your body, your responsibility’ have no idea how hard it can be/has historically been to get detailed data.

i hope that as surgeries become more and more digitised, this sort of important tracking information will be routinely available.

https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/nhs-health-check/ - it is from age 40 and it looks like it is national. Maybe some areas are better than others at offering it.

Can you say what legumes and what portions etc as that sounds really useful

Are you taking betablockers for the migraines?

Slightly in the defence of you gp - they would have looked at the results in isolation, he/she wouldn’t pull up your blood result history unless there was a reason to do so. So they wouldn’t have seen anything amiss in your long term trend.

It was only when you asked why this came all of a sudden/ they got the outside of healthy range results they would have looked at the history.

It is frustrating, write to your mp and push for the NHS app.

Do you?? I’m 53 and have never heard of this (I’m in England). I moved house 2 years ago, meaning a change of GP surgery, and it wasn’t mentioned. So you just phone up and request it? I speak to my GP a couple of times a year re my HRT and she’s never mentioned it either. I wonder if it’s area-specific?

I feel your pain. I'm also in Scotland and I've also been fobbed off with " results are normal" , rather than being told they are steadily rising. I only know this because I asked for a print out of results, which seemed to really throw the reception staff as they didn't know how to deal with the request and a few days later called to say that if I really wanted them they'd need to request the practice nurse to authorise it. So no, in Scotland it's definitely not usual for patients to be able to easily access their own results.

I see you've mentioned CGMs, I liked the Dexcom one. You may also find it useful to listed to Ben Bikman - he explains that by the time our blood glucose has breeched the diagnostic levels, we're already insulin resistant. He also has videos about how to use your Cgm data.
Good luck

https://m.youtube.com/@benbikman