To say a call would be made immediately

[MiaMarshmallows]

If something came up which looked concerning on an xray or blood test result.

Or have people not found out they had a horrible illness until weeks/months on when they have found out in other ways?

I think a massive difference between blood tests and X-ray. My daughter had a blood test at the hospital. I then drove her straight to her grandparents house to drop her off for a sleepover (about an hour away) and on the way back, I got a text to call the surgery! With bloods, if they are out of ‘range’ then they are abnormal. X-rays I would think usually would need to be reviewed by a radiographer and possibly another, to determine whether abnormal and it is more subjective. Hence likely to take longer to get a call. Hope it turns out ok.

Really depends on how abnormal the test is and whether imminently life threatening. Grossly abnormal blood results will always be phoned through by the lab.

Me! Though mine is REALLY rare. Hence why they didn’t think I had it. They kept saying I’d be dead. Or I’d be in the very tiny group. I said well someone has to be in that tiny group

I had to have a special test. War told the results would be 2 months

I got a cal 24 hrs later. But without that very special test. I would of died. It’s not something they test blood for

I now advocate for others who have the illness.

I’m only one of 300 women to have been diagnosed ever.

I would never rely on no news is good news. My husband had blood tests, was told they were fine by a receptionist after chasing them up weeks later. He assumed no news was good news and I assumed a doctor would have looked carefully at them. Sadly not. He was very very ill. Always chase up and check.

@DontDribbleOnTheCarpet

Our surgery has form for losing test samples and/or results, so I would always check.

The time I got a quick callback from the GP and almost crapped myself with worry - it was that they'd had a leak with the pee sample in the back of the van and could I make another deposit please?!

I am very interested in this thread. I don't think you can call it one way or the other op. I had a transvaginal scan last Monday which showed up a uterus polp, an ovarian cyst and a very thickened womb lining. So a bit concerning. They also took bloods. I thought I would hear within a couple of days if bloods showed anything concerning. I haven't heard so possibly no news is good news. However they are going to do exploratory surgery ...day patient ...and I had a letter by Friday telling me to come for pre surgery tests. Not sure if this is because bloods showed something ...or not. Maybe the bloods were ok ...or maybe not and they are waiting to tell me the whole when the exploratory surgery is done. It does play on my mind a bit. Hope your relative is ok.

I had an ultrasound today. Was told 7 days for results to get sent to the gp.

Had a blood test summer 2019 for x. It showed up a problem with y, but not x, so no one got back to me. Had another blood test this week, and they asked me what action had been taken last year to improve y, as it had got worse over the year.
I had absolutely no knowledge that y was wrong, and now I'm rather ill because of it.

My advice would be for your family member to chase it up on Monday, don't just leave it.

I have anxiety and can't cope not knowing so always phone gp surgery up a week after tests suppose it depends what tests your getting but my cervical scans an things have always been bk when I phone up. I would think if it was important they would phone ASAP.

Infant DC had the CT scan within 24 hours to check cancer diagnosis.

DH got a phone call about test results that had come up dodgy within a couple of days his routine blood test.

Got a very quick scan.

Happily nothing to worry about, but something they are going to monitor.

I'm sure that if anything serious was found, your relative would be told very quickly.

Within 24 hours of a suspicious mass being found on my mum's lung after a routine x-ray, the GP rung to say they had seen something on her x-ray and a a whole load of tests and appointments had been made for her at various hospitals which led to a diagnosis of lung cancer within 2 weeks. 14 months down the line she is with us and fighting fit.

Hope you are ok OP x

@MiaMarshmallows just seen that it is your relative you are worried about.
When something was found on my mum's x-ray (around 12:30 she had it done), we had a phone call early the next day to say something had been found...see post above.

X

The consultant may not even view the X-ray for a few days, so I wouldn’t worry yet.

I had a blood test and within 24 hrs got a call to say GP wanted to see me that day. I'm OK but on medication for the rest of my life, I've been taking it for nearly 20 years, just have to remember a tablet every day and a blood test once a year.

Hope you are OK.

@PiperPiper20

3 weeks here, from biopsy to cancerous cell notification.

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm in the same position as you were but I'm waiting for my biopsy results. They found precancerous cells in the cervix and did a biopsy further up as it's spread.It's only been 6 days waiting for me but it's killing me not knowing.

3 days and they contacted me. Was referred to a consultant in July for a formal diagnosis and all appointments have slowed because of Covid so it's all a waiting game atm anyway.

I had a text asking me to ring for an appointment as soon as the doctor saw the results an I was given an appointment for the next day. This is not what would normally happen. If a week as gone by and no contact I would never assume all is okay but would ring to ask what the results are as mistakes are made.

Horrible condition here!! MS.

I lost the use of the right side of my body, after 3 or 4 days I went to the GP and saw a locum as my gp was on maternity leave. I was sent straight to the hospital for a CAT scan but they left me in casualty for 6 hours +, and when they got around to sending me in for the scan the scanner had gone home and refused to come back in. This was the first of the World Cup, the opening thing (I know nothing of football) in 2000. I was kept in Casualty until midnight when they finally gave up on me and sent me home.

I had had a serious attack before, so teh question I was asking everyone was "is it MS?" and everyone was saying wait until you've had the MRI. A few months later I had the MRI, but no one would talk to me about it because it was not their department and I should wait until I see the neurologist, only the neurologist had retired and hadn't been replaced at this point.

One day, about 5 months after the CAT scan, I got a phone call from my gp, who was just back from maternity leave. "we've had a lot of paper sent between everyone about you!" she says, "how are you feeling?" Tired, I said. "oh well, that's not unusual in MS" she says. I pause a little, while the world I know zooms off into the distance and a new, strange world zooms in. "So it IS ms, then" I say. Oh poor woman, I felt so sorry for her, she thought I'd been told long before, she was horrified at how I found out and that it was she who just blurted it at me. I'd not seen the neuro and didn't see one for another 3 months (and he only spoke to my dh, not me, oh how I hated him!).

She was a wonderful gp and I miss having a doctor like her now but we moved 150 miles away and it's a bit much to expect her to follow me (but I can dream!)

People need to stop being so willing to accept such a passive role in their healthcare.

Yes, getting test results can be scary, waiting for test results can be awful, but no news is not always good news. Whilst it can be a sign of good news, no news is also an outcome of slipping through the cracks in a system too.

How many of us have placed on-line orders these past few weeks? How many of those orders resulted in regular updates and tracking numbers being sent to us, so we could keep track of where largely inconsequential items were. We expect this level of service for stuff we buy off the internet.

Yet, when it comes to our healthcare, so many are willing to adopt an approach of 'Sure he'd have told me if it was anything important.' If you want to know if everything's okay, or if results are back, or anything else....phone and ask. It's that simple.

Never assume everything's okay, just because you haven't heard back.

No news is good news in this situation.

Hmm some mixed responses here.
I won't link her to this thread as yet but appreciate the responses and hoping with all my heart that she would have been contacted by now if anything very serious. With that said, I will encourage her to call in this week to see what the results are. I know that will be hard with her anxiety but it's better to know than not. Especially if she has fallen through the cracks somehow.

I regularly have blood tests (once a week, sometimes twice) and I have for the last two years due to a condition. I have received a call from the lab itself at 4am asking me to go to A&E as they were too concerned to wait for GP coming in. Otherwise, no news is generally good news. For routine type blood tests, 24hrs usually if something is very wrong, if it's just something slightly off maybe up to a week to hear, a bit longer if it's via letter. X-Rays are reported on usually within 48 hours (fractures etc are pretty obvious but subtle things less so), it is then referred back to the consultant or GP that sent and they then usually have a day of the week where they go through there results and action anything necessary. I would say it looks positive nobody has called. HOWEVER, I have heard of people falling through the net etc. So, I would advise she phones GP/Consultant whoever organised it and ask for feedback from the Xray, chances are they've maybe only just received them or sadly missed them. It may help ease the anxiety too, I have anxiety around phones so sometimes my Mum will ring on my behalf and I just have to give permission for the drs to speak to her, which may be an option if she's reluctant to phone. My fingers are crossed for you all