Home blood testing kits instead of GP?

[LioneIRichTea]

AIBU to buy a blood testing kit to see what’s wrong with me rather than go to the GP?

Also has anyone done one of these and had a good experience? I am considering either Thriva or Let’s Get Checked.

To try and cut a long story short, for the last couple of months or so I’ve been having all manner of symptoms, some on and off and some constant; Nausea, bloating, gas, headaches, constantly changing bowel movements and some odd symptoms like painful leg cramps at night, constantly itchy skin and pain and numbness in my wrists and fingers. In fact, over the weekend I was out walking and I suddenly felt lightheaded and had a cold sweat and had to stop for a bit and the last few days I’ve been waking up with a sweet taste in my mouth.

The reason I want to do an independent test is because you can apparently get results back in a week and I’ve had such bad experience with GPs in the past that I feel it would take too long to even get them to first take me seriously, and so I’d be better off paying for an independent test.

History: I have an under active thyroid and it took over a year to get that diagnosis. They were trying to fob me off that I was just imagining the symptoms or just feeling stressed but I kept going back and pleading to be taken seriously. Was also the same experience with my endometriosis diagnosis that followed shortly after. Before my thyroid diagnosis, I even went up to hospital with chest pain and heart flutters (little did I know at the time was thyroid related) and was told it was ‘probably’ just a chest infection, no tests were done and I got sent off with antibiotics! So as you can see I don’t have much faith in GPs/hospitals.

I’m veering more towards Thriva, as they do a Wellness test which covers everything (from organ function to diabetes) whereas Lets Get Checked does individual tests, like a specific test for kidney function, so they are much more expensive.

Would you get an independent test? I feel like a hypochondriac but I know that’s only because I’ve been made to feel like one in the past, even though both times I did have something wrong with me!

Any advice would be gratefully received! 😊

Just looked at my last results, and taking one of the results mentioned by justchecking, my CRP was slightly raised (not 9!). There's quite a lot of comment against this result about what it means, what I should do about it, and signposting towards the appropriate NHS webpages.

I have used Thriva during lockdown and been delighted with the results.

The first time I did a full screen (with a 20% discount) and they picked up both issues I already knew I had. They came up with similar results to the ones I had received through my GP six months before (Cholesterol and Thyroid) and provided masses of detailed feedback about how to improve both issues.

Subsequently I changed the retest date so it is 4 months rather than 3 and reduced the number of tests I would have to just the issues I was concerned about. I could have cancelled at that stage if I wanted to.

I am really difficult to get blood from (one nurse at my surgery prefers not to try) but found it relatively easy. I hydrated well and followed the instructions to the letter.

My results came back two days after posting.

Yeah Thriva have a team of docs who oversee the results and if there's anything out the ordinary they basically tell you to see your GP, so they're not taking over diagnosis, it's very much just to flag up issues and suggest what to speak to your doctor about.

They've noticed results that my GP has already tested and still not noticed, despite the lab results labelling them as low. (They did also tell me as I was pregnant I should speak to my midwife for advice, which was news to me! Turns out I had accidentally ticked a 'pregnant' box in my profile 😅)

I use Thriva. It’s good when you get the hang of getting the blood sample. You are not just given the random results a doctor interprets them to you as a report and tells you to see a GP if they feel you need to. Hope this helps