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

[polarband]

I have used a blood pressure medication to treat migraines for several years now. As a result I need to go for blood tests and a BP check every 6 months as my BP tends to be low on this medication. The blood tests are mainly to check my kidneys but they do other checks as well, after each test I just call and they tell me everything's fine and I go again in another 6 months.

This time after my check I got called back in to speak to the doctor and was told I have high cholesterol and prediabetes. I asked him what could have caused the problem so suddenly and he said it hadn't been sudden and that if he looked at my blood test results over the past 6 years he could see that my cholesterol and blood glucose levels had been creeping up but its only now just crossed over into clinical diagnosis. I am fit, a healthy weight, a non smoking, non drinking, active woman with ideal blood pressure who eats a healthy whole food diet so when I was told my results were normal I thought that meant I was healthy not that things were getting worse.

I'm not mad that it's happened because these things do happen of course, I'm 50 now and there is type 2 diabetes in my family but I just wish they had told me earlier when this upward trend was noticed and I could have made some changes to prevent getting to this level. My GP just said they don't treat at anything below clinical diagnosis level and anything below that is in the healthy range and therefore normal.

Is it so unreasonable to think that they should flag up something like this to patients?

They don't, which is why it's always wise to get copies of the results rather than a "fine". It's your health, we need to take personal responsibility for it.

Get the NHS app. The test results are uploaded to it and you can monitor personally.

If they only flag results that are above the line, your progression won’t have been visible until someone looked. Which they won’t have done, as you have no symptoms and your blood results are clear.

I understand your frustration, but you were the only person in a position to notice. You didn’t look either.

@RosesAndHellebores I don't believe that is available in my area and in the past when I ask for my exact results I've been fobbed off and told I don't need to know because its all normal.

@myplace I asked for my exact results before and was fobbed off and told it was all normal and so I didn't need any farther information.

@polarband I hope it wasn't a Dr who told you that. If they say it again just say "if the Dr has seen them, please print them off for me as they are my personal data and I'm entitled to it". Any objections, write to the practice manager.

Ah, that’s frustrating then.

Might be worth writing to the practice manager and any advocacy groups in your area highlighting the issues caused by the not having the app.

@RosesAndHellebores At my surgery you have to call at a certain time for results and they tell you over the phone, it isn't a doctor but a member of the admin staff. I did get a copy of my results from today and to be fair I'm not really badly off yet but surely an early warning flag would be useful, I know not everyone will or can change their outcomes but it would surely be useful and potentially save the NHS money long term?

@myplace I'm in Scotland so our app is still in development according to reports online, I'm not sure why we can't just use the same one NHS England has.

It’s all on your NHS app and very easy to find.

Yeah just get the app. I have various health conditions that need monitoring too and it’s been great being able to see the actual results now they’re all posted there.

@Hellohelga We don't have the NHS app here.

Scotland doesn't have the app for all those suggesting it.

@Fibrous Again we don't have the NHS app here.

When you speak to them request a print out. You will have to collect it, they won't read the results over the phone.

It's your body, you need to take ownership.

That’s frustrating!

My cholesterol recently dropped significantly when I started eating legumes every day. It went from 6,8 to 4.5 in a year. I didn’t think my diet was unhealthy before (vegetarian, tee total, non smoker) but I’ve really been working on getting the fibre in first and foremost and was surprised at the results.

Tricky not having the app. In England at 50 you get a full health review with bloods, blood pressure, bmi, questionnaire re eating/drinking/smoking habits and a follow up to discuss any concerns or potential risks. But I’m not sure about Scotland. At least you know now OP and can take measures before it gets worse.

Nobody looks at patients holistically anymore.

I have a problem with my kidney function and one of my tests is below normal levels. I only know because a year after my test my consultant for a totally unrelated matter noticed the historic result. The gp had signed it off as no further action even though it was abnormal. My consultant told me to have it done again. I did, it was still low. Gp signed it off as no further action needed. I rang and complained and they said it’s only an issue if I have proteinurea. I’ve had proteinurea for years. 🤷‍♀️🙈

it’s all just a tickbox exercise now.

But they were normal until your last one. There has been no fobbing off.

I do take ownership, I was told everything was fine and told I didn't need the results by a rather snippy member of staff who probably wasn't qualified to detail the results to me. In addition much of this was occurring during a time when GP's surgeries were still operating under covid restrictions and it was like getting blood from a stone to even get an appointment most of the time. I am healthy, I eat healthily and I exercise and have no damaging vices. When I was told my blood test results were fine and I didn't need the results it would make sense to believe there was no upward trajectory. In addition, while I am able to make sense of my test results what about people who are not even if they have access to them?

I understand how it works but what I am saying is that it makes good sense to inform people of this kind of slow rise in results before things get to clinical levels. I will likely be fine and able to reverse these changes.

On my NHS app all my results just say 'normal' or 'abnormal', there's no detail to spot any changes that might point to any problems.

There's also the issue of me, not a medical professional, analysing results. I can Google and have an idea, especially for familiar problems (for me that's low ferritin) but for unfamiliar issues I wouldn't know.

My thyroid results are coming back abnormal in some areas but they're not taking any action. I have no idea if this is ok or not. I wouldn't know what I'm looking at if I did get the detailed results.

You put trust in the GP but as someone said up thread, it seems like a box ticking exercise now. There's no holistic assessment, I haven't spoken to a GP in years.

Not much point in having a GP if we have to interpret results ourselves.

The NHS app isn't great either, half of my appointments seem to be missing from it. The private treatment I've had is also missing despite letters being sent to my GP.

Not sure why you are quoting that post. That was a reply to a poster who asked why I didn't get my results in detail.

@NigelPonsonbySmallpiece @Eyelashesoffire @PinkSparklyPussyCat

Thank you all for getting it! I know the NHS is under pressure but access to that information and help interpreting it is an important part of health care that should be standard not something we need to fight to get.

Not in Scotland.

I eat quite a lot of pulses and beans already but will look to add more in.