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?

just a thought, for women turning 50/51, a lot of things change due to hormones so you may not be doing too much wrong. Just keep a good diary and see how it compares to the pre diabetes diet most gps recommend now a day. It tends to be low GI. It may be the way your hormones and insulin etc are all working now

Anyone can look at their blood test results on the NHS App. Even if you don’t have that you have the right to your own results!

@Spendadenmy NO they can’t. RTFT.

I’m in Scotland and I can.

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

Although beware… if you move GP surgery then you will lose your entire history of test results so you can’t see a thing from before, and they will tell you there is no way to reinstate them.

I think it is the duty of GPs to point such things to a patient , to encourage responsibility for one’s own care.

That’s shocking😲. I don’t have access to the app either and always ask for result printouts-even if the receptionist looks at it and says all normal, we would’ve called you back if it wasn’t. Can you complain to practice manager?

Well then you are clearly the minority as it’s not set up here, unless you are under the care of certain specialist health teams e.g. renal.

So no, anyone can’t just simply view their results online as stated multiple times throughout this thread by multiple posters. @Spendadenmy

I received a letter some years ago that my blood sugar level was on the top of the normal range according to my annual blood test. The letter explained that I didn’t have pre diabetes but offered some advice. It would seem that some GPs do send out warnings about results creeping upwards so OP’s GP could do it.

Even if you don't have the NHS app, don't you still have underlying access to the data it would use? E.g. via Patient Access or some other online service?

But like someone else said, you need to ask for full access after it's set up.

I completely get it OP. I am in Scotland and it’s so frustrating.

I have a few conditions that are supposed to be monitored. I phone for results and am told “Dr says it’s normal”. I am not allowed a print out of results or more detail as to the actual numbers.

Several times now I have gotten quite sick, only to then find out from the GP that they tested for the wrong thing, forgot a test, didn’t spot a trend that they were supposed to monitor for.

Most recently I was told I don’t have one of the conditions that I was being monitored for. Not cured, just not appearing on my record any more. Initial discussion with the practice indicates that it’s just been dropped from testing and that the initial diagnosis is “probably in the records somewhere”.

None of it the fault of staff, but the systems and processes are beyond crap.

I pay hundreds for private testing now so that I can monitor the results myself.

8 pages now of people explaining that it doesn’t work like that in Scotland, and you think maybe we are just not looking hard enough?

It is pre diabetes so you should be advised what to do to prevent diabetes. Having a blood result print out isn't going to help you but a clinician could.

Can I ask those of you who have print outs or information on the app about your blood results can you understand them all and what do you do with them?

things were getting worse.

I can't help but think that the next test might put you back in the healthy zone, you sound that borderline.

Will you ask for statins if the other lifestyle steps you're planning don't improve your cholesterol? If not, why not?

Read the great cholesterol con book, it will really open your eyes to the bullishit we are told. Sorry no advice regarding the pre diabetes except to watch your sugar and carbs intake.

There are many of us on this forum and other forums who are experienced with thyroid results so you could always make a thread and we'd be happy to take a look.

Everyone has a right to see there medical notes. I always get a copy of blood results even if they say they are normal. It's easier now with the app but I used to go into the GP'S and get a print off before.

You don’t need a CGM monitor you’re pre diabetic! You need to look closely at your diet even though you say it’s good and make a few little tweaks! Being pre diabetic is reversible! Personally I think you’re being a bit over dramatic!

I’m really sorry this has happened and I share your frustration because I was fobbed off by my midwife re bloods saying all within normal range. I have a family relative who is a Dr and I wanted them to see the numbers. I pressed her and she finally gave me the readings and it turned out I my cholesterol was just about to cross over into the high side and my iron was one figure off being ‘low’.

Thank god for the NHS app because GPs can’t get away with saying all normal anymore so at least we can take preventative measures and top up on supplements or reduce diet accordingly.

The NHs isn’t geared towards prevention, it will only bother intervening when you are death’s door and even then you’d have to beg them.

Yes, lots of medics in the family so I get them to check them and it’s well worth doing so.

Do we? I have not had this nor any of my friends

I disagree. I'm in Scotland and whenever I have blood tests I just ask the surgery for a print out which I can pick up and read through in my own time.

I can see why you're frustrated as you obviously make sensible decisions to take care of your health and would have been proactive if you had known about rising levels. However, it is hugely unrealistic to think there is the capacity within the NHS to analyse trends of a patient who has results within the normal paramaters.

We do not have this in Scotland.

I haven't read every post, but all I've seen from what I did read (quite a lot) is people saying the NHS app is not available in Scotland. But you don't need the app to access the data. So it might be worth clarifying the difference, just in case.

And it does say there is online access on this website, but maybe it needs updating (odd if they used to provide it and then took it away again though):

https://www.scimp.scot.nhs.uk/erecords/patient-access-to-records