Stopping the reception of blood test results

[UncleOfAsa]

Hello all. Nice to see you again. I have had a blood test done that I didn't really want. I was stressed and all over the place. Anyway, I don't want to know the results. Could anyone give me advice please on what to do as a patient to prevent getting the results? Is there a term a patient can declare to not know the results, possibly something similar to a DNR order? Thanks to all for the responses. It's greatly appreciated.

I have blood tests every 3 months due to some of the medication I take. I am not sent my results and the GP does not contact me unless there is a problem with any result.

The results are all loaded onto the NHS app once reviewed by my GP. It is up to me to look at the results if I wish to.
Ask your GP practice if that is possible in your case perhaps?

I don't think any such thing exists but agree your best bet is to ring the gp and ask not to be told.

Thanks for the responses. It seems that it's up to the patient to seek results, is that right? If so, I won't. I think I'll also email the surgery and tell them I don't want to know the results. I have been given two letters that the man in the hospital marked "for the attention of the gp", do you think if I get rid of the letters and don't say anything that the GP won't notice that I had the blood test? Do they get automatically notified, I wonder.

In my experience, hospitals usually write to the gp directly and send you a copy of the letter. I can't tell if this is what has happened in your case or if your gp is reliant on you handing over the letters you've been given.

If your gp receives the results of a blood test which show that further action is needed (ie another test or treatment),they would/should generally contact you.

Look its none of my business, but if the tests you've had are to show if there's something serious going on then I would suggest you face up to it with the support of someone near to you or your gp. Denial doesn't make it better, however overwhelming the prospect.

If you'd like to talk here then we'll listen

Thank you. It's anyones business on this thread as I've invited you all to share thoughts. Basically, I sat on a needle that some low lives had left on the river bank. They said low risk of HIV transmission but they did a blood test. They didn't say what it was specifically for and said something about checking the blood test if any problems occur. I don't know if it means the blood sample will lay dormant in the lab or what. I always thought an HIV test was a specific finger prick test but he took blood from my arm. He kept talking about hepitits and gave me a jab for that, maybe that is what they are looking for. It's HIV that I am really worried about. I keep waking up in the night with stomach cramps. I feel like a sitting duck that's going to get hit with these results. Thanks for listening.

I understand why you're so scared but did you know the treatment for HIV is great these days? It's completely different to what the picture looked like even 20 years ago.

This is a snippet from the NHS page:
"HIV can be treated with anti-HIV medicines called antiretrovirals. These are tablets that you’ll need to take every day.
The aim is to bring down the amount of HIV in your blood to a level where it can no longer be measured. This is known as an undetectable viral load.
If you're taking daily medicines, it usually takes around 6 months for the virus to be undetectable."

If you have tested positive and ignore it, out of fear, that's when you risk serious consequences because you leave it untreated. Treatment means very few people develop advanced HIV or even AIDS.

See: https://tht.org.uk/hiv/about-hiv

Once it's undetectable, it means you can't pass it on. IF you do test positive for HIV and don't treat it then not only do you put yourself at risk of serious illness but you put others at risk too, in extreme cases this could lead to criminal charges.

Basically, all those things which are frightening you are only possible if you bury your head in the sand.

IF you have tested positive for HIV, then it won't ruin your life - if you get treated.

You've got this. I know you're frightened and I understand why, but you can do this. Take control- if you ignore it, you'll simply allow fear to gnaw at your insides for years and that will do a number on you - and those who love you.

Don't let those low-lives ruin your life by burying your head in the sand, you can do this and we'll be here to support you.

If you are worried about having HIV you would have a far better outcome knowing the result. Burying your head in the same with HIV inevitably leads to death.

If it was HIV you will definitely find out one way or another. Either now, when you can get the treatment and medication to live a happy and healthy life, or later when you become seriously unwell and at risk of death.

If a GP ordered the tests any results will get sent directly to them. They will be recorded on your notes and NHS app but you can choose not to access it. If marked NFA nothing will happen but some may need repeating to be sure. If you were to be HIV + it has potential implications for others such as HCPs or partners.

Look at it this way: if you get the results, you’ll know one way or another, and the overwhelming chances are that you’re absolutely fine.

But if you don’t get the results, you’ll never know for sure that you don’t, (and your brain will assume you do, because… brain) so you’re condemning yourself to a lot of unnecessary anxiety.

This is something I have some involvement with through work.

The likelihood of becoming HIV positive from a single needle jab, even if the user of the needle had untreated HIV, is VANISHINGLY small. You need to be injected with a fair amount of blood to be infected from a single needlestick, the equivalent of a couple of large drops.

If against all likelihood you were found to be HIV positive, you would immediately be offered medication - post-exposure prophylaxis - which is extremely effective in stopping development into active infection. You'd then stay completely healthy. It does need to be started promptly after the exposure, so the sooner you get the result the better.

It's your life and your choice, but if it was me I'd want the result pronto and accept immediate treatment if I was positive.

Thanks for your reply. The man at the hospital said it wasn't worth doing pep because the needle had no blood on it and I didn't bleed. My brother squeezed the area affected to push out any potential pathogens, as recommended by the emergency services call handler.

When you say it's my choice, how can I assert this? Do you know through your work of any procedures to stop this?

Thanks.

It wasn't the GP who ordered them, it was the man at minor injuries in the hospital. He seemed to imply the onus was on me. My twin brother is now saying he will take the referral letters to my GP himself. I have told him he can't do that. Surely it's against confidentiality. Maybe I should email my GP practice just incase and tell them it's against my wishes to accept them but if they are blissfully unaware of the tests then I don't want to start them questioning. For context my brother and I are both nearly 31, grown adults and surely he can't make this decision for me. I'm really shaken about all of this. Thanks for your reply.

The chances of catching anything are really slim. The likelihood is that the results will come back clear.

If you don’t get the results surely you’ll think every ache, pain and minor illness is something really serious and cause so much stress and anxiety.

I think you should speak to your GP and ask for some counselling surrounding the whole situation.

@UncleOfAsa can I ask, why are you so against finding out?

I’ve been living with HIV for about nine years now and can confirm that it’s no longer what it was, rather it’s a chronic manageable condition well controlled by one pill day and regular tests where I’d say I’m probably healthier than had I not contracted the virus.

HIV is very fragile once outside the body and there is actually no recorded case of infection from a discarded needle. https://www.aidsmap.com/about-hiv/needlestick-injuries-discarded-needles-and-risk-hiv-transmission
Along with that, if the needle incident happened recently to you, there is a window period of about five weeks before a blood sample taken from the arm would conclusively show if you had contracted HIV from this incident. https://i-base.info/guides/testing/what-is-the-window-period

Depending on what was actually tested for I’m unsure why you wouldn’t want to know the results. It’s always better to know if something needs to be treated for your future health. There are also online postal tests for STIs/HIV that could be done without the knowledge of your GP.

There is no way a doctor would agree to not give you the results if it was positive. HIV is a disease that can be managed and have little impact on your life expectancy. Untreated HIV will likely to progress to AIDs. You’d be putting anyone you have sex with (regardless of comdoms etc) at serious risk. I think it’s extremely unlikely you’ve contracted HIV from a needle you sat on (the virus doesn’t live for very long at all outside the body) and I can understand you’re scared but not finding out is not an option given you’ve had the blood test taken now.

Counselling would be great but it's difficult to get here in the UK. It would be good to get some right now though with how I'm feeling.

I would rather not know if I have something incurable. I'd rather spend my remaining time unaware. My mother got all the tests when she had cancer and she was basically told she was going to die and had to live with that for her final months, which were miserable. I don't want to go through that.

It's scary to think I'm trapped with these results. I feel like a sitting duck waiting for my fate to get me and I want to escape it. There is little chance I could get it from the needle but I'm also homosexual and have had a lot of sexual partners. I've never been tested and I have immense health anxiety. If I'm going to die, I'd rather not know. It feels like being on a plane with a failed engine up in the sky and not being able to get off. I've got many mental health problems; Asperger's Syndrome, depression, anxiety, quite a lot going on in my head.

As others have said, HIV can be treated now. If you have it you really do want to know.

But HIV is NOT incurable. Knowing about it would make a massive, massive difference and knowing early even more so. As other have said, it is very, very, very unlikely that you will test positive, but, if you are, knowing would make a massive difference.

With all kindness, we're all going to die eventually. You are obviously scared of HIV because you are homosexual but you can protect yourself against catching it and it is treatable. Ignoring the results of a blood test won't help to protect you or keep you healthy, knowledge can do both.

I understand you’re scared, but you’re choosing to put future sexual partners at risk by refusing to find out. Are you ok with that?

As others have said, HIV is no longer a death sentence. It’s treatable. I was raped at 17. It took me 2 years to get the confidence to go and get tested for any STI’s, including HIV. I was terrified (I wasn’t having sex in that time), but knew it was something I needed to do. The relief when I got the negative results back made me realise how anxious I was. This was back in the 90’s when HIV was a lot scarier prospect.

Please do drop off the letter to the GP. It will just be info about your visit to the minor injuries unit to explain why you were there. The letter doesn’t belong to you. It isn’t addressed to you. It would be no different to you choosing to throw away your neighbours post because the postman asked you to give it to them for some reason.

I would urge you to get your results - maybe let your brother access them? Back in the 90’s I had to go back to the hospital where they did the test to get the results in person. At least you don’t need to do that now! Having the information means you are armed with the knowledge you will need to keep yourself well and others safe.

Good luck.

Exactly, just what I was going to post