View Full Version : Will the receptionist think I'm mad??
So a couple of weeks ago I had blood tests to rule out 'anything else' after having ongoing gastro issues after a stomach bug (doc pretty sure it's just my gut taking a long time to recover). All came back completely clear. At the time, the doctor didn't really tell me what they were testing for - she just said it would rule out anything else other than slow recovery from stomach bug (or mild IBS caused by said stomach bug). Well, when I heard everything was clear I was very relieved, but it's been a couple of weeks now and not a huge amount of improvement (some, though, I think), and although I'm trying to stay calm and tell myself things will improve, just slowly - and that stressing out about it is almost certainly making gastro symptoms worse! - I kind of think I might feel better if I knew what I definitely didn't have, if you know what I mean! Can I ring the doctor's and ask them to tell me what the blood tests were actually testing for, or is that not something the receptionist would know/tell me - or would they just think I'd lost the plot?? (might not be an unreasonable assumption...)
No not at all!!!
I love to know what the tests are for and always ask. It's something you have the right to know. It's very common for some patients to call up and ask the exact results of the blood test and what the tests were. They normally don't bother telling patients because it might not mean much to them.
Chances are the receptionist won't be able to tell you but she will put you through to a nurse or GP or they will call you back.
It's VERY normal for that type of phone call!
Thanks, Steveo! I'll give them a call, then. I'm sure some of the tests won't mean much to me but my other half is likely to understand... just didn't want to have the GP's surgery mark me down as a weirdo :D
I agree - you have a right to know. Sometimes I can't read, or understand, all the tests my consultant writes on the blood test form, so I ask the nurse :)
I would imagine that they were checking for inflammation markers, to rule out things like Crohn's & Colitis.
It might help you to know that I had a similar thing - food poisoning - and it took absolutely ages for my digestive system to return to normal.
If you're confused about any of the tests then write them in here and I'll do my best to explain them. I still remember a few things from my nursing degree.
Hi Daisy Sue - I think mine might have been food poisoning, or at least a bacterial rather than viral thing. I think I remember the doctor mentioning checking for inflammation and infection, and perhaps anaemia, but I saw the nurse's screen when she was taking my blood and there were a good 6 boxes ticked so am sort of intrigued to know what else they tried!!
Do you mind if I ask how long 'ages' was in your case, before you got back to normal? I think my digestive system is getting there, slowly, but oh my it's frustrating, and some days I really think I'm back to square one. Though I have, I think, worked out that I can't currently cope with milk. I'm hoping it's just a temporary thing, but it seems that if I have milk my guts are a little bit worse again for a day or so. And stress, obviously, makes it worse...
nomorepanic
13-08-13, 14:25
We can only call our GP surgery between 1pm and 2pm to get blood tests results so maybe you should check when you are able to call yours.
Hi Daisy Sue - I think mine might have been food poisoning, or at least a bacterial rather than viral thing. I think I remember the doctor mentioning checking for inflammation and infection, and perhaps anaemia, but I saw the nurse's screen when she was taking my blood and there were a good 6 boxes ticked so am sort of intrigued to know what else they tried!!
Do you mind if I ask how long 'ages' was in your case, before you got back to normal? I think my digestive system is getting there, slowly, but oh my it's frustrating, and some days I really think I'm back to square one. Though I have, I think, worked out that I can't currently cope with milk. I'm hoping it's just a temporary thing, but it seems that if I have milk my guts are a little bit worse again for a day or so. And stress, obviously, makes it worse...
Well, my food poisoning was round about early February, and my wedding was due that August - by early July I was convinced I wouldn't be well enough and have to postpone the wedding. Luckily I began to 'normalise' by August so all went as planned. So yeah, about 6 months before virtually all the symptoms left me.
However, and you've touched on this also, I was left lactose intolerant after the infection. Going on a total lacto-free diet helped enormously, in fact I turned the corner within 24 hours of starting the altered diet. I think it's quite a common after effect and may well go back to normal in time. Now I can eat some dairy with no ill effects but not loads.. so I have lacto-free cheese & milk at home, but can have a normal cuppa if we're out somewhere.
I hope this gives you encouragement, and I hope you start to notice that bit by bit, each symptom is abating... that's what happened with me once I was on the healing side of things.
One of the things they could've been checking in your bloods is electrolytes.. if you've had diarrhea for any length of time, these can be depleted and are really important (like sodium, glucose, potassium etc).
Hi Daisy Sue - thanks so much for this! Although on one hand the thought of potentially several more months before I feel more normal is a bit depressing, it does actually reassure me - I was starting to think that as I still wasn't 'right' 6 weeks on it was either going to be permanent or it was something more serious than just slow recovery. So did you not realise it was the lactose until late on? I think I've only just twigged. It sounds like you had it worse than me, though - I've not had consistent diarrhoea or anything and I think if I was meant to be getting married in a month, I'd be OK with that
With me, I just have - sorry TMI - 'mushy' stools in the mornings, too much gas and some bloating after meals, a bit of gurgling and some soreness on and off in my abdomen. I've assumed the bug has damaged the lining of my intestine and it's taking a long time to heal up. My appetite isn't what it should be, either. If I drink milk, though, I have diarrhoea.
I think it's improving, but it's so slow. If I ask myself whether I feel better than I did last week, I'm just not convinced, but if I ask myself whether I feel better than I did three weeks ago, then I think I do. So I presume the improvements are just tiny! A couple of weeks ago I thought things were on the up - appetite was definitely better, things were more solid in the mornings if not completely right, etc. I'd been keeping really milky stuff to a minimum pretty much since I'd been ill as I just didn't fancy it (was having hard cheese and yoghurt, though), but then at the start of last week I thought, well, I feel better. Let's get back on the lattes. Took a few days before I made the connection between them and the bad reactions!
Gave it a bit of a test at the weekend - no milk products Friday, Saturday, or during the day Sunday, felt pretty good (stools still not right but just limited to the morning, and I can cope with that!). No diarrhoea, didn't feel too bad in general. Had hot chocolate Sunday night - an hour later I was in the bathroom feeling rough. So I think reintroducing the milk might have set my guts back a bit as although I've had no milk since then things aren't back to where they were at the start of last week. But I don't think cheese and yoghurt really affect me - I was still eating small amounts of those when I thought I was feeling better at the start of last week/end of the week before. Seems to only be the milk (well, and probably cream and icecream, I imagine) that really gets me badly and as far as I can tell - I'm keeping a food diary! - the cheese and yoghurt aren't related to the other symptoms ('mushy' stools, gas, etc.).
Thanks again for your post - it really *is* encouraging. I'd read so many stories of people being left with really long-term (years rather than months) problems and was starting to despair a little bit.
Hi emlica,
If you want to know any of your results, you can always ring up or pop in and ask them to print you out your results. I've done this before and although some receptionists can be a bit funny about it, you're entitled to the info and it saves them reading it out over the phone if you've had a lot of tests
I actually rang my doctor's surgery today and have got myself a telephone appointment with the doctor on Monday. I told the receptionist that I didn't really want to waste the doctor's time with an actual in person appointment as I didn't think there was anything else she'd actually do in terms of physical examination, but that I'd just like to speak to her about my test results and ongoing symptoms, and she said that was fine. Unfortunately the doctor I've been seeing isn't in until Monday, but that's OK. So I'm going to ask the doctor not only to go through what the tests showed (I don't need to know the actual levels of whatever that were found; I just want to know what they tested for!) but also whether she thinks the length of recovery time still seems within the realms of 'normal', or at least 'not cause for concern'. It sounds like it is, I think - I've been a bit unlucky to be affected for this long, perhaps, but I know I'm not alone!
good for you emlica..... you have done the right thing. if i get sent for any blood tests i always take a look at the sheet before i happens & then i ask my doctor for a print out. it's been both informative and helpful for me to know what its all about. i think for someone who might get anxious and really worry about tests its better not to know but since you are using this to help you understand your symptoms & find ways of getting better its good. you are after all entitled to know why they have been jabbing you with needles eh? it's empowering too because you are taking control of the situation.
Good - I hope you get some reassurance :) keep us posted.
Thanks, Tessar. I'm probably a bit given to overanalysing results, which is why I don't really want to know the specifics to avoid the temptation to overanalyse! For instance, I'm fairly sure she tested for anaemia, and that came back normal. I don't think it would help me to know the exact level of iron, etc - just whether the doctor considers it normal is fine with me. But I would like her to explain what that means - as in, I'm not anaemic, so what does that rule out? Etc etc. I think there were about 6 boxes ticked on the nurse's screen but I don't remember what else was there (though I think Daisy Sue is right about inflammation markers)! Really I should just accept what the doctor said which was basically that the tests she'd suggested were to rule out 'anything else' that it could be, and as they were clear, it *isn't* anything else, but still...
(she also said 'it could take a couple of months' and it's only been 6 weeks, so I really should just CHILL OUT, but you know. Easier said than done. Plus I'm due on my period - in fact, it's late (but I'm not pregnant!), and I know my anxiety and general feelings of 'meh' always increase before my period, and it's even worse when it's late)
[QUOTE=emlica;1201304So did you not realise it was the lactose until late on? I think I've only just twigged. [/QUOTE]
Oops, sorry I didn't reply to this bit yesterday :)
I only figured it was worth trying lactose-free when I'd spent ages on the internet googling after effects of food poisoning (like you, I was starting to worry as it went on so long..) Anyway I read something about helicobacter pylori (HP for short) often flaring after food poisoning, and THAT can cause lactose intolerance, so I thought it was worth a try. My docs at that point had done the HP test but I didn't have the results yet. It was clear.. but as the lactose-free diet was helping so much, I stuck to it.
Just one thing I meant to mention, if you do decide to go lactose-free, and substitute dairy milk with soya milk - soya went through me like a steam train :( I think lots of people are ok on it, but I wasn't. Rice milk was fine though, and also the Lacto Free range of products that are in supermarkets.
I have not got a clue about blood tests. I have a cholesterol blood test done once a year. I once rang reception for my results and all she said was NORMAL.
I asked her if she would give me the reading and she replied --we are not allowed to give the information out.-
Anyway the next time I saw my GP I told her about what receptionist had said and she shook her head in dismay.
Last year I went for my annual flu jab with the nurse. The manager of the practice
happened to be there and said I had not had my yearly blood test, to make an appointment. I don't mind going to see the nurse, as I know her.
I would have taken no notice if she had not said.
I will ask the next time if I should have a fasting blood test. I have not had
a fasting one for cholesterol for years.
This thread has been very helpful to me
Thank you all
Oops, sorry I didn't reply to this bit yesterday :)
I only figured it was worth trying lactose-free when I'd spent ages on the internet googling after effects of food poisoning (like you, I was starting to worry as it went on so long..) Anyway I read something about helicobacter pylori (HP for short) often flaring after food poisoning, and THAT can cause lactose intolerance, so I thought it was worth a try. My docs at that point had done the HP test but I didn't have the results yet. It was clear.. but as the lactose-free diet was helping so much, I stuck to it.
Just one thing I meant to mention, if you do decide to go lactose-free, and substitute dairy milk with soya milk - soya went through me like a steam train :( I think lots of people are ok on it, but I wasn't. Rice milk was fine though, and also the Lacto Free range of products that are in supermarkets.
Thanks! I think milk was definitely directly related to the few episodes of diarrhoea that I was having - it was the only thing in my diet that had changed when I went from seeing improvement to seeming to go downhill again. Since cutting it out that side of things has definitely improved and I've not really had proper diarrhoea since. I had a cheese sandwich at lunchtime as a bit of an experiment and so far - 3 1/2 hrs later - I'm not aware of any effects (and in my experience milk made itself known PDQ!), so I don't think mine is especially severe and I can already, I think, tolerate a little lactose. Actually, today (3 days since I last drank milk) things have also been less mushy and I've not felt the same gurgly feelings after eating - though I am a bit queasy, but I suspect that's at least partly PMS! So it's looking a bit like it's going back to some of the (oh so small) improvements I was seeing a couple of weeks ago before going back on the evil milk. Fingers crossed.
You do sound very much like you're at the stage I was.. I was consoling myself with cups of tea through the day, and half a cream cracker here & there, as that's all I could manage.. didn't realise the milk in the tea was actually aggravating things!
I still don't have much 'normal' milk, like I say I'm ok with the occasional amount in a tea or coffee, but for cereal and drinks at home, I've stayed with the Lacto Free.
Glad to hear things seem to be settling now :)
I'll see how I do on the milk front :) Will leave the milk well alone until I'm happy that I'm able to eat (other food!) normally again and that my digestive system seems more or less normal. I think I went too quickly last time - thought I was seeing *some* improvement (stuff was getting more solid in the mornings, basically, and everything else, gurgles and twinges, was calming down, I felt a bit more generally human!) and jumped on it enthusiastically, assuming that once it had started improving it would just magically continue regardless of what I did. Mistake!! I won't be devastated if I can't drink ordinary milk again, but I'm hoping that like you I'll be able to tolerate a little bit just so I don't have to 'that awkward person' if we go out to eat or whatever. If it turns out to be a bit longer-term I'll give the lacto-free stuff a try, but for the moment I don't really miss it (and am having cheese and yoghurt so hopefully doing OK on the calcium front for now at least) so I'm OK with just cutting it out.
I do hope everything else calms down again - I was so pleased when it seemed to be on the mend 2 weeks ago and then SO depressed when it all went wrong. I really don't think I did anything differently other than the milk, though, so I think, like I said, it just set me back a bit. Fingers crossed :D
Thanks again Daisy Sue - silly I know but your posts have really helped to calm me down a bit!
Not silly at all... really glad I could help :)
Last thing - honest - :D - the large Tescos sell lacto-free milk in tiny triangles, long life, so you can carry them in your handbag & don't have to feel awkward :)
Well, just spoke to my doctor. She went through the blood tests (full blood count, kidney function, liver function, thyroid function, and two types of test for inflammatory markers). She said they were some of the most perfect blood results she'd seen, and the only one that wasn't absolutely perfect was one of the haemoglobin counts. But she didn't seem at all concerned by that so I presume it was just not 'spot on' and not actually outside the realms of vaguely normal, and that as the rest came back normal it probably isn't worth worrying about. If it had been a concern they'd at least have suggested testing the levels again now, I would have thought, since that was a month ago.
She asked me a lot of questions that I could answer no to ("is there any blood in your stools?" "are you experiencing any pain?" "is there a family history of any inflammatory bowel disease?" "are you throwing up?") and basically said that none of my symptoms were ringing any alarm bells, though she understood that they weren't normal for me and that it was upsetting/frustrating. She said that although it's more commonly seen in children, she suspected that the gastroenteritis had damaged the lining of my intestine (which is what I thought) and it was taking a while to heal. When I mentioned that I thought I was also lactose intolerant she said that supported the 'damaged intestinal lining' idea. Apparently everything I'm experiencing is pretty much consistent with that - I told her I'd always had a slightly 'sensitive' stomach and she said that's probably made me more susceptible to this kind of thing after a nasty bug. She also mentioned that bugs can set off IBS, but trying not to focus on that bit as that just sounds too long-term even though I know you can have a temporary post-infective kind of IBS. She also confirmed that both hormone levels and stress can affect bowel function.
Basically she doesn't think it's cause for alarm, just annoying (agreed!), and she says to give it a month and then maybe come back in if I'm no better. I'm really hoping that I will be, as I think I'm a bit better than I was a few weeks back.
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