Anaemia

What is stopping you going to the doctor and getting a proper one done for free?

I hate phoning dr. You feel such a nuisance.

You need to contact your GP, potentially dodgy home test shows+ve, then sells you dodgy iron tablets. Not a good idea.

There are some legitimate companies online that test for iron, but I expect your gp would still want to test you, so you could have the appropriate prescribed dose of iron put back into your system.

Not sure how good they are.
Do you think you have anaemia then? If so I really do think it is worth contacting your GP. Anaemia is a symptoms of many things and it will need some investigations. You certainly won't be making a nuisance of yourself and it may well be a really good thing for you to do.

Ive just had a text from my GP to book a home blood test/medication review for a number of issues I have - including iron deficiency anaemia. A low blood count is potentially very serious.

Do you have problems getting through to your GP by phone?

I can get through ok but you get the third degree. I was very anaemic earlier in the year and iron sorted but I think it might be back

medichecks.com/

Up to you, I'm not recommending or saying don't do it.

Phone your surgery. If asked why you need to speak to the doctor just say "a follow-up for my previous anaemia".

A home test from a reputable company will be about £45 and the GP would probably repeat it anyway.

Do not mess with anaemia. Contact the surgery as soon as possible. The failure of DD's GP to order a blood test, for a problem where a blood test is the first thing you get done nearly killed her.

By the time, 4 months later, she had the test, she was so anaemic, she was on the verge of death. her GP rang her in a panic saying she could have a fatal heart attack at any moment and sending her straight to the chemist to collect an iron prescription that was so large the pharmacist rang the surgery to check that it was correct. It was during lockdown, otherwise she would have been in hospital having blood transfusions and iron infusions.

If you have a Nuffield nearby, you could pay to have one there.
But I wouldn’t hesitate to call the GP.
I’m shocked at how poor many people’s GP surgeries are.
Our is absolutely brilliant. We have both even had same day home visits.
And if you have a serious concern and have missed the 8am scrum, the duty doctor will call you back.
I do appreciate how fortunate we are.
It’s a very busy inner city surgery, so it proves that it can be done.

If you do test yourself and it shows that you're anaemic you'll then have to contact the GP with the results. If it shows you are not then you'll worry if it was accurate.

It's best to contact the GP in the first place - I find it easier to go to the surgery to make appointments.

Ellie Anne

I can get through ok but you get the third degree. I was very anaemic earlier in the year and iron sorted but I think it might be back

In that case you should contact your GP. Persistent anaemia has a cause. Also, there is more than one test involved - haemoglobin, red blood cell and white blood cell count.

It's not enough just to know that you are anaemic - you need to know why.

Don't be intimidated. You have every right to a blood test. Anaemia is serious - it can be linked to heart disease, for starters.

Ellie Anne

I can get through ok but you get the third degree. I was very anaemic earlier in the year and iron sorted but I think it might be back

If you were successfully treated for anaemia earlier this year and you feel you have symptoms again, more investigation is needed. Certainly you COULD have a private test and it may show a normal haemoglobin level and you might be partly reassured, though it won't explain your current symptoms.
If your haemoglobin level isn't normal, wider investigations need to be done to establish what is causing the deficiency and maybe a look at your iron stores.
With this in mind, surely a call to the surgery would sort things out much more quickly?

Crossed posts Dickens 😁

Anaemia is serious. See your GP for a test.