Phone Appt Today - What To Ask?

[LucyLoo]

Good morning 🙂

I had my review last month and my appointment to get my results is this afternoon. It is going to be a telephone appointment which I have never had before and I just wanted to check with you all what I need to ask the GP.

I know that I need my HBA1C, but the GP was a little concerned about my cholesterol, so I want to know these numbers so that I can research a bit more. I know that there are two numbers that make up this reading (LDLand something else I think?) can anyone confirm please what I should be asking for?

Also anything else that I should be asking for that I am not aware of 🙂

 

[Greyhound Gal]

Re Cholesterol, try and get all the results - HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides. Then you'll also be able to work out the percentages between them and see where you fall.
Ideals are total cholesterol 5 or less, 4 in diabetics
Triglycerides 1.7 or less
LDL 2 or less
HDL 1.2+
The % of total cholesterol divided by HDL should be below 4:1.
There are other % you can work our re HDL vs LDL and triglycerides but I can't remember what they are at the mo. I'll see if I can find them.

 

[LucyLoo]

Re Cholesterol, try and get all the results - HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides. Then you'll also be able to work out the percentages between them and see where you fall.
Ideals are total cholesterol 5 or less, 4 in diabetics
Triglycerides 1.7 or less
LDL 2 or less
HDL 1.2+
The % of total cholesterol divided by HDL should be below 4:1.
There are other % you can work our re HDL vs LDL and triglycerides but I can't remember what they are at the mo. I'll see if I can find them.

Brilliant, thank you! 🙂 It was all of the LDL, HDL trigly-thingy-me-bobs that I wasn't sure of Geez there's still so much to learn haha!

 

[Pine Marten]

That's a bit annoying, @LucyLoo, any reason why it's by phone? I really dislike doing important stuff over the phone! Can you ask for a full print out of your results? I wasn't given a full one until I asked....and I too get banjaxed by all the cholesterol bits & bobs, and to see it all nicely laid out helps 🙂

 

[grovesy]

Good luck.

 

[LucyLoo]

That's a bit annoying, @LucyLoo, any reason why it's by phone? I really dislike doing important stuff over the phone! Can you ask for a full print out of your results? I wasn't given a full one until I asked....and I too get banjaxed by all the cholesterol bits & bobs, and to see it all nicely laid out helps 🙂

My surgery seem to like cancelling appointments at the very last minute and with working full time, it causes me all kinds of problems......I've wasted loads of leave time already by booking time off for appointments only for them to cancel the same day! So I requested a phone appointment which I am starting to regret now with all the stuff I'm going to have to write down!

At my last review, I asked for a printout and couldn't get one, so I ended up with a piece of scrap paper that just seemed to be full of numbers......it meant nothing to me but I posted them here and was advised properly 🙂

It is very annoying sometimes and I am actively looking for a new GP.......but haven't found one that seems like it would be an improvement yet

 

[chaoticcar]

I agree that getting a print out of your results is important ask for all your results not just Hba and cholesterol you have a right to them so just be. firm..I have kept my results so that I can refer back to see how I have progressed over the years I have telephone confrontation sorry consultations ! with my GP.on a regular basis and I find that I have more time with him this way and it is not as daunting as. sitting in the surgery
CAROL

 

[LucyLoo]

I agree that getting a print out of your results is important ask for all your results not just Hba and cholesterol you have a right to them so just be. firm..I have kept my results so that I can refer back to see how I have progressed over the years I have telephone confrontation sorry consultations ! with my GP.on a regular basis and I find that I have more time with him this way and it is not as daunting as. sitting in the surgery
CAROL

Thanks Carol! Can I ask......how do you get them printed when you have phone appointments? If I just ask for it to be printed for me to collect from the surgery, should they do that for me?

 

[trophywench]

I've never ever been able to get my results printed - and they don't usually tell me what they are anyway until I ask, but can only ask by telephone between the hours of 12 and 2 on Tuesdays at our Surgery - or unless you happen to have an appointment with a GP or a nurse before next Tuesday. The receptionists are not allowed to give results to people at all. (too many mistakes have been made in the past, for that)

All results are reviewed by a doctor and if any are out of range - you get a phonecall and they call you in for an appointment with the doc. So - if you never asked anyone for the actual numbers - you'd never ever get them providing they were in whatever range the Lab works to - and of course - you aren't told what that is .....

 

[LucyLoo]

I've never ever been able to get my results printed - and they don't usually tell me what they are anyway until I ask, but can only ask by telephone between the hours of 12 and 2 on Tuesdays at our Surgery - or unless you happen to have an appointment with a GP or a nurse before next Tuesday. The receptionists are not allowed to give results to people at all. (too many mistakes have been made in the past, for that)

All results are reviewed by a doctor and if any are out of range - you get a phonecall and they call you in for an appointment with the doc. So - if you never asked anyone for the actual numbers - you'd never ever get them providing they were in whatever range the Lab works to - and of course - you aren't told what that is .....

Thanks Jenny, I rang the receptionist for the results weeks ago and all she could tell me was that it said "improving" but I'm trying really hard so I wanted a bit more detail.....which she couldn't give me. So I booked a telephone appointment for 3pm today.......arghhh.....nervous now! but I was unsure as to exactly what numbers I should be asking for aside from HBA1C. I suspect my cholesterol is still a bit high but I want to know by how much so that I have a sort of target to work to 🙂

 

[trophywench]

List all the different blood and pee tests you had and then just fill in the answers as they tell you them - then you won't miss the next one and ask them to repeat what they said.

Then say exactly what you've just told me !

 

[Pine Marten]

My clock says it's 2.56pm so too late to say good luck, @LucyLoo! Let us know how you get on 🙂

I must say I'm surprised that people don't or can't get printouts - my GP tends to look at my results on the screen, often turning it so that I can see too, and I asked for, and got printouts, from the nurse. And I get many more phone calls from the vet with our cats' results than I've ever had from my surgery!

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Bit late now but just a suggestion for next time .......... record the conversation so you can then sit down after and go over the bits you didn't write down or didn't understand then you can ask on here or look it up via a search engine.

 

[chaoticcar]

Ask for your printout to be left in Reception for you to pick up I usually get mine from the nurse when I have my review but I have got it from Reception if I am not having a review ,and have not had any problems
CAROL