Blood tests by post in the UK

This topic has 29 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 11 months ago by Debs.

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13 November 2015 at 4:44 pm #3884
zhuk
- Topics: 5
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- Total: 548
- Guardian Angel
@zhuk
Just quickly chiming in here, don’t want to jump on your thread guys –

Can concour on the water…I am what’s commonly known as “a pathologist’s nightmare” in the profession, and if you have trouble with bloods then having it thick is only going to complicate matters. I also must get a butterfly every time (fortunately I can request one and explain and no one gets bent out of shape!) and in the back of the hand, which can be awkward. Only a couple of times have things gone pear-shaped – so I comisserate with you LG.

GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
F0, tx naive
VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
AST 26
ALT 26
13 November 2015 at 5:17 pm #3885
LondonGirl
- Topics: 16
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- Total: 1,364
- Guardian Angel
@londongirl
Thanks zhuk – Hand and butterfly fail last time – No fun!
Still, next time water!

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 ‘In the slow lane’
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC
13 November 2015 at 5:17 pm #3886
LondonGirl
- Topics: 16
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- Guardian Angel
@londongirl
Thanks Alsdad

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 ‘In the slow lane’
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC
13 November 2015 at 5:33 pm #3889
zhuk
- Topics: 5
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- Total: 548
- Guardian Angel
@zhuk
LondonGirl wrote:

Thanks zhuk – Hand and butterfly fail last time – No fun!
Still, next time water!

Argh yeah it isn’t!

Can I ask – do your veins come up OK or are they thin and hard to see? I don’t suppose an English winter helps. I had a pathologist try a surgical glove filled with hot water once to get mine to the surface lol

But it worked heh

GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
F0, tx naive
VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
AST 26
ALT 26
13 November 2015 at 9:20 pm #3891
LondonGirl
- Topics: 16
- Replies: 1,348
- Total: 1,364
- Guardian Angel
@londongirl
Very thin, like me!
Squeezing blood out of arm with two hands is a new one on me !
Funny though, although they told me off for not drinking water, they never offered me a glass !

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 ‘In the slow lane’
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC
13 November 2015 at 9:42 pm #3892
Jolie
- Topics: 5
- Replies: 126
- Total: 131
- Guardian Angel
@jolie
It looks like I won’t be partaking in the free tea & coffee & plush carpets at the private hospitals after all as my lovely ( & very handsome if I might add….) NHS specialist just agreed to monitor my generic tx at the NHS hospital, cool
I totally did not expect it & was really nicely surprised, he was even slightly apologetic in his email that the hospital could not offer me the tx I wanted now & for all the waiting.
A really honest & decent guy, that answers my emails quickly, sends me copies of all the test by post, he even explained that because he does not have a private practice he could not offer me a private script.
He never suggested I speak to his secretary, I don’t even know his secretary I just write him an email & he writes back promptly.

I feel really lucky to have him to support me with this tx & sincerely hope he is not the only decent NHS consultant in the UK willing to do so.

All I need now is just the rest of my order ( DAC) to arrive in post & am all set to go, hopefully to start tx next week!.

Geno 3, Fibro 8.7 pKA, tx experinced in 2005 – Peg/Riba, relapsed.
Started tx 1/12/2015 with Indian Sofo & Chinese Dac.
5 weeks result all normal, ALT 18 – down from ALT 73 at the start of tx.
5 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND. – down from 2 ML
9 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND.
13 November 2015 at 10:02 pm #3893
Alsdad
- Topics: 18
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- Total: 335
- Guardian Angel
@alsdad
Did your consultant become more lovely and handsome after he agreed to monitor, by any chance Jolie? Great result for you (and others in your neck of the woods). Full steam ahead for you in the next few days. Well done!
13 November 2015 at 10:23 pm #3894
Jolie
- Topics: 5
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- Total: 131
- Guardian Angel
@jolie
Of course, I never really noticed him that much before…. did I say caring, compassionate, wise, etc.etc….?
thanks Als!

Geno 3, Fibro 8.7 pKA, tx experinced in 2005 – Peg/Riba, relapsed.
Started tx 1/12/2015 with Indian Sofo & Chinese Dac.
5 weeks result all normal, ALT 18 – down from ALT 73 at the start of tx.
5 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND. – down from 2 ML
9 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND.
13 November 2015 at 10:50 pm #3897
LondonGirl
- Topics: 16
- Replies: 1,348
- Total: 1,364
- Guardian Angel
@londongirl
So pleased for you Jolie Brilliant news, the more the better and maybe others will follow.
Almost set to go now!

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 ‘In the slow lane’
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC
14 November 2015 at 6:35 am #3923
Debs
- Topics: 6
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- Total: 249
- Guardian Angel
@debs
Hi jolie, that is fantastic that you have found an NHS consultant to monitor you! I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is it a northern hospital? As I am northern and just wondering if it could be one near me! Thankyou, that really is groundbreaking!
All the best with your treatment.
14 November 2015 at 10:20 pm #3951
Jolie
- Topics: 5
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- Total: 131
- Guardian Angel
@jolie
Thanks Deb,
No, it is not up North, it’s down here, only a bit north of London.
I did not do anything different or special then just simply asked if he would help by monitoring me as I sourced & paid for my own meds & will be treating soon.
I did say they are generic meds but are safe & have been tested & gave the link to the blog on this forum & mentioned Doc James & his trials.

I did not expect anything so was very nicely surprised when he agreed to it. I did it all by email.
Maybe try to do the same with your consultant? you never know,
I also am not the first one here to be monitored on NHS, there is another member on here who’ve done almost the same, although I understand she initially saw the Doc privately but later had all her tests done on NHS.
My plan was to source the meds first & then organise monitoring, even privately if everything else fails or to use the private blood test clinics to do my own test, plan A,B,C.
Did you decide to treat with the generics as well?

Geno 3, Fibro 8.7 pKA, tx experinced in 2005 – Peg/Riba, relapsed.
Started tx 1/12/2015 with Indian Sofo & Chinese Dac.
5 weeks result all normal, ALT 18 – down from ALT 73 at the start of tx.
5 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND. – down from 2 ML
9 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND.
14 November 2015 at 11:20 pm #3954
Alsdad
- Topics: 18
- Replies: 317
- Total: 335
- Guardian Angel
@alsdad
I found this other online UK service:

http://www.medichecks.com/

They provide a postal service and include a phlebotomy appointment at a clinic local to you. I checked for my postcode and there were over a dozen nearby locations. They don’t say which lab they use, but state that it’s in London and the biggest independant in the UK, so I would say it’s The Doctors Lab. HCV viral load test is £149.00 all-in. They also do a ‘multibuy’ price whereby ordering more than one test (you can mix and match) gets you the multibuy discount on the cheapest test.
15 November 2015 at 1:51 am #3959
dointime
- Topics: 29
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- Total: 354
- Guardian Angel
@dointime
Alsdad – this one looks great for me. No doctor needs to be involved and you get your blood drawn. Perfect. I have been thinking about doing my own blood draw and I’m not too excited about that. Thanks so much for digging this up,
dt
15 November 2015 at 3:36 am #3977
LondonGirl
- Topics: 16
- Replies: 1,348
- Total: 1,364
- Guardian Angel
@londongirl
Great – Thanks Alsdad

GT1a Dec14 F2/8.7 VL 900000-2.5M
Jan16 Hepcivir-L MonkMed/Redemption
Baseline: VL 913575 Alt 76 Platelets low
Wk2 VL1157 Alt 23
DET Wk 8 VL 32 Alt19 ‘In the slow lane’
June16 Fibro 5.7 F0/1 LIF 1.5
Wk 11 VL<12 Alt 13 Det/Unq
Extending tx 12 wks Mylan Sofo/Dac MonkMed
Wk 14 VL <12 Det/Unq
Wk 16 VL UNDETECTED
Wk 22 + 4 Wks Sunprevir FixHepC
Wk 24 UNDETECTED Alt 13
Wk 12 post tx SVR12 Wk 26 SVR24
Thank-you Tim, Dr Debasis @ MonkMed & Dr Freeman @ Fix HepC
16 November 2015 at 12:50 am #4006
Debs
- Topics: 6
- Replies: 243
- Total: 249
- Guardian Angel
@debs
Hi Jolie, Thankyou for your info,
In answer to your question – I would def. treat with generics if I could get my NHS consultant to monitor me! And may still do it anyway monitored privately. Thanks, debs.
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