My "secret" Vitamin D results

Sssshhh! Don’t tell the patient!

Apparently, the results are back from my Vitamin D test, which I cheekily asked for last week, without doctor’s permission, whilst having my blood taken for something else.

But they won’t tell me the result, because: “Doctor hasn’t seen it yet”.

Well, I don’t suppose she has. She didn’t even know I was having it!

But it’s hardly a life-or-death piece of news, is it? Why can’t a patient be told their vitamin D level, without their doctor having to review it first? If I was being tested for some kind of cancer, or other life-changing condition, I could understand them insisting the results had to be double-checked, and the doctor talk me through the implications. But one’s own Vitamin D hardly seems a dangerous or controversial piece of knowledge, does it?

Kidney function, by the way, was fine. They were allowed to disclose that, because the doctor had already seen it.

Tina

Hi Tina It’s nonsense isn’t it? What dreadful thing will occur if you know your vitD result before the doctor? My Dad has been suffering with various debilitating symptoms lately and the doc discovered that he was vitD deficient. Anyway, he was put on supplements. When I asked my Mum how many iu’s he was on, she said 800. I told her that was as much use as a chocolate teapot and he probably needed 5000! She said she was going to contact the surgery about it. I said that they probably wouldn’t change it as they were following government guidelines. My parents are very old school and I think they believe that everything the GP says is gospel and will be unlikely to follow my advice. I don’t think Dad’s symptoms will improve much on that low a level. Anyway, sorry I digressed but it just seems that GP’s need educating about this! Teresa xx

Hello

You may find that even though you requested your vitamin D levels, this part of the blood test was blocked by your GP.

This happened to me and my GP said there is no recommended level so no point in having the test when I queried my levels.

Hope you have more success than me

Tina,

l have just watched the news - re the couple who were accused of harming their baby who died at 4months old. Their older child was taken into care as it was considered at risk.

lt turns out to be ‘Rickets’ caused by vitamin d deficiency. The parents are both dark-skinned - and are more likely to be vitamin d deficient then someone with white skin. University Hospital Londond - and Great Ormond Street Hospital have ‘apologised’. Perhaps now the health professionals will make sure everyone knows about the importance of vitamin d3.

F.

Hi well, I do hope that hasn’t happened, because the practice nurse ticked the box and said that I could have it! Which should mean the lab would have done it as requested. Recption’s admission that the result was back points to the fact they did!

If the test has already been done, it would seem pure spite to deny me the results, on grounds there’s “no point me knowing”.

In fact, I should think that would be unethical and/or unlawful. If they do have a lab result for me, I can’t see how they can withhold it, on grounds I have “no business knowing”. It’s MY data, not theirs!

If they wanted to stop the test going ahead, the opportunity for that was before the lab did it, not afterwards. I don’t see how you can obstruct the patient getting the results, simply because you didn’t approve of them having the test in the first place.

Tina

Hi F,

Yes, I saw that too.

Whilst I don’t suspect I have rickets, I’m very curious what my levels are, so I know whether or not I’m taking enough supplements.

If I’m one of the lucky ones, and levels are sufficiently high, I might even be able to save myself some money, and stop taking them. At the moment, I’m taking them all the time, without having any idea whether I’m on target or not.

I don’t know whether I should be doubling them, or stopping altogether.

T.

I recently rang for my vit.d3 result, got same reply as you - doctor not seen it yet. Well hello I thought, its only vit.d3 and it was me who asked for it to be taken in the very beginning only to find it extremely low - hence supplementation with extra. Ive since asked twice and apparently the hospital have the results.

Me thinks the medical profession dont want us getting too cocky knowing its important to maintaining healthy blood levels, especially having ms. Perhaps we know too much???

Im having to wait until the 30th of this month to ask osteo consultant if my pill popping is indeed working - plus eating half the ocean of fish.

bren

x

Ive tried to google but so far to know avail… but… Im wondering if surely this koind of thing can come under the ‘Freedom of information and Data Protection’ banner or not.

If its information held on US, we have a right to know surely?? Ok so there might be a procedure… but we should still be able to get it maybe?

Any thoughts…

Actually, that’s exactly where I was coming from when I suggested it might be illegal.

I’ve recently been researching the Data Protection Act (nothing to do with this, but a position I applied for). And my understanding is that if data is held about you, you have a right to see it.

I don’t think they’re breaking the law just by saying the doctor needs to review it first. But I do think they would be, if they persistently denied me my results, because they don’t think I need to know, on principle.

Obstructing someone from having the test in the first place would have nothing to do with the DPA, since you can’t have rights over data that doesn’t exist, because it’s never been collected! But where the data does exist - i.e. the lab has already done it - I don’t think they have any legitimate cause to withhold it.

Tina