The problems here are twofold IMHO

1. Inconsistency
2. Process

Inconsistency - if the process is as you describe then your old GP who is still practising at that practice is doing it differently from you new GP
Process - the practice needs to communicate the result to you. By phone they have no choice but to read the results to you with the comments - in which case you'd have been fine - you would have arranged a re-test there and then. The problem is they communicated the results to you by handing them over. The flaw with that, as you have found to your cost, is that unless you read them there and then, before you go home, you are not as informed as you would have been in a phone call. That's just plain daft.

If I were you I would ask to have a meeting with the practice manager and explain to her/him that a) they are being inconsistent and b) you feel they have an obligation to contact you when there is an adverse report. I did this once when I was having a problem with an administrative issue and they sorted it. Sometimes the obvious things get overlooked. They may well thank you for your input (Don't go in guns blazing though!)

I have my bloods done at my hospital and like you I am now on bi monthly. It was changed at the same time that I started on Enbrel, I wasn't very happy but was told that the blood test are to monitor MTX and not Enbrel.

A few years ago when I walked into the room at my hospital to get me bloods done the nurse greeted me with....Who's been partying then?....I knew straight away that my previous test must of been high. It was 157 and nobody had rung to tell me. I had been injecting MTX for a month and I shouldn't of. The result of the test that day was 201 and I was straight off all of my drugs till it settled down. The consultant told me that they don't get really concerned until it is in the six hundreds.

You didn't say what yours was, but in the book I think it says a womans should be 40, but my nurse told me that because of MTX it is OK to go to 70.

I do think the comment of them not ringing out and it's up to the patient to ring in is ridiculous. What would've happened if you had gone away? I knew someone who had a thyroid problem, a blood test showed a dangerous reading, the surgery kept phoning her and got no joy and they ended up sending the police round to tell her to get in touch with her doctors. She ended up in hospital for a few days.

Hope you get things sorted soon and it is just a blip.

Paula

Hi all
I finally got to speak to my GP who just said wait and see what happens at the next blood test. My alt was 88 and the book says it should be under 50. It has been over 60 for most of the year so I 'm just hoping it goes down and it is not the mtx. I only take 7.5 mg so can hardly reduce my dose. The GP said she had tried to ring me, but I 'm not sure I believe that as we have an answer phone! I'm hoping the higher level was because I was just coming out of a flare.
Sue