Yes I have no book ansd just use forms. And, like you, I never get given the results.

However, I work on the principle that they would tell me if there was an issue and therefore no news is good news. My GP told me once that the tests are only one indicator and that how I feel is more important.

I get a full set printed out too, at my GP surgery, but they also fill in my blood book as well. Like Sue, I would be contacted - indeed have been on more than one occasion - by my GP if there was a problem. I take my blood book to rheumy appointments.

Kathleen x

i have always had a blood monitoring book since first diagnosed,

my Nurse at the surgery fills it in each month as i go for the next round, but i can pop into my surgery almost the next day and ask for a print out of if i want. but my surgery would contact me if there was a problem,

and all my bloods are on both my GP and Rheumy Departments systems.

Suzanne

I have just been sent a new book. I always get the surgery to print out my results for me and then I put them on a spread sheet so I can keep an eye on trends easily.

I don't want to throw a spanner in the works here so to speak, but my ALT blood test once was 157 and I had no phone call at all from either the hospital or my GP. I have my bloods done at the hospital and only found out when I went for my next appointment. The nurse had my results up on the screen from my previous blood test and her words to me on entering the room was.....Who's been partying then?.......I knew straight away that there must be a problem with my ALT, thinking she must be thinking I had been drinking too much alcohol. I was shocked. I had been injecting toxic MTX into me for 5 weeks when I shouldn't of. My ALT that day was 201 and it did rise to 257 during the week that followed. Needless to say that I had to come off all of my drugs until it came back down to within normal levels. This then put me, in my opinion on the road to having to take anti tnfs.

Paula x

I think Paul I was just extremely unlucky. When I questioned what happened was told that the consultant or his registrar checks the day before blood test results and if anything is wrong they contact the nurse specialist and it's their job to contact us. Somehow mine must of been overlooked. From what I know readings not in the right range appear with a red background, so if someone had looked at them they could not of read the reading wrong.

I know that my GP's don't check my bloods. even when I was taking oral MTX (I now inject so hospital arranges prescriptions), had a few occasions when a notes been attached to my prescription asking if I can confirm that I am having my bloods done. I know that they can access my results on their computers. If you GP prescribes MTX they aren't suppose to do a prescription without checking that you are having your bloods done. Have also been told that when you collect them from the pharmacy they are suppose to ask to see your monitoring book. I've only once been asked at the pharmacy for my book.

I know that everyone makes mistakes, but it is still worrying that when people are dealing with such toxic drugs that there are not more stringent checks in place.

Paula x x