Home Test Kits....HELP!

[LizeeeH]

Hi Everyone!

So I have had urine home test kits for a long time and sometimes I hardly use them THEN I get a urine test that shows hemolyised blood......well the panic starts. So then I'm testing every hour, stupid I know. I do ride a mountain bike most days, I've read that may be the reason? Anyway I went to see a lovely lady GP and took a sample, one I had tested at home a showed traces of blood. She tested the same sample and said it was normal?????? HOW??? So the idiot in me thought she was lying Anyway I have to take another sample for the nurse to check in a couple of weeks and then again at the end of the month. I feel I'm going mental! Do any of you lovely people use the home test kits or do you think they are dangerous in the wrong hands!!!!!

 

[EMJ]

I think you can make yourself lose your mind when checking things at home. It is like the scale for a person who suffers from an eating disorder...weighing themselves every 15 minutes....I am now making myself crazy with monitoring my blood pressure ....I have had issues with low blood pressure for years....this week I am battling an inflammatory Cystitis very painful condition exacerbated by my anxiety ....so I have been taking ibuprofen 5 or 6 times a day...I randomly decided to take my blood pressure yesterday and my BP was 155/90 .....I lost it and went into a major spiral....went into Dr. was in a frenzy...taking my blood pressure at home 100 times yesterday.....it would go from 110/70 to 140/90....Logically I know my anxiety is causing my BP to fluctuate like crazy but my anxious self won't allow me to accept this.....I need to put the blood pressure monitor away ....I am my own worst enemy.

 

[LizeeeH]

Hi Emj

I think we are all our own worst enemy, its just trying to stop the cycle! in the back of my mind I just imagine all those people who dont have anxiety just getting on with their lives, while we are at home testing for every illness know to man!!! PS I also check my blood pressure!!!

 

[matisworried]

i think doing any sort of "home testing" that hasn't specifically been ordered by a doctor is bad news. you're allowing yourself to engage in obsessive behavior (checking hourly) that only worsens your anxiety. that is not logical nor is it helpful. what are you gaining from doing these tests? not a diagnosis, not a treatment... all you're gaining is MORE ANXIETY.

as for your doctor's visit, i would trust a test run in an actual lab any day over a test i picked up on the internet or at the local pharmacy. doctors have absolutely zero incentive to do sloppy work, let alone lie to patients. not only does it create more work for them in the long run if they miss something, it leaves them open to lawsuits and the loss of their medical license if something bad were to happen. may i ask why you started doing these tests in the first place?

many years ago, microscopic blood was found in my urine during routine labs. i immediately freaked out, convinced myself i was dying and did tons of "research" which only further convinced me i had months to live. i had to go back weekly for a month to re-test before finally being referred to a urologist who ordered scans and did a cystoscopy which discovered blood vessels close to the urethra walls which leaked small amounts of blood into my urine. totally benign. totally harmless. nothing i need to worry about. it's been 10+ years and i'm still standing. no disease. no problems. a lot of times, it just happens. doing things like riding a mountain bike regularly could cause it, i'm sure. if your doctor isn't concerned, you shouldn't be either... especially in the absence of additional issues.

 

[LizeeeH]

Hi Everyone!

So I have had urine home test kits for a long time and sometimes I hardly use them THEN I get a urine test that shows hemolyised blood......well the panic starts. So then I'm testing every hour, stupid I know. I do ride a mountain bike most days, I've read that may be the reason? Anyway I went to see a lovely lady GP and took a sample, one I had tested at home a showed traces of blood. She tested the same sample and said it was normal?????? HOW??? So the idiot in me thought she was lying Anyway I have to take another sample for the nurse to check in a couple of weeks and then again at the end of the month. I feel I'm going mental! Do any of you lovely people use the home test kits or do you think they are dangerous in the wrong hands!!!!!

Thank you, very wise words and appreciated!

 

[EMJ]

I am thinking of locking my BP monitor ....my blood sugar tester .......etc ...away where I can NOT use them. My daughter is a PA and yesterday I arrived at her office in full panic mode. Her staff helped me out and took my blood pressure and she assured me that I was fine even tho my BP was elevated due to my anxiety.....I feel terrible that I barged into her office and created an issue.....she told me wise words..."Mom if I was concerned something major was wrong don't you think I would be the first to get something done that would help? "you need to trust me mom..." wise words from an awesome daughter.

 

[matisworried]

I am thinking of locking my BP monitor ....my blood sugar tester .......etc ...away where I can NOT use them. My daughter is a PA and yesterday I arrived at her office in full panic mode. Her staff helped me out and took my blood pressure and she assured me that I was fine even tho my BP was elevated due to my anxiety.....I feel terrible that I barged into her office and created an issue.....she told me wise words..."Mom if I was concerned something major was wrong don't you think I would be the first to get something done that would help? "you need to trust me mom..." wise words from an awesome daughter.

are you a diabetic? if not, you really have no business owning a blood glucose machine and could (should) just throw it in the garbage!

 

[cheer_mom]

My Dr recently told me I was prediabetic. I flipped out started using my glucometer and checking multiple times a day. I was was going crazy. Luckily my dad forgot his when we went camping so I gave him mine and "forgot" to get it back. I only had one because several years ago my dr wanted me to check it every morning for a month cause of a random high test. Trust your Dr. She wouldn't lie to you

 

[EMJ]

are you a diabetic? if not, you really have no business owning a blood glucose machine and could (should) just throw it in the garbage!

You are so so right ....I am not diabetic.. not even close...the monitor was here because my elderly mother stayed with me for a few weeks and she forgot hers so I went out and bought one....I should take it to her when I see her next ....and remove it from my anxious presence! Thanks for the great advice matisworried!

 

[matisworried]

You are so so right ....I am not diabetic.. not even close...the monitor was here because my elderly mother stayed with me for a few weeks and she forgot hers so I went out and bought one....I should take it to her when I see her next ....and remove it from my anxious presence! Thanks for the great advice matisworried!

if there's temptation to use it (or if you've used it) you should get rid of it right away. there's no logical reason for a non-diabetic to check their blood sugar unless a doctor instructs them to.

 

[Kittens2]

I dont do home test except for BP machine. If the test showed something abnormal I would go into panic mode

 

[matisworried]

I dont do home test except for BP machine. If the test showed something abnormal I would go into panic mode

may i ask why you do it? is it recommended by your doctor?

 

[Kittens2]

I have hashimotos thyroud issues. My pulse rate is high so doc recommend taking cardevill 6mg. I have the bp machine bec when I go if I go for a physical I bring it with me to prove I have white coat syndrome.

 

[matisworried]

I have hashimotos thyroud issues. My pulse rate is high so doc recommend taking cardevill 6mg. I have the bp machine bec when I go if I go for a physical I bring it with me to prove I have white coat syndrome.

ok - but was checking your blood pressure at home actually recommended by your doctor? if the answer is no, you should reconsider doing it as that type of behavior tends to be anxiety-inducing (or potentially anxiety inducing) for people like us.

i'm not sure why you need to prove you have white coat syndrome. i've never had a doctor question that and i have told many about mine.

 

[Kittens2]

Having the bp machine does not bother me and my anxiety is not heighten. The doc did not say to buy one.
Bec of the fear of having a physical my BP rises and my dr always says it's high n I have to explain myself over n over. So having the BP machine with me she can look at the readings. She has never asked to see the past bv results.

 

[matisworried]

Having the bp machine does not bother me and my anxiety is not heighten. The doc did not say to buy one.
Bec of the fear of having a physical my BP rises and my dr always says it's high n I have to explain myself over n over. So having the BP machine with me she can look at the readings. She has never asked to see the past bv results.

do you get high readings at home? if not, your blood pressure is obviously not a problem... and if your GP is not interested in seeing your results, it's probably not even worth doing it but it's good it doesn't cause you anxiety.

from personal experience and from hearing from others (in posts like this) doing any sort of home testing that isn't recommended by a doctor seems like very dangerous territory to be wading in. plus, on a practical (medical) level, it's really not very useful.

 

[Kittens2]

Well let's just say that is your opinion and we are all entitled to do what we want.
What might not be useful in your mind doesn't apply to everyone.
I did not come on this group to get attacked. So please try to be kind.

 

[matisworried]

Well let's just say that is your opinion and we are all entitled to do what we want.
What might not be useful in your mind doesn't apply to everyone.
I did not come on this group to get attacked. So please try to be kind.

i don't know what about my post makes you feel "attacked." sorry you feel that way, though.

i come here multiple times a day with the sole purpose of helping people that are having a hard time and maybe don't have insight into their anxiety, what causes it, what makes it worse and what to do to make it better. for people with health anxiety, doing home checks (clinically called "body vigilance") can be a trigger that increases anxiety. body vigilance is even listed as a primary symptom of health anxiety in many medical journals/websites. it is not typically behavior associated with people that do not suffer from HA so when someone here reports doing it, red flags are raised. with that being said, i totally agree with you: you can do whatever you want. no one is forcing you to follow any of the advice that was given here or answer any of the questions that you're asked. it's unfortunate that you assume you're being attacked and respond as such instead of asking for clarification or realizing that we're all in the same boat and maybe, just maybe, there's been some miscommunication or that someone with good intentions just said or suggested something you don't agree with. trust me, if i wanted to troll people, there are plenty of better places to do it than here.

for what it's worth, the reason i responded to you was because in your very first post in this thread you said:

If the test showed something abnormal I would go into panic mode

none of us know each other in real life. all we have to go off of are each other's words. this is a "red flag" type of statement from someone that states they take their blood pressure at home for no medical reason (i.e. not instructed to do so by their doctor.) in my opinion, not saying something when someone is doing something that could be harmful is enabling and that's not behavior i engage in.

 

[Kittens2]

I dont take my BP at home for no medical reason. I did have a high pulse rate bec of the hashimoto's. The doc did suggest endo if I wanted to track my BP so I can tell if my numbers are off. That was a while ago.
I don't excessively check bp
I have insight into my health anxiety and know wha triggers it. I dont troll people.that is not nice to say. Listen I felt I was being attacked by you bec of the comment it's not very practical or useful.
I am very educated on mental.health issues just remember you never know what people here do for a living so dont assume there is a lack of education on the topic or knowledge.
Let's please end this discussion and move on .

 

[matisworried]

I dont take my BP at home for no medical reason. I did have a high pulse rate bec of the hashimoto's. The doc did suggest endo if I wanted to track my BP so I can tell if my numbers are off. That was a while ago.

as i've already stated in my last post, "no medical reason" means a patient is doing medical things (like taking their blood pressure) without specifically being told to do so by their physician. if a doctor feels it's medically necessary to monitor something, they will tell their patients to do so. if you want to do it anyway, you go ahead and do you. no one's stoppin' ya. whether you agree or not, i was just trying to be helpful.

I dont troll people.that is not nice to say.

at no point did i say you were trolling people. what i said is that I am not here to troll people and if that were MY intention, I wouldn't be doing it here.

Listen I felt I was being attacked by you bec of the comment it's not very practical or useful.

and you are entitled to feel however you want, but it was not meant to be an attack of any kind. if you don't find what i said helpful or it doesn't apply to you, good enough, but that doesn't mean it was an attack. for clarification, what i meant when i said it wasn't very practical or useful is that if a doctor is going to ask a patient to monitor their vitals, there are usually very specific instructions for doing so. without those instructions, the readings themselves don't actually give them any useful clinical data. that's not a judgement on you, that's just fact.

I am very educated on mental.health issues just remember you never know what people here do for a living so dont assume there is a lack of education on the topic or knowledge.

i literally said "none of us know each other in real life. all we have to go off of are each other's words" and your words were that "if something were abnormal i would go in to panic mode." it's why i asked you questions. as for me, i've worked in the mental health field for almost 16 years so i know a thing or too as well. i literally have four orders in my office from physicians explaining how, when and why my clients' vitals should be taken.