135/88

Honestly, it's amazing I haven't had a stroke in this office yet!

Had a phlebotomy yesterday. It's been 3 months since my last one. I was going monthly, but since my ferritin (iron level) dropped to 6 my doctor said we could back off to every 3 months and see how that is going. My appt to go back to him is in late September. Yesterday's phlebotomy was my last one before I go see him again!

But, running a ferritin test is not necessary at every phlebotomy. It isn't a test that they get immediate results from, so it doesn't do the folks in the oncology dept (where they do phlebotomies) any good. All they need to do is a simple, in office CBC. As a matter of fact, ferritin isn't a cheap test to run. The clueless oncology people were running one at every phlebotomy and finally my insurance said, "unnecessary" and sent me a bill! So, I spoke to my doctor to correct that. I watched him type it in my notes that ferritin was not to be drawn for every appt. Only prior to office visits. That means once every 6 months.

OK, so yesterday... my appt was for 2:00. 2:15 they finally call me back to the lab. This nurse who was all of 12 years old asks me how I am doing and then asks, "Do you just want them to draw your labs off your phlebotomy?" I knew right then and there that this was not going to end well. "Uh, no. You need the results of the CBC to determine if I even need the phlebotomy." Love it when I have to educate the pros. She looks at me confused and says, "That's OK because another doctor wants us to run some tests on you anyway." This is most likely when my BP started rising. "What other doctor?" I ask. "Dr Ooper" is the reply. I told her Dr OPPER is my doctor (This doc is in the same practice. Nice she can't pronounce his name, eh?) and asked her specifically what tests he wanted to run. She says "Ferritin." Then I had to start in with all the crapola about how he does not want that at every phlebotomy, how I get billed from insurance, how I only have that drawn in Opper's office, not in oncology. She leaves to check my chart and returns and says he has ordered it every 3 months and it has been 4 months since my last test. I hold my ground and repeat my argument that I know is correct. She disappears again. Upon return, she says that my record says it can be run in any HMS office. By now I am short with her. But, in the end, she wins. I am still bugged and if I get a bill... I am bringing it to her.

So, then she must draw these labs. She has a tattooed forearm. Nice look for a 12 year old nurse. The stick hurt. I don't enjoy getting stuck with needles, but generally, I am pretty good with it. This hurt. She then says, "Oops. It is falling out. I'll have to do it again." Lovely. "What??!!" and she tap danced quickly saying, "Oh I just have to move it a little in here." If any of you have ever had blood drawn and the nurse told you they have to move the needle in your arm - then you know that is a 100% guarantee it will hurt. Bingo.

I then sat for another hour in the waiting room... fuming over the pain and the test I know for a fact I did not need my insurance to cover for me. No wonder health care is high. Really, how many other times do you think stuff like that happens? Someone doesn't question things and tests get run and billed. (Later on, I got a copy of my blood work. The test results were done in less than 10 minutes. Yet, I sat there for 60)

Thankfully, the phlebotomy was fine. Except the blood pressure check they did on me before starting was 135/88. But, the nurses there are great with needles. I truly felt nothing as that needle went into my arm and that one it as thick as a toothpick! My bag filled really quickly, too. How's this for gross??... the nurse's clip didn't hold when she took the needle out of my arm and she ended up with both hands (gloved, of course) covered in blood as the bag's pressure drove it back out of the line and needle. Luckily, the rest went right into the garbage can, so it was a very easy clean up. But, she said that was the second time the clip failed her that day. Time for a new one.

She and I talked about our kids and believing in Santa Claus and starting kindergarten and even the man they caught driving around her neighborhood who was approaching kids asking them to go with him to help him find his lost puppy. Once the phlebotomy was done, my BP was back to normal. 128/82.

Of course, the scheduler was fighting with a patient who was obviously frazzled (Way to go, Scheduling Lady - upset a cancer patient!) The patient finally said, "Call my doctor and ask him because what you are telling me is incorrect!" And then when I checked out, they had my doctor's name completely wrong (totally different doctor, one I have never seen before. I have been going to this same doctor and oncology dept since 2001. How hard is it to take care of me?) But, I left there around 4:30 and was glad to be done with those fools until at least late September.

I love my doctor. OK, I think he is pretty aggressive with the low ferritin, but you can talk to him and he doesn't treat you like a lowly patient. So, I do not want to have to switch doctors just to help the fools in oncology have an easier time. And in September, I am going to get him to write another note in my file. This time, I am going to ask him to write: Ferritin is never to be tested in the oncology building. Only in my office.

Yet I know that won't work either. I'll bet I'll have another high BP reading next visit.