Update on my medical drama...

If you read my long rant post ten days ago "How I wasted a perfectly good Tuesday morning..." , it is time for an update! This time it won't be a rant, but it does leave me a bit uneasy...

So, to go back to my story, the following day I arrived at the clinic to get my blood drawn between 2 and 3 pm. The technician lets me sit down in the chair, and then gives me a funny look. Not again, I think..This is a different technician than the day before, so she doesn't know my story. She does tell me that she is sorry but is not able to complete the whole test requested. The first part she can do and have it delivered, but the second blood test requires freezing and she doesn't have a freezer. My jaw just drops. She continues to explain that I need to go to to the city and get my blood work done at the lab there. WHAT??
I didn't know what to say, so I think I might have been just starring at her for a few awkward moments, because she started repeating the instructions and giving me the address of the lab. I asked her if she had a minute so she could hear my story. She did, so I went on! She felt really sorry for me by the end, and called the lab to find out when the best time would be for me to come in, without having to wait too long. Now was the perfect time. Great, I drove over to the lab, found it, and got the blood work taken all within about five minutes. I was so glad to have this done and over with, I forgot to feel dizzy!!
The three days it took for my blood work to get properly done (can't those lab people/nurses just read the whole requisition and advise their patient properly the fist time..grrr) and this past week waiting for the results have been stressful to say the least.
Yesterday, I was scheduled to see my doctor for the rest of my yearly physical, I am a huge wimp when it comes to that, but I thought at least I might find out the results of this blood test. Our family doctor is new to us, but I like her already, she is just an easy to talk to type of person. Anyway, she comes in and starts prepping her stuff for the physical and I ask her if she received results from the second blood test. She looks at her paperwork and says ...
"ah yes! you know I think there is something wrong with this."
Oh great I think..what is wrong??
"you know" she keeps going "I really think they made a mistake on your first test, from the clinic. Your platelets were very low, around 30 (I think she said), which would mean that me poking my finger on your arm would basically cause you to bruise, and which is why I sent you for further tests, because that is way too low. But the second test, at the lab, shows your platelets around 170, which is perfect. There can't be such a difference in the levels between only a couple of days"
I asked her which test she thinks is the right one, and she didn't even hesitate to say the second one.
I have perfect platelets. It was a medical error. Don't get me wrong, I am relieved there is nothing wrong with me, but it doesn't make me very confident in the medical world..which I never was to start with...(but that's another story).

Comments

  1. Oh what a horrible time you have had. Yes the medical world is not very 'joined-up' and your story sounds sadly familiar to what can happen here too.
    If you had thrombocytopaenia you would most likely have problems with bleeding gums and nosebleeds. You would as your doc says, bruise very easily.
    I had a similar thing during pregnancy which caused huge worry and anxiety, until my consultant dismissed the result saying "someone must have peed in your sample" :0
    Hope you are feeling better now. xx

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  2. waouhhhh, je rêve il ne faut pas être malade imaginaire car tu pars en courant !!!! cela est surprenant

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