Still hanging in there
Still hanging in there
Sincere thanks to all who keep posting suggestions and their experiences with anticoagulation monitors. You keep our spirits up and, perhaps one day, may help convince Al's doctor of the benefits and safety of home monitors. At this writing, nothing has changed the doctor's stance, that of relying on the lab.
QAS and Ms. Barrett continue to provide support. Technydine sent us a second machine to experiment with. Now, Al tests on both home monitors and has blood drawn at the dr's office to be tested at a lab. The doctor is sending the blood to a new lab. For now, we are taking data and hoping. I admit that at one point our confidence was shaken, but that is no longer the case. Everytime I visit this site or any of the many other related sites, I know, without a doubt, that in home testing with the ProTime machine is the way to go...superior to the testing that is available to us.
At the present time I am completely fed up with the options that are available (or, should I say, the options that are NOT available to us for lab testing). I have spoken with a neurosurgeon, a neurologist, a cardiologist, and internist (who regulates Al's coumadin), a family doctor, an eye doctor, a pathologist, three nurses, customer service people at three labs, a flabtomist, and EMT person, a radiologist, and my gynecologist, among others. Not one person can direct me to a lab where we can have the blood drawn and tested in the same location. When I talk to people at the nearby hospital outpatient, I'm told, "All you need to do is go next door to Sonora Labs. That's where everybody goes!!!" And , sadly, that is true. And, sadly, that is the problem.
I'm convinced that the lab results are inconsistent due to many uncontrolled variables, not the least of which is the length of time between the draw and the test. One draw was done at 11am in Mesa and was not tested at the hospiital lab in Phoenix until 9pm.
They don't even use the same reagent and they change reagents often. Grrrr. I'm so frustrated. Medicare will not pay for a STAT test, nor will they pay for out patient because neither is a medical necessity. Getting a STAT test is not, in their opinion, a medical necessity nor is going to outpatient when we could have the same test done at Sonra Labs for less. Incidentially, Medicare was billed for $50.50 for Albert's last test. I know from your replies that this is not the state of affairs in other places, but this is what we must contend with here in the Phoenix Metro area. So, when Al's doctor says, "This is the way it's done in this part of the world." he' right. It scares me to think that the a majority of the people in this area who are being monitored for anticoagulation are being serviced by one of the three labs I contacted--the labs that do not do a draw and a test on the same premises.
I'm going to look into Tuscon for lab work. Right now, I can't justify driving an ill man 100 miles in l00 degree weather. I'll wrap this up. My life story would be shorter. We won't give up. For now, we're collecting data, exploring possibilities, and preparing for that time when this will be resolved. My budget sheet shows that we are ordering a new box of supplies, 25 tests, in August. Guess that says it all for now.
Many, many thanks to all. Blanche
