Blood Drive (thru)

Our doctor’s office has done a wonderful job of keeping up with Gary. Since he’s been feverish for nine weeks, they wanted to check if possibly his thyroid was off (or, I suppose, if he’s suffering side effects of the medication). 

So, for that they needed a blood draw, and while I was special enough to get the nurse to do the porch visit, Gary needed to use the drive-up lab at the hospital.

This is how it’s supposed to go:

1. Drive to the special lot at the edge of the Hospital complex.
2. Park and call the special number posted in front of every parking space.
3. An operator will answer and get your insurance info.
4. The operator tells you to drive to the parking garage and get in line.
5. Hang your arm out of the window and get your blood taken.

Five minutes after we called Gary got impatient and said, “Let’s leave,” and then he said that every ten minutes. After Gary’s “Let’s leave” at the one hour mark I snapped “Fine,” and started to drive off.

I had just backed out when the operator came on line, so while she got our info I was circling to get back to the lot. There is a camera on the lot and she must have seen us leaving. I can only imagine that’s why she skipped step 4 - the step to tell us to drive to the parking garage. She must have seen us on the lot camera and thought that was where we were heading.

So we drove back to where we had been for the last hour and sat on hold again while we fought another forty-five minutes, and then gave up and went home.

Of course, the next day Gary went on his own and everything went seamlessly — he called, they picked up in five minutes, they told him to go to the parking garage, and he did all the waiting there. 

The best part was finding that his thyroid numbers are in the right zone. I suppose the increased meds that helped with that are what’s causing the fever and misery. 

Comments

[KC]

Wait, the... meds are doing the right thing but are causing fever and misery? Oy.

(also, while I would not want to wait in a car for over an hour, I wish we had a drive-up blood draw!)

[TheQueen]

KC - sure - there’s always that 6 weeks adjustment phase while you have all the side effects.

[Arlene]

Everything is so weird these days. My pup has been sick ($5K in May). Three vets/animal hospitals. One place communicates/consults by phone, one by text, and one by email. Sometime a long wait as Vet/Tech forgets you are waiting.

[TheQueen]

Arlene - oh no! To have a sick pup and then not be able to care for him the most efficient way must be extra hard.

[Arlene]

It was scary. First surgery to remove a piece of toy that was blocking her intestines. She's recovered fine. Then at 10pm Memorial Day, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Following lots of meds, iv infusions, etc. she's doing better.

re: Gary 9 weeks is a long time to have a fever. Particularly nervous-making in these pandemic soaked times.

[TheQueen]

Arlene - I know! His check for Lyme disease came back negative. So that’s a relief, but on the other hand he isn’t feeling better.
Hey - maybe Gary swallowed a toy.
That said I hope your pup feels all better soon.