Having your own medical lab work done sans doctor

K

Krefcenz

Joined
May 24, 2002
Messages
763
I was a little dissatisfied with my last physical. My physician gave me an overview but no detail on my blood values. I'm willing to pay out of pocket for bloodwork at medical labs without a doctor's referral. And I'm interested in learning more about specific tests. What they mean and how to interpret them. I've located a medical lab locally that will run any test I want at a price (this comes off the other thread on fasting, I want to check my electrolytes). And I've found a couple of websites that are helpful in deciding what tests might be valuable.

The first site does a good job of explaining what tests are/can be performed but doesn't provide reference ranges you need to interpret your results. The reference ranges are usually provided by the lab and highlight when a value is out of the range. But I like to know ahead of time what values we are talking about. Anyway, here are the sites:

http://www.labtestsonline.org/

http://www.bloodbook.com/ranges.html

How many of you have had self-directed medical testing done without a doctor's referral? What has been your experience?

Kref
 
I've not self referred myself for lab work, but I always get a copy of the same sheet the doctor gets. (Sent to me in the mail.) It shows what test was performed, the lower and upper limits, and my actual score.

I just had my annual physical, and did the labs prior to my actual doctors visit. He asked me if I received my copy of the results, and also asked if I had some questions. My labs all came back normal, so I had no questions.

I think you need to ask your doctor, or his/her nurse for a copy of your lab results, and a chance to discuss them. if that is a problem, find a new doctor. (I know, easier said than done sometimes)
 
what are you concerned about?

you can apply for life insurance and they often run a lab profile if you are getting a big enough policy. the last two policies i bought involved fairly extensive labwork and i received a copy of the results (there were some court cases where insurance companies did not reveal abnormal tests to applicants..they simply denied insurance..and they got in big trouble when the applicants got sick)

as a physician i will warn you that lab tests in and of themselves should always be interpreted in light of other clinical data. i would not recommend non-medical people "ordering" tests

1. you do not know the quality of the lab or what controls they use
2. how do you interprt the results? some tests are easy..some are very difficult



if you have a concern...you should talk with your doctor...if you get no satisfaction...talk to a different doctor
 
I recently had a bad experience with lab tests. I was sick with some sort of stomach virus. I had a few tests done. Luckily, my body was responsive to the medication that the "physician's assistant" prescribed for me, but I was very curious about what caused the problem in the first place. I waited a week before I finally called them to find out the results. The answer, "First I want to tell you that I am very sorry. The lab results were accidentally put into the wrong test tube and it mixed with these other chemicals... Anyhow, it destroyed the sample. But you are responding to the medicine that we gave you so that's great." :mad: I was really, really pissed. They only got limited use out of the other test that I took. I cannot remember the explanation for that one. Luckily, it hasn't recurred. I won't ever go back to that office. I was already soured because I never actually saw a doctor. I heard these people in the waiting room talking. This lady told another patient, "Dr. *** rarely ever comes in anymore. The physician's assistant runs the show." The other patient replied, "I've never met the doctor. I've been here quite a few times." :rolleyes:
 
Also be aware that different labs may report different results.
I was treated for cancer about a year ago and have blood test every 4 months. The last one indicated probable recurrent cancer. The Doc put me on antibiotics for a couple of weeks in case it was some kind of infection to be followed by another blood test at a different lab. That one produced results in the safe zone. I don't really know if the difference was due to antibiotics or lab procedures. The doctor explained that some of these test are looking for very minute traces so the competency of the lab is an issue. I was expecting the worst news and got the best news so I rushed out and bought myself a new little Mike Irie fixed blade. (knife content :) )
 
jsmatos said:
I won't ever go back to that office.
Click to expand...


The minimum you need to do, then, is take ten minutes of your time and write a short letter just recounting what happened (you can cut and paste what you just wrote here) and telling him why you won't be coming back in. Once you've sent that letter, you're outta here clean.
 
bandaidman said:
what are you concerned about?

you can apply for life insurance and they often run a lab profile if you are getting a big enough policy. the last two policies i bought involved fairly extensive labwork and i received a copy of the results (there were some court cases where insurance companies did not reveal abnormal tests to applicants..they simply denied insurance..and they got in big trouble when the applicants got sick)

as a physician i will warn you that lab tests in and of themselves should always be interpreted in light of other clinical data. i would not recommend non-medical people "ordering" tests

1. you do not know the quality of the lab or what controls they use
2. how do you interprt the results? some tests are easy..some are very difficult



if you have a concern...you should talk with your doctor...if you get no satisfaction...talk to a different doctor
Click to expand...

On the other thread for fasting, I explained my interest in water fasts (longer than 48 to 72 hours which most physicians have said isn't likely to cause health problems absent a known contraindication..e.g. Esav said it would put him in the grave. Anyway, I appreciate Bandaid man's point about lab quality. I can check on that myself. I can only comment that hiding the ball can have negative consequences among patients like myself who don't like being patronized by their doctors. I have a legitimate need to monitor electrolytes (potassium, sodium) during my fast. If my current physician isn't willing or able to accomodate that need, then I need to go it alone, hence the general subject of this thread. Labs can screw up. Ok fair enough. That's quality assurance. You can evaluate QA by speaking to them and asking what QA protocols they have in place. And if you are stubborn enough, like me, go to more than one lab if you want a check. I'm sympathetic with both Jennifer's and Thomason's experience. I just think an informed and able patient is good incentive for doctors to stop hiding the ball and think about non-drug alternatives a little more carefully. Fasting is one example. There are others. Playing with fire? Maybe. Just be sure you know what the iatrogenic outcome (hospital or drug induced disease/side effects/risks) is before you get lead by the nose. Patient power.

Kref
 
My doc is a physicians assistant, and has no people skills whatsoever. Everyone in the office is rude, and I need to get around to finding a new doc very fast.

As for labs, I thought the techinicians had to take some type of training. I was wrong.
 
I can only speak from my own experience, and this may not apply where you live, but you might not be able to order lab tests or exams.

As some of you know, I'm a Radiographer, and I can legally perform radiologic exams and procedures only if I receive an order (written or verbal) from:

1) A licensed Physician.
2) A Physician's Assistant who is currently working under a licensed Physician.
3) A Nurse Practitioner who is currently working under a licensed Physician.

If you don't have an order for a specific exam from one of those listed above, I cannot legally do the exam.

You cannot order a radiologic exam on yourself, a Registered Nurse cannot order exams, and the Radiographer himself cannot order exams.
And, perhaps oddly, we don't perform exams ordered by Chiropractors either.

I'll ask some of our lab folks if they have to follow similar guidelines.

Allen.
 
the easy, guaranteed way to be able to interpret lab results is to go to med school. I don't know why you would want to do it on your own-if you don't like your doctor, find a new one.
 
Labs ordered without a reason are useless. Are you asymptomatic? We don't treat lab results we treat patients. Your norms can be different from others.

What are you specifically looking for? Then you can know what to look at. Just shotgunning labs can be expensive and nerve racking.

Paul(Physician Assistant)
 
I think tests like radiologic tests, sperm counts, etc aren't available absent a doctor's order or the equivalent. But if you just want your cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, or in my case electrolytes (just to be sure when I fast that my sodium and potassium remain within reference ranges), I think that's a different animal. Hell, I take my own temperature to tell when I have a fever, my own blood pressure when I need to see if I'm ok. Many diabetics take their own blood sugar. So, I'm not in accord with the general statement that I have to either become a doctor or switch doctors if I want check my HDL or sodium or BUN. Paul, I agree with you that lab results without a reason are useless. After that, agree to disagree. I'm content that there can be individuals whose values may stray from the reference ranges. But based on my medical history, I don't think I'm one of them. I have, on the other hand, witnessed sloppy sample handling and false positives in the neonatal care of my son. There are risks inherent in any lab procedure. It's managing those risks intelligently and physicians not patronizing those patients with an interest in learning that probably has the best chance of minimizing errors. In my case, there simply isn't a physician experienced in therapeutic fasting within geographic range that compels my need for self-directed lab tests. In any case, thanks for all your input.

Kref
 
Hi Krefcenz,
I asked a few lab workers at the hospital if they could perform tests at a person's request without orders and they said that they could not.
They did say that there are home tests for certain labs available for you to purchase.

Now, it could be different where you live, I don't know.

Good luck and good health,
Allen.
 
If you have a health care plan they might not cover "unauthorized" lab work or work done more frequently than they specify. My doctor schedules my blood work for me based on what I need and what my plan will cover.

You can't really rely on the "normal" ranges that the labs provide with your results. For years I lived with premature ventricular contraction, which most people describe as the arrhythmia that makes you feel like you want to cough because of the empty feeling it gives you in your chest. All blood tests indicated normal electrolytes, in particular magnesium. I started taking magnesium supplements and within a couple of months a 30 year problem had vanished. Be careful with mineral supplements, though - there is an "overdose" level for all of them and the penalty can be deadly.
 
Quick question if you do your own labs what can you do for high K or low K? ANd then you are going to be doing daily labs. Its really not worth the hassle to this on your own.

I don't think the meds for hi/lo K are otc.

Good luck.

PCN
 
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