Therapeutic Phlebotomy...local Quest and Labcorp refuse to do it

[Vince Carter]

...any suggestions? I want to avoid red cross (and similar) and not play all their little screening games and jumping through hoops. Order is from Defy. My preferred Quest location spoke to the manager there and she refused to do it no other reason than "we don't know what that is". I told her it's draining a pint and discarding it and she got this very puzzled look on her face.

My backup LabCorp location knew about it but said only a hospital can do it.

Have any of you had success at a Quest or Labcorp service center?

 

[Tom Larabee]

Quest and LabCorp are for testing only.

Go to a Blood bank with your Rx and they will do it and toss it. Local Hospitals usually have a separate arm that does this and yeah stay away from Red Cross.

 

[Re-Ride]

Vince, At least you got the phlebotomy order. There needs to be a sticky on here for leeches and at-home old fashioned blood letting.

 

[Vince Carter]

Ill google blood banks, at worse Ill have to donate and play the game, my Hematocrit was 56...I HAVE TO GET THIS DONE. Defy readily gave me the order.

edit I found a donation center close by so I'll go in the AM and get this taken care of. I did put out a feeler to Quest Corporate on this subject though.

 

[Jk78]

I'm un-educated on my question, but why the resistance to Red Cross. I'm just starting out on TRT, so I want to get my options in line if/when I need to donate blood. Thanks.

 

[Jay]

Vince,

What is your amount of T per week you use? Just curious as that is a pretty high level. Has it every been that high before? How long you been on TRT?

Jay

 

[DLK]

Vince, once you fill out the questionnaire for the red cross you kill 2 birds with one stone. Get rid of the blood and help to save someones life, there's always a blood sortage.

 

[Jay]

DLK/Vince, If you Hemocrit is over 52% they will not accept donation

 

[Nelson Vergel]

With a doctor's order, all blood banks will do phlebotomies. They will not accept blood for donation if your hematocrit is high but they will discard it. I belong to two groups of people whose blood is considered hazardous waste and I am able to get phlebotomies.

 

[Vince Carter]

I simply didn't want to go through the questions and the screening to "donate", I wanted to get drained and leave, but alas, this time, it didn't work that way. I otherwise meet all the criteria and dropped off a pint this morning. I just didn't expect the resistance to the phlebotomy @ Quest or Labcorp.

Of note, at this donation I was only tested for Hemoglobin, NOT Hematocrit so it was a non-issue.

 

[Vince Carter]

Vince,

What is your amount of T per week you use? Just curious as that is a pretty high level. Has it every been that high before? How long you been on TRT?

Jay

Common side effect on TRT. Why don't you make a thread or addon to an existing one.

 

[Jay]

Vince,

Just curious if you were on a high dose. I am on 180 a week but Hematocrit was 44 at last blood draw...I am wondering if it has anything to do with dosage or maybe genetics.

 

[Vince Carter]

I remember ~20 months ago with my primary care physician, may have been b/w #1 when he started me on Androgel, or 6 weeks later, but he remarked about my b/w showing Polycithemia so it's been around since I started trt. Time with him and Androgel was short-lived, and I switched to injectables at a nationally known clinic a few months later, but I'm always borderline, or right on it. I'm unconcerned, easy to deal with and a common side effect. I've never exceed 200mg in a given week.

 

[Brian963]

Who would have thought it would be so difficult to do get a therapeutic phlebotomy done. Unreal. Even my local hospital doesn't do them. Really?

 

[Vince]

I just donate blood at my local American Red Cross, they're very close by, but the whole process does take a hour.

 

[OMI100]

FYI
My local blood bank has a web site that list what is acceptable and what is not as far as meds that you might be taking. I am taking some no-go meds. I asked about a therapeutic phlebotomy. They had a simple one page form that I downloaded and filled out and had my PCP sign and fax to them. Simple. I go in this Thursday to get a pint taken out.

 

[midlifealpha]

I used a nearby place called OneBlood and it was $35. Once I was given a needle it was about 5 minutes. The paperwork as a first time customer was extensive.

 

[Brian963]

I'm at my 2nd hospital and 2nd blood bank and still can't have my therapeutic phlebotomy done. Even at Ochsner. Is this a New Orleans issue? Can I bleed out a pint of blood myself at home? Unreal!!!!!

 

[Vince]

I'm at my 2nd hospital and 2nd blood bank and still can't have my therapeutic phlebotomy done. Even at Ochsner. Is this a New Orleans issue? Can I bleed out a pint of blood myself at home? Unreal!!!!!

Can you ask your doctor for a therapeutic phlebotomy prescription

 

[Vince Carter]

FYI
My local blood bank has a web site that list what is acceptable and what is not as far as meds that you might be taking. I am taking some no-go meds. I asked about a therapeutic phlebotomy. They had a simple one page form that I downloaded and filled out and had my PCP sign and fax to them. Simple. I go in this Thursday to get a pint taken out.

Ill ask about that, if it shortens my time at the blood bank by not having to endure all the screening, I'd be up for that. I still don't mind making a donation and calling it my good deed.