blood work prior to your MO appointments or at your MO appt

mckenna

blood work prior to your MO appointments or at your MO appt

mckenna

i am on tamoxifen for low grade DCIS (post lumpectomy and rads) the first time i went to MO, i had blood work done and they sent me a sheet of paper in the mail with the results.  i have a follow up in sept (first since starting tam) and i would prefer to have blood work done prior to my appointment so we can discuss the results at my sept. appt.  i have an RO appt in august and was thinking of calling the MO prior to have her order blood work for that day so the results would be available at my MO appt.  i don't want to be a pain but i for me it would just make more sense.  how does your MO work blood work?

SelenaWolf

I've never heard of waiting for the results and getting them via letter.  At my cancer centre, I turn up at the lab, have my blood drawn, then I go to my mo's office for my appointment.  Within 30 minutes, she has the results printed in her hand.

JamieB86

Same here as SelenaWolf.  Blood draw at time of appt, short wait, then discussion with onc.

mckenna

guess i will call to find ouy how they do it

SpecialK

Depending on the type of bloodwork it is either done at the internal lab in my center - routine tests like a CBC, and they are available within 15 minutes and done prior to seeing my onc.  For Vitamin D, tumor markers or CMP the sample is sent out to an external lab and the results are available in a couple of days.  My center is linked to a site called www.seemychart.com that I can access to see all my labs, imaging reports, etc. so I can always see my results as long as my onc has already reviewed them.

mckenna

i am assuming it would be vitamin D (my initial level was 7) and maybe liver enzymes since i just started tamoxifen.  last time i got blood work (across the hall from MO) after my appointment but this is my first follow up so not sure how it will go.

SpecialK

mckenna - do you know if your onc's lab can do Vit D and a CMP (complete metabolic panel for the liver function test) in house?  I think it would be good to do those in advance if you want to discuss at your appt.  Definitely worth a call to the onc.

Lee64

My first couple of check-ups, the clinic called to tell me the results a few days after seeing my MO. They only gave me the results of a few tests like tumor markers, RBC, WBC, etc. After that I requested that a copy be sent to me so I would have all the results. I would rather have the results available at the time of my appt. so I could ask the doctor any questions. I don't know why they don't do that.

SpecialK, my clinic is also making records available online soon. Do they include all tests, exams, etc. from the beginning of treatment or only the ones since the new system started?

mckenna

specialK, i would assume it is a major cancer facility (one of the top 10 in the country), i had my biopsy results in less than 48 hours so i am assuming they could do the blood work right there too.

jenn333

My onc gives me the lab order for the next appointment at the time of the previous appointment.  I get it done a couple of weeks before the next appointment and we discuss my results when I see her.

SpecialK

lee64 - for the seemychart thing it had everything that was included in my records from the very beginning, including things ordered by my breast surgeon that had results forwarded to the onc.  It does not have docs notes though - only the reports from lab/radiology/cardiology (I am Her2+)/pathology.  This office started participating in this program after I had been going there for at least a year, so it was really nice that everything was accessible from the outset of treatment.  I already had all the hard copies of all of those things but I just enrolled in a clinical trial for a Her2+ vaccine and it was nice to just print off and fax all my most recent stuff for the trial coordinator without having to go through my binder and cherrypick. 

Golden01

My MO gives me a lab slip at each visit. I have the blood drawn the week before my appointment and he goes over the results at my visit. I also have the results sent to my internist so if I have any additional questions, he has all the info.

coraleliz

My MO leaves the blood work to my PCP. My PCP always sends me a copy in the mail with comments.