Blood Tests, X-rays and Prescriptions, Oh My!!!

I wrote this on May 14 but just posted it June 11. Little did I know just how behind I was really going to get! It has been a VERY full month. So, to Amanda, Perri and my dear brother Shane, I promise to work hard to get you all caught up.

Love,
Yout Blog Slacker Friend


I have fallen a bit behind in blog land lately because real life butted in. Last weekend, I had to take Grace to the Urgent Care to have her TB test read; a seemingly inocuous task. When we arrived, there was no one in the waiting room. Things were looking good! I walked up to the registration desk and let the nurse in on the purpose for our visit. She smiled and told me that there would be a $5 charge. That was fine with me, since our regular co-pay is $15. I dug out the money and Grace's shot record to be prepared for the next step. As I was handing over the cash, the nurse asked me if I had the form from the doctor's office. I figured she meant the shot record and was able to produce it right away. I was feeling good about this. The nurse stopped, looked at me like I hadn't heard her request and asked for the form again. I had NO idea what she was talking about. She explained that I should have received a form from the doctor, telling what time, in what arm, etc., the test was given. Well, no dice. I told her what time we arrived and left the doctor's office on Thursday, pointed out the notation about the TB test on the shot record and showed her the bump on Grace's arm. That took care of the problem in my eyes. No dice again.

After consulting the doctor, the nurse told me she could not read the test without this magic form. I asked to speak with the doctor myself. He explained that the liability is too great for them to take any chances. If they read the test outside of the prescribed 48-72 hour window, the results could be inaccurate. If they mistakenly said she was negative, then she went and passed TB on to someone, they could be held accountable. I couldn't argue with that logic, but I also wanted an explanation for the lump on Grace's arm. I told the doctor that I was not asking him to write anything down, but asked him to share his opinion about the result of her TB test. He took a quick look at her arm, ran his finger over the bump and said, "I would call that positive." Yikes!

I took Grace to see her pediatrician first thing Monday morning. After apologizing for the missing form, they agreed that the TB test was positive. The doctor ordered a chest x-ray, STAT, and sent us off with a prescription for Isoniazid to be taken daily. FOR. NINE. MONTHS.

Will and I took her for the chest x-ray that afternoon. The waiting room was so full, there was not one empty chair to sit in. We were told to sign in, and come back in TWO HOURS. That's a new one on me. We drove through Arby's, headed home and enjoyed dinner together as a family. That sure beats having the kids at home with a babysitter, while we sit, feeling hungry and tired, in an overcrowded waiting room. I think I like this new method of waiting.

When we got back to the x-ray place, the tech was just finishing up with the patient before us, and she took us right back. Grace was very displeased about being placed half naked on a cold, hard x-ray table. She was even more upset when we had to do it again for the second shot. Poor thing. Cuddles were most welcome when we were finished.

The next day we had our one month post-placement visit (I can't believe a whole month has already passed!) with our social worker. He is such a good guy. He takes care of the business at hand, but we always end up spending more time talking about lots of other things. It's nice to feel comfortable and know that we really have an ally in all of this. We look forward to seeing him again in a couple months.

Wednesday was blood test day. I was dreading it. I could have taken Grace in by myself, but the thought of it was REALLY stressing me out. I waited for Will to get home. When we got to the lab, it was just a few minutes before closing time. There were a couple other people waiting, but it certainly was not destined to be a repeat of the x-ray experience. After filling out the necessary forms, we only had a couple minutes of waiting. I think I was wishing it could be longer. When our turn came, we headed back to begin the torture. The first phlebotomist struggled to find the vein. After digging around for a while and reducing Grace to hysterics, she gave up. Fortunately, the second person had better luck. When we came out of the room, all the lights were out and the waiting room was empty. They told us that they were closed for the day, but I think Grace's screaming scared everyone off.