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Kimberly Ward said:Aha, but I feel like you could have handled most of that at an infectious disease clinic, a local hospital, or somewhere else entirely. I just think it’s something different right now.
I don't get you, Brandon Newman95. What did you mean by saying it's something else right now? Could you please explain?
Gastroenterologist – requested tests
1. Stool – bacterial and parasite screening
2. Fecal occult blood test
3. Blood – tissue transglutaminase antibodies and H. pylori serology
4. Hepatitis C blood test
5. Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus blood tests
The patient is my 17-year-old son. We live in New York City and I’m a pharmacist. A gastroenterologist ordered these specific tests, so my family doctor wrote out five referrals—referrals 1 through 3 are for the medical and microbiology labs at the big city hospital, while 4 and 5 are for the infectious disease clinic.
I headed to the main hospital first just to figure out where we actually needed to go. I ran into a former classmate there who’s a medical biochemist, and she suggested I try the infectious disease clinic first, or if they couldn't do everything, head over to the CDC. At the infectious disease clinic, they basically tried to brush us off and told us to go to the CDC first for whatever they could do, then come back to them for the rest. I had to be pretty firm and insist they do what they could right then before we moved on. Finally, they agreed and took my son's blood for tests 4 and 5. They left a bruise on him that honestly didn't even start fading until ten days after the draw. One set of results should be ready in seven days, and the other in fourteen.
Next, we went to the CDC, where they gave us the container for the stool sample. It hit me then that I’d need another container for the occult blood test, so I ran to a pharmacy and picked up two more. I dropped the stool samples off at the local clinic’s microbiology lab (for bacteria/parasites) and the medical lab (for the blood test). The microbiology results from the CDC took seven days, but the blood in the stool test was done in just 24 hours at the local clinic.
To top it all off, they directed us to a hospital for test number 3. So, I dragged my son back to the big city hospital, only for them to try and send us away again! They claimed they hadn't performed that specific test (tissue transglutaminase antibodies) in ten days and weren't even sure what to do with the second part of the referral (H. pylori serology). They suggested we go to the Mayo Clinic instead. Again, I had to push back, and eventually, they said they *could* do the antibody test for kids and would draw his blood for the H. pylori serology right then—but told me I’d have to take it over to the microbiology lab in the purple building. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I hit the final hurdle: a nurse at the intake desk who acted like the last line of defense for the entire hospital. She barely even accepted the sample, telling me the results wouldn't be ready for a whole month!
So, I guess I’m wondering: is it normal to have to bounce between this many hospitals and labs in New York City just to get these tests done? They don't seem like anything super rare to me.
If there are any experts here who deal with this, please tell me—how could we have handled this more simply?
P.S. I’m not even going to get into how rude the staff was at every single one of these places.
My 17-year-old son tried to pet a dog tied up outside the local corner store, and the dog bit his hand. It was bleeding pretty bad. He went inside to ask who owned the dog, but nobody would step up. The cashier sent him to the nearby clinic where they cleaned and bandaged the wound, then sent him over to the Trauma Center. The doctor there checked him out, said it wasn't too serious, and told him to follow up with his regular doctor for wound care and next steps. His family doctor then sent him to the CDC in Arlington, where they logged the incident and decided he didn't need shots for rabies or tetanus.
I went back to the store to see if anyone knew who the owner was, and they told me the woman comes in to shop all the time. I left my contact info and phone number, but it’s been 12 days since the bite and I haven't heard a single word from anyone. Last night, my son started vomiting, and it lasted all night and into this morning. I am absolutely terrified that this is happening because of that dog bite. Things have calmed down a bit now, so I’m really hoping it’s just some stomach bug.
Honestly, I'm so angry at this woman for not telling me if her dog is vaccinated. She should have reached out so I wouldn't be sitting here panicking about my son throwing up! I'm going to go look for her around the neighborhood now. Does anyone know what I should do? Please, any advice on how to handle this.
Thanks! A worried mom