We no longer accept walkins. Appt only. The days of waiting an hour to get drawn are over.
Lots of old people just won’t/can’t make appointments. Asking my mother to make an appointment online (which takes me 30 seconds) is like asking her to fly to the moon.
Agreed. The first 2 years of this were not good. We turned away 90 year olds that planned their whole day around having their blood drawn. We’ve been doing this for 3 years so we have fewer that need to be turned away.
We are maxed out in phlebotomy. They could be there until 6pm and have nobody to draw their blood. Some patients are nice and call to say they aren’t coming. In those cases, we can say we have an opening. They have to leave phlebotomy during that time. We can only allow 40 patients in the waiting room at a time.
The starting pay for phlebotomy is quite pathetic, so the turnover/call out rate is very high.
I should say that patients can cancel their phleb appointments on an app or through text.
Can you book by phone?
Yes, phone, website or app.
That’s not that bad, then. Most 80+ year olds can navigate booking by phone.
So it’s okay for a doctor to make a patient wait but patients should be prompt?
I don’t know. It’s been many years since I’ve had my blood drawn.
Does that bother you, when people call and cancel? I mean, does that mess up your schedule?
Not really. It means the people that came without an appt have a chance to get drawn that day.
It is worse if they have a therapeutic phlebotomy scheduled. We only book one per hour and they are only done certain days of the week. These are drawn if your iron is too high for example. It’s a lot of blood. These, the lab needs to schedule them by phone call. Only 3 people in the lab draw them. It’s like a blood donation. So, if those get canceled or no-showed, someone thst needed a therapeutic phlebotomy could have gotten drawn. I do get it though. If you feel unwell, you shouldn’t have that much blood drawn.
Oh I see. So cancellations are sort of celebrated?
Ewww…you inspire me to search for natural iron lowering foods.
If it takes an hour for three to draw from one patient, sounds like you need more phlebotomists.
I have a stupid bug. It’s a cold or something like that. I went all winter without a sniffle but now that it’s nice outside, I get a cold.
Feel better soon, Reg. I did a stupid thing and stayed in the sun too long. Now I look like a character from Avatar.
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First update in ages. The site will be down for a bit.
All done. Uneventful.
Another update needed. It’s been a month so that’s reasonable enough. The site will be down.
EDIT: All done. Uneventful.
I have a diabetic ulcer on my leg. Right before we’re supposed to go to Colombia. If it doesn’t improve, I may have to bail on the trip. Even if it does improve, the trip will almost certainly have to change. I don’t feel well. Hopefully I will improve soon.
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ah bad luck…
at least you can now sit in front of the tv all day like a real american! 
may you feel better soon
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I’m so sorry. What are your symptoms?
Big ulcer on my leg, right above my ankle. Lots of pain. Entirely unpleasant.
I hope to get to the point where I can limp enough that I’ll make it through the airport.
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Oil of Oregano. Stings really bad the first time but that gets easier with each treatment. If I can tolerate it, you can too.