I am feeling sad and discouraged and stressed today, because the doctor called with the results of Edward’s most recent bloodwork, and there were good things and bad things, and it all basically means we have to try new things: new medicines, new dosages, more bloodwork in a month. His doctor is so good at explaining things, and I feel good about his ideas and his reasons, but it is still stressful and worrisome. I especially hate reading the potential side effects list of a new medication.
Also, you will not believe this, but the lab (the one that made us go back three times for one set of tests) called yesterday and said they’d neglected to do one of the tests. And fortunately I called the doctor to let him know, because one of the nurses there looked it up and said “…No, we have all the results right here.” So the lab was going to have us come back and redo a test that HAD IN FACT BEEN DONE, and then our insurance would not have covered the duplicate, unnecessary test. So an additional source of stress right now is figuring out what to do about that, because I don’t want to use this lab anymore.
Option A is to drive two hours down to the horrible big city every time Edward needs bloodwork; that’s where we have it done when we’re there anyway for an appointment with his specialist. Upside: they do it right every single time; they always have the right kits; they are part of the same hospital as Edward’s doctor, so the lab/doctor communication is superb. Downside: driving into a city, among drivers who, when I’m scared or can’t figure things out, think I’m being a princess or an idiot or both, and that honking at me will communicate to me the correct way to get through the intersection THEY are familiar with and therefore find easy. Additional downside: every time we take that trip, a part of me honestly believes we will die. I’m not overstating this for comic effect. Additional downside: it takes more than half a day to do it this way, and it has to be during the school day. I’m trying hard to minimize the amount of school Edward misses.
A suboption for Option A is to take a shuttle that would drop us off half a mile from the hospital. Upside: someone else does the driving; fear of death significantly reduced. Downsides: the additional scheduling hassle; the fear of doing something new when I don’t know how it works; walking with a child in the city, when I basically broadcast Town Mouse from every pore; increased fear of getting mugged; same problems with taking half a day and missing school.
Option B is to go to a different lab, the one connected with our pediatrician. Our insurance company says the one we’ve been going to is the only reasonably local lab they will cover. However, when they told me that the only place we could get x-rays done was two hours away in the city, I decided to pay cash and take William to the place in our town. AND THE INSURANCE DID COVER IT, AFTER SAYING THEY DIDN’T EVEN RECOGNIZE THE EXISTENCE OF THAT PLACE. (And it’s not just that I’m misunderstanding, because the place has signs up all over the walls saying patients with our insurance may not be covered; and once when I went there for something for myself, it created an enormous insurance tangle involving backdated referrals for services I didn’t even get.) So I could just take Edward to that lab (same place as the x-ray place) and risk it. Downside: one of the tests is very, very, very expensive. Like, even AFTER insurance we pay $250 of it. So if insurance WOULDN’T cover this lab, we’d be in trouble. However, we don’t get the super-expensive test every time, so Option B may work for the times when we don’t need that test.
Option C is sort of the same as Option B, but involves trying a DIFFERENT different lab. I’ve heard people talking about Quest Labs as being the place their insurance covers. There’s one of those near us. We could try that one. I looked on THEIR website and THEY say they take our insurance. Downside: maybe they’ll be just as bad as the other lab we’ve been going to. Upside: they could hardly be WORSE. And they’re a shorter drive, and now I know the kit needs to be ordered, and that I should go Monday-Thursday, and so forth.
Well, I’m agitated. I think I’ll go into the kitchen and start making things with pumpkin and cinnamon and cranberries. It always makes me feel cheery to imagine so many of us in our kitchens at the same time, working with such similar ingredients.
I vote for Option C. I’ve personally never had a bad experience with a Quest lab (although disclaimer, I have no idea how they are with children) and I’ve been going for regular bloodwork for years. Like you said, it can hardly be any worse but I predict it will be a significantly better experience, especially with your additional knowledge of what needs to be done. Good luck!
Is there an Option D, “husband does it”? Or at least, husband figures it out, makes the phone calls, and tells you the best option and steps for getting it done? This is the exact kind of situation that would overwhelm me and frustrate me to the point of telling my husband that I’m sorry, he has to figure this one out, and I would use The Balance Of Household Labor In Our House as my bargaining chip.
Totally agree!
Another vote of confidence for Quest Labs. I realize that being in different cities means different people doing the tests but I have been to three different Quest Labs in NYC and Staten Island for ages and ages and every time they have been excellent.
Yea I was going to say the same for quest. Around here they all open at 6:45 am.. so he could get it done and not even miss school .. or only miss a small amount. They are super quick too – especially early in the morning.
Quest is ok, but even if they do say you can walk in, always make an appt, because the waiting time could be an hour or more, especially in the morning. And you can always try it on a cheap test to see if your insurance goes through!
I am making pumpkin pies this morning and now I am also enjoying thinking about many of us in our kitchens. That’s a nice thought. I’m sorry to hear about your son and I hope you find quick and easy solutions for all of it. I have been to Quest labs as well and I never had a problem. As you said, it couldn’t be worse than Terrible Lab.
I went to Quest once for a test that had to be drawn on a particular day I couldn’t drive a hour and a half to the clinic. It was impersonal and a long wait BUT they got it right and the insurance was accepted.
Quest is the Gap of labwork. No bells or whistles and not a ton of TLC but they know exactly what they are doing and how to do it. You will, at a minimum, not be dealing with all this nonsense. And you can get there right when they open and I suspect they will just take you and get you in and out (though I can’t prove that.) They get my vote too.
*I am waiting for someone to talk about how Gap is a bad example here because their xyz sucks and whatnot but I racked my brain trying to think of a better example of “it’s not fancy or special but they do one thing and they do it REALLY well.”
I’d go for option C, and I would also give you a big hug because this is such a frustrating situation for you. xo
The city option seems the best, and I want to say that the more often you do it, the easier it will become, but I don’t want to be a jerk and just assume that. I know you don’t want to say which city (privacy and all that) but is there a subway/metro where you can drive & park? Then perhaps you’d be closer to the hospital. YOu mention a shuttle, but not a subway. Also, is the facility in a “sketchy” part of town? Perhaps you’d feel more comfortable if you did some research on crime in that area….you may very well be surprised that the area is considered “safe.” I live in an urban area, very near a city know for high homicide rates (that sound awful, I know) but I feel completely safe there, even with my child, because I know chances of something happening are small. Of course I avoid certain areas, etc. Hope you don’t think this is assvice, just trying to come up with a different perspective.
Our hospital lab system is part of the Quest network and I like them. They seem to retain good employees, since the same guy has done lab work on me for all 3 of my pregnancies over the last 7 years. They also did well with both kids’ blood draws, despite Evan flailing about and screaming. So although I think they ARE probably The Gap of labs, I vote for that option.
The shuttle just sounds like a nightmare.
How horribly frustrating. That the bad lab has found yet another way to have you deal with something you shouldn’t have to is exasperating. Though on the whole, it seems that one is a problem for them and not you? The doctor has the result, so why should it matter for you if they think they still need to do it? And same with them getting payed for it – if they neglected to make a record of having done the test, there’s no reason for you to be the one dealing with anything. I would do nothing at all, and just say we’re not coming in. Honestly, screw them.
Of the other options you listed, C looks very much worth trying. Both it being near is a plus, and that it seems you don’t need to worry about insurance. They’d have to try REALLY hard to be anywhere near as bad as the bad lab, so even 50% less awful sounds like a big improvement, and maybe they’ll even be just fine or, who knows, even really good.
Driving in the city is super stressful, so I understand wanting to avoid it. One thing that helped me recently when also doing that, and while there was a huge business fair going on so traffic was insane, was using the google navigation app on my phone. It was surprisingly good with telling me not just „turn right“ or so, but being early with saying that, and especially on big streets or intersections coming up it said stuff like „get into the second lane from the right”, so there was no confusion about where I needed to be while the actual turns were only coming up. It took a lot of guesswork out of the things that usually make city driving so confusing. Your phone does need GPS and a data connection for it, but the actual amount of data used for a single trip is really pretty low (just do the installation of the app while connected to some wifi).
I seriously hope I didn’t just elaborate on one of those first-thing-I-thought-of ideas. I just thought I’d mention it because I scoffed at navigation tools for the longest time (I have a very good sense of direction and just looked up beforehand what the specifics of unknown places were), and was really surprised how much more relaxed it made my trip to places I’m not that familiar with (I know, duh). And I didn’t used to know how far they had moved on from the simple „turn right now“ the first ones I encountered had, so I thought other people might not be aware of it either.
Yes! Google Maps just gets better and better. Especially in big cities, it’s surprisingly accurate about which lane to get in AHEAD of time. You can also swipe through the directions ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the route, note any tricky spots, and then use the narration to audibly tell you where to go your whole trip!
The city option seems the best. I’m wondering if you can take a cab between the shuttle and the hospital if you are worried about the walk? It seems like a good option to have for a day that you or your son are not feeling well or the weather is horrid.
Regarding the unfortunate length of time it takes to use the city option, maybe think of it as less of a loss and more of an investment in getting him well? Sometimes a reframing is a way that helps me get through what seems like the worst choice.
But I’m kind of pulling for the Quest option to work out, because I just don’t believe in trying to keep giving business to the crappy lab that screws you over every chance it gets.
(I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but if you haven’t read Laurie Colwin, you will absolutely love her books. They all talk about the joys of domesticity, like your thought of the collective cooking the same meal. Highly recommend.)
I hate your current lab with such a fiery passion.
Also, here’s to an efficient and quick process of getting the new medication going.
I say try Quest! But despite not loving the phone, I think this is a good example of when an up front call may help…do they take your insurance? (They should be able to tell you!) are there only certain times they do this type of bloodwork? Do they need advance notice for a kit? Etc.
I’d cast a vote for Quest. They are very responsive to feedback. I echo what some others have said about them. Their offices are minimally staffed, pretty utilitarian, nothing comfy cozy about them, and they are briskly efficient, but the upsides are (a) you can make your appointments online (NO PHONE CALLS), (b) you can leave a written comment/question when you make the appointment, (c) even if they don’t necessarily answer when you call, you can leave a message saying I just want to be darned sure you have the kit, before I drive over there, and leave a number for them to call; (d) if you have an appointment, they will take you before a walk-in, which is not always the case in other labs; (e) you can provide feedback online after every visit, so you’re not stuck with agitated feelings and no where to go with them; (f) they actually listen and respond to the feedback (long story, but they do); (g) they do enough blood work that they are good at it, so the draws are relatively painless for me; and last but far from least, you begin to develop a relationship over the course of several visits–last time I went in for blood work, the technician asked about my husband, and I hadn’t until then realized that this was the first time he had not accompanied me.
The only downside, for me, is that they like to ask for some money up front (their estimate of what my insurance won’t cover). I always wind up saying that my insurance covers 100% of this lab work and that I’ve never had to pay up front before, and they’ve always backed down.
This may fall under the “I already thought of that, you idiot commenter” type of comment, but is there someone who could drive you into the city if you choose that option? I know it doesn’t work for your husband to take time off. But maybe your dad or a friend? Someone who doesn’t mind driving in the city? That also gives you the added benefit of having someone to share the stress with. It takes a village and all that. ;)
I wonder if it would be possible to do a solo test run of the shuttle, assuming it makes other stops than just the hospital, possibly in locations convenient to interesting holiday shopping? Hope the cooking and baking went well!
I’m connecting this to your “not getting along” post. I wonder if some of Paul’s superior attitude is coming from anxiety about Edward. In my experience, there’s nothing like the illness of a loved one to bring out all a person’s least-likable traits: you feel helpless, discouraged, powerless, and insecure about everything from the health condition itself to the finances to your own mortality. It comes out differently for different people: trying to micromanage everything you CAN control, fretting, overeating for comfort (whyyyy does that work so well), withdrawing in a moody, sulky way — lots of things. I wonder if Paul is providing stupidly simple solutions to your problems because he has a problem no one can “fix.”
I would at least try the Quest lab. It’s not set in stone that you have to keep going there if it doesn’t work out.
I would feel exactly the same about the driving in the city thing. Do you have a GPS? I can honestly say my GPS has changed my life – I drive places I never would have with so much more confidence now. But maybe your driving anxiety is differently-focused from mine. Regardless, what Nicole said – the whole situation is frustrating and unfair and stressful, and I’m so very sorry.
I’ve used Quest with fairly good luck, although never for anything particularly complicated. One time there was an insurance issue and I got it straightened out with a minimum of hassle. There can be a difference between locations — the one closest to my house is always crowded and takes forever. The people are nice, but there’s always a wait. Luckily, there’s one 10 minutes farther away that takes appointments and is always very efficient and is good with kids. And with me — I bruise easily and have crappy veins, but they do well.
Good luck! I hope you find a solution that makes the process less miserable.
Another vote for “it ain’t fancy but it’s works” for Quest. Like others have said, even though they have a walk in option, def make an appointment (and still expect to sometimes have to wait 15-20 mins). We also were able to make the appointment online and fill out all the insurance info there, BUT still did need to redo most of the insurance info once there which was annoying, but one of those things that would have been less annoying if i knew it up front. But the online phone-free scheduling is THE BEST.
I vote for option A. I know it is the least convenient option, but having the lab work done at the same lab is important, especially when the doctor is following values over time. Even if the other labs offer the test, unless it is also sent to the lab in the hospital to be performed, the lab could do the test using a different kit or analyzer and it could have a different reference range and make interpretation a bit difficult. Fluctuations that you may see in the values could be due to the different test platforms, not due to what is actually going on with Edward.
Those all sound hard in different ways, and I’m sorry your insurance is making a difficult and annoying situation even more stressful. All of those things would really stress me out, too. I’d probably tend towards the shuttle, since the thing that stresses me out MOST is driving in unfamiliar places, but your stress rankings could be different.
Not knowing anything about the city you’re referencing, or your location with regards to it, or the location of the lab within the city, here are a few suggestions that will likely be useless: 1) if there’s a large airport there and the direction from your house to it would get you closer to the lab, a lot of times there’s a fairly inexpensive shuttle that will get you to the airport, 2) depending on the distance you could take a cab or a ride sharing services (Uber, etc.) to the lab, 3) I live in Atlanta and my sister used to hate driving to visit me because of the exact reasons you describe, mapped out a way that takes minimal highways once she gets into the city and it has been considerably better since then.
It’s snowing on your website! Cool!