I had a little bit of an issue with my labs being drawn today. There is one study tube that is supposed to be drawn from my arm - not from my port - so that the heparin that they put into the port doesn't interfere with the results. The tube is to test for blood clotting and I guess the heparin can cause a problem sometimes. After my first round of tests were done that way, my study coordinator said that it would be fine to just draw that tube from my port as well - just have the nurses draw it last. So that is what I have been telling the nurses each time - and most of them did question me on it. Well, I guess my doctor has been telling the nurses to make sure that the labs that are supposed to be taken from the arm are taken from the arm and not from the port. So the nurse questioned me on it and I raised a bit of a stink about it and she finally decided - even after talking to the study coordinator and the nurse that works with my doctor - to just take the lab tube from my port after taking out some extra blood to help clear it. I talked with my doctor afterwards and said that this is how we have been doing it for over a year and a half now and if they are going to raise a stink about it and require it to be done out of my arm, what is the point in me keeping my port in? And why hasn't it caused problems with the results up to this point? Anyways, my doctor agreed to allow me to have it taken from my port so we will continue on as we have been doing for the last year and a half...

Other than that my appointment went fine.