The Funny Thing about Test Results
I loved taking tests as a kid. Which is weird. It was a big release to fill in all the blanks, regurgitate all the facts, and be done with a large set of information.
Details: I've had to wait for test results from dermatology biopsies, MRI's of my brain, shoulder, lumbar spine, blood tests that will determine if I have cancer, an immune disorder, or a deadly virus.
Once they take the sample off of- or out of- my body, a stopwatch starts in my mind. I've found that the longer it takes for a doctor to call with the results, the more healthy the results are. But that doesn't stop or slow the insane pace of the clock.
The funny thing I learned about easing the anxiety around waiting is.... call the office. You can get away with calling the office maybe three times. The first time, you can straight-up ask if the results are back yet. They'll say no. And they'll be annoyed with you. The second time, you can tell them you want to make sure they have your current phone number. I've often said something like, "I think you guys have my home phone number, but I'm going to be out for a while today and I want to make sure you have my cell phone number." They'll still be annoyed, but it feels better to make human contact while you're waiting.
Things start getting weird if you decide to make the third phone call. You have to actually have another doctor who may also want or need the results you're waiting for. In my current situation, my primary care doctor wants a copy of ALL of my lab work. So I just now called the rheumatologist's office for the third time in two days to make sure they had the correct fax number for "whenever" they get the results in.
That last phone call might actually be useful. If a doc is sitting on a pile of labs, and the office knows another doctor is waiting on the results, they might push yours to the top. It also might trigger the doctor to mark the results as "read" which can kick the results onto your personal medical record. If you're playing along at home and have access to your online medical record, you can start hitting Refresh to see when the doc sends it through.
Details: I've had to wait for test results from dermatology biopsies, MRI's of my brain, shoulder, lumbar spine, blood tests that will determine if I have cancer, an immune disorder, or a deadly virus.
Once they take the sample off of- or out of- my body, a stopwatch starts in my mind. I've found that the longer it takes for a doctor to call with the results, the more healthy the results are. But that doesn't stop or slow the insane pace of the clock.
The funny thing I learned about easing the anxiety around waiting is.... call the office. You can get away with calling the office maybe three times. The first time, you can straight-up ask if the results are back yet. They'll say no. And they'll be annoyed with you. The second time, you can tell them you want to make sure they have your current phone number. I've often said something like, "I think you guys have my home phone number, but I'm going to be out for a while today and I want to make sure you have my cell phone number." They'll still be annoyed, but it feels better to make human contact while you're waiting.
Things start getting weird if you decide to make the third phone call. You have to actually have another doctor who may also want or need the results you're waiting for. In my current situation, my primary care doctor wants a copy of ALL of my lab work. So I just now called the rheumatologist's office for the third time in two days to make sure they had the correct fax number for "whenever" they get the results in.
That last phone call might actually be useful. If a doc is sitting on a pile of labs, and the office knows another doctor is waiting on the results, they might push yours to the top. It also might trigger the doctor to mark the results as "read" which can kick the results onto your personal medical record. If you're playing along at home and have access to your online medical record, you can start hitting Refresh to see when the doc sends it through.
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