My Home: The Medical Lab

Have you ever experienced a moment of recognition, having transformed from “a bit eccentric” to full-blown crazy? I think I’m there.

Yesterday, we bought a centrifuge. You know, those laboratory devices that spin blood to separate its components? Yeah, that one. I must now live in a medical laboratory.

I guess the reasoning was this: our doctor orders a fair amount of blood draws that don’t have an associated processing facility locally, so blood must be drawn and shipped on dry ice to wherever it’s being assessed. To take the draw prescription to a facility costs $75 and to have a phlebotomist come to your home for the draw costs $210.

“Why don’t you two just buy your own centrifuge?”

It was the doctor’s idea. He lives on the other side of the country, so can’t draw himself. It wasn’t a bad idea. A bit unconventional, though.

Just over a year ago, he recommended that my boyfriend and I both learn basic venipuncture, so we could self-administer intravenous glutathione. Why, you ask?

Location	Max Dosage	Cost Per Unit
Local IV Clinics	1,500 mg	$255 per 500 mg
At Home	4,000 mg	$0.50 per 500 mg

The clinics would not administer the amount our doctor prescribed, and the price discrepancy was appalling. We pay $4 per dose for what would cost $2,040 in the clinic. If you want something done right (or perhaps, cost-effectively), you’ve often got to do it yourself.

And so the saga begins. A high-quality, used centrifuge was purchased on eBay for $100. It will pay for itself after two uses, so… by next week.

Prior to undergoing the anti-fungal treatment, we need to run a different mycotoxin blood test to help guide to correct dosage. Rather than stopping by a lab and dropping $150 for two draws, we’ll mosey on down to the kitchen for the draw and the spin. What is this absurdity?!

Later this year, if the budget allows, we’ll be re-running the Protein Unstable Lesion Signature (PULS) cardiac test–which I highly recommend for everyone–and ProdromeScan to see if our lab values have improved with targeted treatment. There’s another $300 saved.

Then, there’s the possibility of also self-administering platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which is completely cost-prohibitive at $1,500 per treatment. If we can draw, spin, separate, and then inject the plasma layer with guidance from our physician, it may help ameliorate some of my boyfriend’s chronic pain. I don’t know enough about it to make a judgement, though.

Part of me is appalled that my life’s journey has led me to in-home blood draws. Who does that?! Yet, my inner nerd is excited. I love science, and I can’t help but feel excited about the new toy. I also love saving money so, if we’re gonna be on this journey for a bit longer, I guess we better keep at it.