Labs ARRRRG

[LoveMyBully]

I know there have been posts on this subject before but feel like it is so important that I wanted to post my experience yesterday. Bobbie had an informative post on this a while back and that is where I learned so much about how our samples need to be treated. Thanks Bobbie. I had some false negatives before I learned on this board the proper way to submit a sample. Anyway, had my husband take my sample to the lab and had it there by 8:00 am. I usually put it in a disposable cooler and mark it with "test ASAP" and "keep refrigerated". I ran out of coolers so I didn't do that this time. When my husband gave the lady at the lab my sample he watched her go and just sit it on a shelf. He told her that it was time sensitive and needed to be tested ASAP and kept refrigerated. She told him they don't test them there anyway and it would be picked up around noon and taken to another lab and hour away. WHAT? You are going to let it just sit there for four hours? He told her that wasn't going to work, it wouldn't be good anymore. She was very nice and did call the Dr. office to find out from them how it needed to be done. After talking to the nurse she went and put it in a cooler. So scary. If hubby hadn't had my back and stayed there to make sure things were done right, I would have gotten another false negative and been thrilled to not have cdiff. At least now when I do get my results they will hopefully be accurate. One of the first steps in treating cdiff needs to be training those who handle the samples in how to handle and test them properly. Doesn't seem that difficult to me. When taking in a sample please don't be shy in making sure the people you are leaving it with know what to do with it or you may be wasting you time. That is something I would never have done when I first got this awful disease. All of you on here have taught me so much, and one of those things is to stand up for myself.

[Kathy George]

Your husband is a smart cookie!!!! Everyone needs their own advocate!!!!!!

[JoElizabeth]

I know the toxin tests are not popular, obviously because they're not as accurate as the PCR. The hospital that I have to have my labs done at does not do the PCR so I have to pay out of pocket through an outside lab to get one (which I have done.) They send the sample out somewhere. My point I guess is that even though the toxin test is less accurate, in my case I feel pretty comfortable with it (especially as I send at least 2) because it gets done right away. So no worries about it sitting around or having to be shipped.

I'm so glad your husband saw that and said something about it! Who knows how long our specimens sit around?


jo

[Bobbie]

Your husband is one smart guy and has the admiration of every poster on this site.

Many office nurses will tell you a "clean" - not "sterile" container is OK. Most lab techs. (and lab engineers; they are the ones who actually do the tests) disagree.

The information for "best tests" is in CDI - Tests. (The latest info. is listed last.)

Here it is again:

Be sure to use a STERILE not just a clean cup for any test. PCR is about 90% accurate - much more so than previous tests, especially the toxin tests.

Turn container into lab within 24 hours - keep refrig. Mark on top of speciman: (in RED): "C. Diff testing - refrig. or test ASAP."

Initial results (for PCR) are ready within 24 hours - final results takes 3 days. I got this info. directly from a lab tech who told me, "I wish nurses would stop telling people 'clean' containers are OK."